Erin Middleton evaluated their summer self-portrait project. They researched paintings at the national portrait gallery that used techniques like bold colors, strong lines, tone and shade. The artists studied were Alex Katz, Louis Leopold Boilly and Brian Sayers. Erin developed initial designs through sketching and improving ideas with varied colors and backgrounds, aiming for a simple realistic style like Katz. They used acrylic paint and brushes to create texture in the background. The final portrait was challenging to paint due to the uneven canvas, but thin layers of paint and tiny brushes helped overcome this. Erin reflected on learning about using pencil, base layers, color and texture in portraits.