Self-Portrait Project

This self-portrait was done by using charcoal to draw the features of the face and value, and using a mirror to see all the features of my face as a model while I'm drawing. The light source in this drawing is in the top left corner of my paper, and is shown in the shading of the charcoal. The lower right side of the page is shaded much darker because it is farthest from the light source and also in the shadow of the head. In order to make the features of the face more realistic, I used certain measurements to place all the parts in the right spot. I drew a line down the middle of the page 10 inches long. at the half way mark I made a vertical dash and again at the 1/4 mark and 3/4 mark. The hair began on the 1/4 line mark, the eyes were drawn on the 1/2 line mark, and the nose went from the 1/2 line mark down to the 3/4 line mark. Then, the lips were placed just above the halfway mark of the section of the 3/4 mark to the end of the head. After all the exact measurements were found I was able to personalize each part to the features of my face, the thickness of the lips and the size of the eyes. I also made sure to include eyelids over the eyes to make it more natural and realistic, instead of looking like a deer in the headlights. Another plan was to make the face as symmetrical as possible, because in real life my face is the same on both the left half and the right half. I included value on the face depending on where the light source was, which in this case was the top left. I lightly shaded the right half of my face because it was facing away from the light and is three dimensional. To make the portrait more three-dimensional I also shaded following the contours of the neck and face. The neck is cylindrical, so the shading should emphasize the contours of the three-dimensional neck and I used my finger to move the lines in this stroke. I wanted to include an expression that reflected my personal views and opinions on life, but I struggled with how to view my inner self. I finally decided that I was a nonchalant observer, who takes life as it comes and try to go with the flow. I find myself letting things control me and not minding, so I attempted to express this in my drawing as it is a very serene portrait with the hint of light in the persons eyes and the slightest smile. If I got to do this project again, I would spend more time working on all of the little details of my face and transferring it to my portrait. That way it would have resembled me more, and also I could have included more value in the face.