Embedded Files
contour outline of self-portrait
i outlined the details of my face and highlights and shadows i wanted to add
carbon copy of contour outline
i then used a carbon paper and traced what i have drawn to copy my annotations onto a new piece of paper without the photo
darkening of contour lines
i then use a marker to trace what i have drawn through the carbon paper to make the lines smoother and more visible. i also used a thinner marker to trace more detailed features like the eyess
positive and negative design of self-portrait
i realised that i needed more negative space so i decided to colour more parts of my hair.
silkscreen
we had to go into the dark room and use some chemicals to create the silk screen. First, we took the frame and applied a thin layer of the blue chemical in the frame with a screen printing emulsion coating. Next, we used a hairdryer to dry the chemicals until it was not sticky anymore. Then, we put the frame and my positive and negative design of self-portrait printed on a clear piece of plastic in the machine and aligned it to the marking. We then closed the cover of the machine and covered it with a black cloth before turning it on. Next we wait for 5 minutes. Finally, we take the frame out and wash the frame with water until the excess chemicals is washed out.
first screen-print of self-portrait
we took the black ink and placed it at the top of the silkscreen. We then used a squeegee to spread the ink around evenly so that when we lift the silkscreen we can see our self portrait.
second screen-print of self-portrait
i use the blue ink this time to use during the screen printing process
double-face drawing
i took reference from the photo i used during the slikscreen process and drew out a double-face drawing.To me, it was hard for me to connect the two sides of the face.
sketch of painting
i sketched out a background of leaves as that is the most unique feature of my artist reference. i decided to add some butterflies and flowers as i felt that instead of drawing black animals that represent depression and harmful plants that hurt you, i decided to draw some colourful butterflies and colourful flowers to represent happiness
painting process 1
i decided to start painting the leaves first as they take up the most space. i had to mix different variations of green and add dimension to the leaves to not make it look plain.
painting process 2
i decided to touch up on the leaves and pain the background. i wanted to paint a sunrise for the sky as it represents birth, growth and a new beginning.
painting process 3
i decided to start painting the person, the flowers and the butterflies. when painting the person, the skin colour was hard to perfect and i had to repaint a few times, because of this, the paint slowly began to peel because of how thick it was but i decided to fix it next week as it needed to dry. the colour of the hair was also very hard to perfect and i took a long time. i also decided to paint the butterflies blue as they are my favourite colour and blue butterflies are very rare
final painting
i used a brush that was not properly cleaned the first time and it left little bits of old paint that looked like dots all around the sky, hence, i had to repaint it a few times to make sure it is hidden. i realised that my sky was has a lot of strokes and the colour was not really natural and was clashing with the leaves so i decided to paint the sky pink as a pink sunrise is rare to see as it is usually orange or yellow. this also managed to cover up the little dots all around the sky and , for some reason, the yellow paint is a more translucent compared to the other paint. I also used a marker the trace out the facial features that was covered by the paint.
Artist reference: Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (1907-1954)
Title of work: Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird
Year: 1940
Medium: Oil on canvas on masonite
Size: about 61.25 cm × 47 cm (24.11 in × 18.5 in)
Location: Harry Ransom Center, Austin, Texas, Austin
What is striking to you about this artist's self-portrait?
What do you think the artist is trying to portray?
How do you think you can adapt this work into your self-portrait?
What is striking to you about this artist's self-protrait
In this portrait, Frida Kahlo faces the viewer with a background of large green leaves and a yellow leaf right behind her. The thorns are around her neck like a necklace which is held by a black monkey. Her neck is bleeding from the piercing thorns. On the right side behind her shoulder is a black cat. A hummingbird is hanging on the thorn which knots around her throat. Her expression is calm and solemn. It also seems she is patiently enduring the pain.
What do you think the artist is trying to portray
A bird often symbolizes freedom and life. Especially a hummingbird which is colorful and always hovering above flowers. But in this painting, the hummingbird is black and lifeless. This might be a symbol of Frida herself. Frida spent most of her life in physical pain after the bus accident happened when she was eighteen. After that, she endured about thirty-five operations to fix her body. She spent so many years bedridden and cannot bear any children. This is a painting about her suffering.
How do i want to adapt this style into my self-portrait
i want to adapt the realism into my self-portrait as much as possible. I also want to add the leaves that she has in the background.
SEE
(Describe what you see)
THINK
(Analyse & Interpret)
WONDER
(Develop Curiosity)
What do you see?
i see a woman with a necklace made out of thorns with a black humming bird hanging from it, she is also bleeding fro the thorns on her neck. I also see a lot of leaves, a black monkey, a black cat, two of dragonflies, flying above the woman's head and two moths on the woman's head piece. She also painted a very basic white shirt and simple/no makeup on herself and has a unibrow and mustache growing.
What are the subjects in the Artwork?
the woman, Frida Kaylo.
What are the Elements of Art used in the Artwork?
she used many tones of green on the leaves to make sure that the leaves are not a patch of green and boring. She also used black for the animals.
What are some subjects in the foreground, middleground and background of the Artwork?
the woman, Frida Kaylo, is at the foreground and the black monkey and black cat is at the middleground
How are the subject matters arranged?
i showed that the main subject of this artwork is the woman, Frida Kaylo, which is at the foreground.
Why did you think the artist arranged the subjects in this manner?
i think she placed the woman in the foreground to let people know that the main subject of the artwork is the woman and to let people seethe details on the woman better. i think she added the black monkey and cat at the middleground to show that although they are important, they are not as important as the woman which is in the foreground.
What do you think the Artist is trying to communicate in the artwork? How does the artwork make you feel?
i think the artist is trying to tell us about her bad experience with life as the animals in this painting are all black and the usually active and lively humming bird is black and motionless. This artwork makes me feel sad as this paining is about the tragic story of Frida Kaylo.
How do you think the elements of art were used to convey the Artist's intentions?
I think the use of black for the colour of the animals is trying to show that her like is bad as the colour black is often negative.
How was principles of design used to communicate and idea/ emotion
i feel like she used contrast to make people's eyes drawn to the woman as the leaves are contrasting to the woman.
Why do you think the Artist emphasised certain element in the work?
i feel like the artist emphasised the subjects of the painting to make people's eyes drawn to them.
What are you curious about the Artwork?
why do you is the background filled with leaves and not something else
What are you wonder about the Artist's thought processes?
was it very difficult to paint the animals and leaves
What is interesting to you about this Artwork? And why?
how she managed to paint the animals so nicely
Are there any areas such as the title, style, or medium of the artwork that you are unsure and would like to know more?
why is a masonite needed
What do you like to keep, destroy or replace? Why?
i feel like the thorn necklace with the lifeless and black hummingbird hanging from it and making the woman's neck bleed should be destroyed as the scene is kind of scary.
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