Self Portrait

We were asked to draw a self portrait with graphite or charcoal using a graph and a reference image. Afterwards we chose an artist or art movement to study and made a background inspired by whatever we studied. The subject of the creation is myself. The materials I used were charcoal, pastel chalk, watercolor pencils, and watercolors.

The elements and principles I used were color, value, line, texture, contrast, and emphasis. The project started out a simple self portrait. I was continually adding little details to it throughout the process. The background was originally just a heart. I then decided to combine the ideas I created on a thumbnail and make the background really intricate.

The story of this work is a bit personal. The background relates to when I was going through a rough time in my life and dealt with it in a way that wasn't healthy. It somewhat shows that inner battle. I am proudest in the background and how detailed it is, and how realistic the portrait looks. I struggled with fitting the background on such a small place, but it worked out alright. If I could change the project I'd redo the eyes. They don't look alike, and I'm not good at drawing eyes with charcoal.