There are quite a few portraits in my portfolio. For a  family member, I might use a more “serious” medium, such as acrylic. When I want to play with media or with a different technique, I will often use gouache or watercolour. I even have a biro self-portrait in a sketchbook somewhere. Biro is very popular among younger artists and I can see why. It glides over acrylic, for example and is also waterproof, so you can paint over it in watercolour.

But most often, I like to wander over to Unsplash or Pexels, where very generous photographers
allow people like me to use their photos for practice and relaxation. I swiftly discovered that the reason most artists do so many self-portraits and pictures of their partners and children is simply because they are always there. Your own face even more so. Gustav Courbet even managed to catch himself sleeping !!