I Am Myself

I never use a mirror when doing self-portraits. I tell myself it’s because I have no interest in realistic renditions and want only to express the inner perception of self. Ok, maybe that’s true to a certain degree, or it’s just I’m not as confident or comfortable staring at myself for a long time. I get bored and rather be in my imagination, instead of my reality. Whatever!

The first in a new experiment. I found a black paper sketchbook (Montmarte brand) and want to play with conte, charcoal, graphite, and possibly both oil & dry pastels. This one used only coloured charcoal. Let this be a lesson in the importance of good quality paper. Well, that’s not entirely fair. Maybe this paper isn’t very good for charcoals. The charcoal didn’t adhere well to this smooth, almost card-stock-like paper. I needed to use a much softer touch in applying it, or it would leave lines that were harder to blend. The other suggestion I have it to not draw in the bright sunshine, when using black paper. It was very hard to see the contrasts I was working for

Ps: When done, I stepped back and noticed I forgot to add the left ear. Then I wondered if I would have been any happier had I added it. Something tells me I would have liked it less. So, my sticky-outy ears are not part of this self-portraits, so what!

For more artistic explorations, visit The New Renaissance Mindset @ http://www.renminds.org