Self-portrait

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Self

Self-concept is how you perceive your behavior, abilities, and unique characteristics. For example, beliefs such as "I am a good friend" or "I am a kind person" are part of an overall self-concept.

Self-concept tends to be more malleable when you're younger and still going through the process of self-discovery and identity formation. As you age and learn who you are and what's important to you, these self-perceptions become much more detailed and organized.

Self-Portrait

A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century that artists can be frequently identified depicting themselves as either the main subject or as important characters in their work. With better and cheaper mirrors and the advent of the panel portrait, many painters, sculptors and printmakers tried some form of self-portraiture.

Here are some famous self-portrait paintings:

CLAUDE MONET

GUSTAVE COURBET

Some interesting self-portraits I found on the internet:

Project 1

We are assigned to create a self-portrait using any media of our choice. we have also required to implant any knowledge of design principles within the artwork we have learned from previous lectures for instance any elements of art or principles of design.

For my artwork, I decided to paint it using a mixture of acrylic paint and watercolor.

Inspiration

I randomly came across the painting below and was inspired by it. I was looking for something colorful and I thought this is a really great example of what I want to create for my painting. For me personally, I like "messy" artworks because I think they have more interesting personalities and characters. 

This is what it looks like when I have finished painting the face

Finally, this is the outcome after I finishing up the background and I also added a quote that says "I live in a world of fantasy. So keep your reality away from me. I see what I want. I want what I see and that is all okay by me" to wrap the whole painting up.

Feedback

When I first showed Miss Maria the painting, she did not comment so much on the painting itself but she just wanted me to tell her about the painting. So I shared with her the rationale I wrote and she said it was a good attempt at explaining my style and personality. Apart from that, I don't think there was anything else I had to fix.

Rationale

 This self-portrait utilizes various vibrant colors such as yellow, red, green, blue, and pink in order to draw your attention to the middle of the face. Using these colors automatically makes the face the dominant part of the painting. I  also deliberately use similar colors in the background as well as similar brushwork techniques in the intention to achieve harmony so the painting does not look chaotic. The technique that I use for creating a focal point is by using extremely different colors of the face and the background that create a sense of contrast. Another way that I use to achieve contrast in texture is by using different media for instance watercolor for the face and acrylic paint for the background. Therefore, the colors of my choice are the most important aspect of the painting because my goal is to drag the viewer’s eye directly to the face.

 The vision I had for the painting was just to create something fun to look at yet so meaningful. For me personally, the color usage in the painting and the way I put everything together says a lot about my personality. The message I am trying to deliver from adding a colorful background, as well as the white paint dripping from the top of the painting, is representing how art should not be taken seriously and it is always supposed to be fun and it does not necessarily have to be painted perfectly just to consider it as “good art”. What really considers “art” is when you get to represent your emotions and personality through the use of colors and brush strokes, etc, and not perfection.

Reflection

I have always enjoyed painting and drawing since a young age. Painting a self-portrait for the project helps me to find my own style in art. Learning how to apply those elements and principles of design we have learned from the previous lectures into my artwork opens my eyes more about art in general and it also helps me to develop a better understanding of it. Overall, it was such a fun project to work on.