Signature Self Portrait

This is an observational self portrait that I created using only my signature. I used a photo for reference and my media was graphite on paper.

For this piece I used a simple process of taking a picture, gridding it and my drawing paper and then transferring and enlarging the image using graphite. The unusual aspect of this piece is that every mark on the paper is my signature, which creates interesting value transitions and textures. This technique also discouraged me from using lines at value transitions and I only made them where it was necessary. Pattern is a prominent principle of design in this piece—for the background I used a similar plaid as what can be seen on my shirt. I used the rule of thirds in my composition of this piece; my body is off center to the left. This project evolved in that I began by orienting my signature at different angles as needed to create appropriate values but as it progressed I found myself focusing more on line weight and using a fairly consistent horizontal orientation.

I created this piece as a representation of myself using a few different symbols. The first and most obvious is my face which is a simple visual representation. Another representation is my signature which is significant because it is unique to me. A third is the plaid which was on my shirt in my reference photo and which I decided to incorporate into the background. Plaid is a complicated pattern which i intended to be representational of my complex personality, with many overlapping levels and qualities. I think this piece could be stronger if I made all my values darker which would create more contrast between the foreground and the background. The most challenging parts of this project were the depictions of my eyes and of the wrinkled plaid on my shirt. I am most proud of the way I depicted my eyes and nose and of my background which I think was creative and effectively creates a sense of unity. This piece illustrates my strength as an artist in my ability to recognize prevailing colors in an area which is demonstrated by my use of a specific type of mark being consistently used—my signature. This piece shows weakness in some inconsistent values such as on my shirt.