Self Portrait
In this assignment, we were asked to create a self portrait, and create a background inspired by an artist from history's art. So, that is what I did. All I used was a picture of myself, a large piece of paper, a pencil, some colored pencils, and a compass to create circles.
In this project, I used specific elements and principles, such as color, value, line, and space. These elements were found as the color was used for the background, the value was the shading I used on my self portrait to make shadows, line was the foundation for my project, building up almost everything seen, and space, which I used to make things seem less crowded, while also not feeling empty. These elements soon turned into different principles of design, such as balance, contrast, and pattern. Balance made the piece feel less out of place, and allowed it to not feel off balanced by color or value. Contrast kept the piece moving, and made shading feel more in place. Then, there is pattern, which I used for the background so I could make it feel very full.
My project originally only had minimal amount of shading, which put the piece into a really weird position. But, as I continued through the piece, I figured out how to properly shade and where, which allowed my project to evolve into something much better.
There is no meaning behind this artwork, other than that the picture is of me, and the background is inspired by an older artist. I am proudest of my background, because in really pulls the piece together and makes me in the center really stand out. I used a nice blend of colors, and enough shapes that it didn't feel too empty. I struggled a lot when doing the face, because I wasn't accustomed to doing realistic style drawings, so it was new to me. I managed to overcome these struggles by continuing to learn from what I drew, and eventually managed to make it look somewhat like me. If I could go back, I would change the way I shaded, and I would have done a lot more of it. I also would spend more time on the face, and try to make it as realistic as possible.