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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Self-Portrait Experiments

For the first lesson in my online Self-Portraits workshop we'll be starting with a photograph and tracing around it. Simple enough, right? I started by taking a few photos of myself using the automatic delay thing on the camera. Then I made them into black and whites in Photoshop, though you could use color photos. For the first two I printed them out light so that the drawing would be emphasized.
Nice how you can draw lines selectively and end up looking twenty years younger!

On this one I printed the photo out without making it lighter. I drew over it and then painted it in black and white, emphasizing my gray hair:

OK, so I look like I'm choking, but it's fun anyway.

Today I added paint, mostly with a brayer.

I used my "spritz and blot" technique (contained in this video) to make the water droplets.

After you get comfortable drawing your face over a photograph, it is much easier to tackle the self-portrait on a blank sheet of paper. And there are all kinds of fun things you can do with your altered photos of yourself!!!
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12 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 7, 2011 at 9:09 AM

    What a great exercise and you look incredible :).
    Stay inspired!

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  2. arty_ilmaDecember 7, 2011 at 9:28 AM

    So interesting... Maybe, I'll take part at your new workshop...

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  3. TerrieDecember 7, 2011 at 1:56 PM

    This actually sounds fun and like something I might be able to do drawing-wise. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  4. Judy SheaDecember 7, 2011 at 2:34 PM

    Does that mean I can shave my double chin off my portrait? ha. Looking forward to your 2012 classes.

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  5. Dandelion and DaisyDecember 8, 2011 at 1:42 AM

    I'm going to try that, it does look like fun! Love your book btw!s

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  6. AnonymousDecember 8, 2011 at 5:55 AM

    Im doing an All About Me book at the moment (via the Blissfully Art journaling Group) and I love this idea for a self portrait to start it off. I've worked in this way before using photos to give me line drawings, but never with self portraits (I wouldn't normally do them), this seems like a great starting point for one for this book though, thank you for sharing it!

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  7. Cathy FarrellDecember 10, 2011 at 4:58 PM

    This class sounds like a lot of fun, Jane. I wish I could participate in this or your Color course, but I'm starting an academic course around the same time and I know I wouldn't have the discipline to limit my time on a delicious art course, LOL!

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  8. Marianne MullenDecember 11, 2011 at 10:04 PM

    That is SO cool. I love that idea. Great for someone like me that thinks I "can't" draw. Would really take away the pressure to trace and look younger too!

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  9. Sharon GorbergDecember 12, 2011 at 6:01 PM

    Oh this is starting to look to good to pass up...

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  10. PriscillaDecember 16, 2011 at 9:48 AM

    These are great! Thanks for giving a sneak preview of things you'll be covering in the online class. Exciting!

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  11. sueDecember 27, 2011 at 12:25 PM

    A question: The drawing and painting you did over the printed-out photos look like they were done in a sketchbook. How did you get those prints into the sketchbook?
    --Sue

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  12. Jane DaviesDecember 27, 2011 at 12:49 PM

    Hi Sue. Easy question to answer: I cut or tore them out roughly and glued them into the sketchbook with matte medium. I had printed them on an ordinary weight matte photo paper.

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