Self-Portrait + Analysis

Self-Portrait + Analysis

1. The art styles I selected for my self-portrait were post-impressionism and realism. Post-impressionism displays geometric forms and distortion of the image. This art style often has a thick application of paint and consists of visible brushstrokes. Realism keeps the proper proportions and colour of the subject. 

2.  Before completing this assignment research and brainstorming were to be finalized. During the first day, we searched for ideas and our art style selection. At the beginning I wanted to do surrealism art to express the idea of how people are like onions, they reveal different personalities as you get to know them. However, to convey this idea was difficult. While I tried to create my plan in Photoshop, I realized it was a little too bland. I decided to spend a few days on trying new ideas and finally resulted in doing post-impressionism. This style lets my art become more realistic yet abstract at the same time. At first, it may seem like an ordinary image, but the more you observe, the weirder it becomes. The whole concept went well with my overall message of how first impressions do not tell you anything about the picture.  Although I get misunderstood easily because of my face and the way I talk, the more people get to know me the more they realize how opposite I am to what they thought of me at first. The art style, post-impressionism, conveys my idea well and helps me showcase who I am through a portrait of myself. The combination of post-impressionism and realism confuses the audience. It forces people to take a second glance to understand what is in the portrait and it helps attract their attention. 

3. First, I brainstormed and sketched my ideas out thoroughly. There were many trials and errors throughout the process in figuring which art style I should use to convey my message. Among the sketches, I finally decided on one of them to create as my official self-portrait.

The next step was to take photos of yourself to use for your self-portrait. I sat on a chair and positioned my face to turn to one side while one of my classmates took the photo. To create a two-sided effect, I used broad split lighting. The lighting technique captures the idea of how there are more sides to a person than just one.  

After taking countless of photos, I decide which one to use for my self-portrait.  The whole process was very easy and repetitive. Before everything, I searched on Youtube for tutorials in creating a post-impressionism effect on photoshop. This video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdJP9p6KE0c, taught me new techniques on photoshop. To create the Vincent van Gogh art effect, I clicked on the tab located on the very top named "Filter," while I was on the selected layer. Options appeared, and I selected the "liquify" choice. It sends me into another tab which then I select the "forward warp tool" and played around with my photo. This tool gives the image a liquefied effect (blended with water). 

Carefully choosing which area of the photo to distort gave me the base to know which area should be painted using which colour. I clicked "ok" after I am satisfied with the result and went ahead to paint my photo. Using the eyedropper tool, I replicated the selected colour for my brush tool. Among the brushes, I used the "Round Fan Stiff Thin Bristles" for a more realistic effect. I continuously used the eyedropper tool to replicate the colour and painted that colour using the brush tool on the photo to create broken brushstrokes and an illusion of thick paint application. I painted all of my skin and hair. Although it may not look like it, you will realize the more you pay attention. For example, the painted eye seems like a photo from far away. 

The whole process took me about a week because it was very meticulous. The whole process took me about a week because it was very meticulous. Afterward, I decided to keep the background plain. I wanted to create an ordinary first impression, but there is more to it than meet the eyes. I found a gray picture and used the liquify effect once again. Although they edit was very subtle, it becomes clearer the more you observe the portrait. 

4. I am quite satisfied with the finished product. My self-portrait portrayed my message well. The image harmonized even will all the broken brushstrokes. It gives off realism yet the art style post-impressionism created the art. But I always find something to improve. At first, the brushstrokes seem artificial. Although I changed the brushstrokes, I was not able to fix the previous ones (ruined the image when I tried to do it). For example, my forehead has this one point where it looks like I have a dark patch on my head. If I had been more careful at the beginning, this would not have happened. But aside from that small error, I think my self-portrait showcases my personality well. 

*side note*
During the first few days of this assignment, my ideas were slightly different to the present's idea. As stated earlier, I wanted to do surrealism because the art style would effectively display the concept of my self-portrait. However, the end results were unsatisfactory. I restarted everything. The art piece above became my finished product.