Signature Self-Portrait

For this project the goal was to use our signature (whether it just be our first name, full name, initials, etc.), to compose a self-portrait using a full range of values. First we had to take a selfie or have someone take a picture of us using a white background to make it easier to draw. I chose this image not because I’m an unhappy person but because I’m unhappy about things happening around the world. To begin I gridded my image and my piece of paper. I ended up blowing up image on a 1:2 ratio.

I used a various B pencils to shade my hair as my hair is black but in the image it is not one shade but multiple shades. I drew “maya” horizontally, vertically, and diagonally. Many times I was tempted to just shade regularly but I really like the texture my name gives the piece. After finishing the outline of my hair I moved onto my shirt and neck area. My necklace was a bit tricky but I ended up making the round disks to be more square shaped. My facial features were the hardest and I had to pay close attention to the grid lines in order to draw my features in proportion. I think I ended up overdrawing my lips but having already used a 6B pencil, I decided to leave it in order to not have the erase marks. If I were to redo this project or fix anything I think I’d spend more time getting my features right (especially fixing my lips).

After finishing the shading of my face I cleaned up my artwork: I erased all the smudges and gridlines and used a 6B pencil to go over my border. I also decided to crop my piece leaving a one inch border from my portrait border instead of a three inch one. I did this because there was paint on the original border that I couldn’t just erase but also because I thought the drawing would look better cropped to really focus on the portrait. After viewing my classmate’s portraits I decided to go back and rework my background. The signature makes the piece look busy so I knew I wanted to add something more subtle. Ms. Medsker said it’d be okay if we used words to define ourself in the background and I went with that. I used the words “Female, Asian, American, Adoptee, Immigrant, Proud”. I used a 6B pencil to write these words in all caps. I think especially heading into the next four years it’s easy to want to blend in and “stay under the radar”. It’s really easy to wish you were someone else but now is the time to take a stand and have your voice heard. At this point in time I don’t think I could be more proud to be an Asian-American women adoptee and immigrant; and I hope my self-portrait reflects this.