I knew the self portrait was coming so I have tried to gather inspiration all semester for mine. I knew I wanted to do something really unique and different than any of the other self portraits I have done in the past. I saw a picture of someone else's self portrait and it was done in a variety of colors, but rather than just shapes, the colors somehow blended together and still managed to look realistic without picking up a skin color pencil. I decided I wanted to try this unique technique and also use a medium I have always been scared to touch: chalk.
At first, it was extremely challenging. I could not figure out the right proportions as the photo I chose was taken at a strange angle. I was also struggling because drawing oneself is harder than it looks :)
At first, it was extremely challenging. I could not figure out the right proportions as the photo I chose was taken at a strange angle. I was also struggling because drawing oneself is harder than it looks :)
As soon as I was able to sketch out the proportions, I went right to shading. I chose a warm color scheme to match the emotion of the painting, joyous. It was very hard getting started because even within the limited color scheme, I had so many options of chalk pencils to choose from. I had to get into a rhythm of determining which colors would represent highlights, etc. Like I said, this was my first time working with chalk, so I also had to experiment with the best ways to blend colors. I knew I wanted the skin to look as smooth, yet as detailed, as possible.
One challenge I came across while working was the concept of achieving so much detail. I am used to working in Prismacolor pencils which create as much detail as desired. The chalk pencils have a much thicker lead which was challenging. Once I got more comfortable with them, however, I discovered that layering was the best technique, especially to get such rich and vibrant color. There are probably 20 layers on this drawing!
I am really glad that I took the risk and tried something totally different than anything that I have done before. I do think, however, that while this is unique, it definitely still has my design quality to it... COLORFUL! I learned a lot while working on this piece. The most important thing, I think, was to really study the picture. I think in the past with my portraits, (example above, this piece was done in 2014) I just assumed I knew what my face looked like. With this piece, I took the time to plan it out and really focus on detail. The whole process was a challenge but I am really happy with the final product.