Self Portrait



Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
Joseph-Antoine Moltedo (born 1775)
ca. 1810
Oil on canvas
29 5/8 X 22 7/8 in



Masaccio
Self Portrait
1420
338X480px



Vincent van Gogh
Self Portrait
1889
Oil on canvas
25 1/2 X 21 1/4 in



I chose the three inspirational pieces that I chose because each of them were different. Although they are all self portraits, each artist approached it differently. As I have mentioned before in previous blogs, I have chosen to use pencil because it is the medium that I am most familiar with and that I find easiest to use. The most challenging part of creating a self portrait for me was getting it to look like me! I guess the way I addressed that challenge was by erasing and redrawing my lines until it looked more like the original picture.

I would say that this piece represents me in its simplicity. Also, the fact that I chose pencil represents my continuous changing quality. What I mean by that is that pencil is a medium you can always go back and alter. It is similar to the way I am as a person. I am a constant work in progress. I always look for things I can go back and change or improve upon as a person. I tried to apply the principle of value and emphasis in this picture by shading certain areas. I wanted to stay true to the shadows of certain lines in my face.

I don't think I did too bad and I'm fairly pleased with the finish product. I know it doesn't look exactly like me, but if I were to continue working on it over time, I think it would improve. Not bad for a first attempt I would say.