When I found out we were doing a self-portrait I immediately knew this would be one of my hardest projects. It wouldn't be difficult because of the medium or the style, but instead because I would have to make an image of myself. I am my own biggest critique, so having to make something in my own image meant that I would have to stare at my own face for hours and acknowledge all my flaws. I had to make sure I didn't stray from the original image or else my self portrait wouldn't actually be of my own self. Therefore, when picking out a picture to copy I tried to find one I felt somewhat comfortable with and had another element that I could focus on besides my own face; the lei.
Once I overcame the fact that I had to draw my own self I decided to use chalk pastels and a blue background. I chose the chalk pastels because my previous project with them (my pet portrait) was successful and I chose the blue background because I thought adding an unusual color would add some value. However, the blue background only presented me with more problems. No matter how hard I would press down or how many layers of chalk pastel I applied, the blue pastel still showed through my skin. Not only did I struggle with my smurf-like appearance, I also struggled with trying to find the original skin color I used for my forehead. If you take a second look you can see that my forehead and the rest of my face are two different colors because I left this project for so long I forgot the original colors I used.
Yet the entire piece was still not failure. I will admit that I do believe I was successful in making the lei appear transparent, having parts of the lei show through my hair, and making my sweater appear texture. To make the lei appear somewhat transparent, I gradually blended my skin color with a very light blue and outlining the shape of the flower with the original blue so it didn't lose shape. I was able to make the lei show through my hair by first illustrating my hair and putting darker blue (because of my hair's shadow) lines in between the strands of my hair. Then finally, I made the sweater textured by doing each fabric individually, some overlapped other fabrics, making it appear fuzzy
Through this piece I learned that although I may be skilled in creating furry, hairy, or fuzzy textures I still need practice in making smooth textures, like my skin. I also learned that the color of paper you use has a large impact on the color of the overall piece. Next time I will use a lighter, less noticeable color. That way it will not have as much of an effect on the way the chalk pastels blend. In the end, this piece made me want to further continue to work with chalk pastels because even though I did face many challenges with them I still feel like there is a possibility that I can one day be very good at them.
Once I overcame the fact that I had to draw my own self I decided to use chalk pastels and a blue background. I chose the chalk pastels because my previous project with them (my pet portrait) was successful and I chose the blue background because I thought adding an unusual color would add some value. However, the blue background only presented me with more problems. No matter how hard I would press down or how many layers of chalk pastel I applied, the blue pastel still showed through my skin. Not only did I struggle with my smurf-like appearance, I also struggled with trying to find the original skin color I used for my forehead. If you take a second look you can see that my forehead and the rest of my face are two different colors because I left this project for so long I forgot the original colors I used.
Yet the entire piece was still not failure. I will admit that I do believe I was successful in making the lei appear transparent, having parts of the lei show through my hair, and making my sweater appear texture. To make the lei appear somewhat transparent, I gradually blended my skin color with a very light blue and outlining the shape of the flower with the original blue so it didn't lose shape. I was able to make the lei show through my hair by first illustrating my hair and putting darker blue (because of my hair's shadow) lines in between the strands of my hair. Then finally, I made the sweater textured by doing each fabric individually, some overlapped other fabrics, making it appear fuzzy
Through this piece I learned that although I may be skilled in creating furry, hairy, or fuzzy textures I still need practice in making smooth textures, like my skin. I also learned that the color of paper you use has a large impact on the color of the overall piece. Next time I will use a lighter, less noticeable color. That way it will not have as much of an effect on the way the chalk pastels blend. In the end, this piece made me want to further continue to work with chalk pastels because even though I did face many challenges with them I still feel like there is a possibility that I can one day be very good at them.