Self Portrait

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Self Portrait

Draw yourself from life using a mirror, not a photograph. Consider the background, clothing and any props you might include that will give the viewer some insight into your personality. Light yourself in a way that creates interesting and aesthetically pleasing areas of light and shadow.

  • Draw your composition on 14″x 17″ paper
  • You can draw with a medium of your choice (pencil, charcoal, ink, wash).
  • Cover the finished drawing with a sheet of tracing paper.
  • Put your name on your work.

Facial proportions

  • From the front, the head is taller than it is wide. From the side it is nearly as wide as it is tall.
  • The eyes are located halfway between the top of the head and the chin.
  • The face is about 5 eyes wide. The eyes are one eye-width apart.
  • The bottom of the nose is halfway between the eyes and the chin.
  • The mouth is a third of the distance from the bottom of the nose to the chin.
  • The top of the ears line up with the eyebrows and the bottom with the nose.
  • The ear sits just behind the midline of the head when viewed from the side.
  • When drawing the head in a three quarter view be sure to employ perspective.
  • The far side of the face will be narrower than the close side.
  • The far eye and the far half of the mouth will be smaller.

Lighting

Front lighting will flatten features.

Side lighting will produce more dramatic effects.

Back lighting creates less contrast and no light areas.

Sofia
Charcoal and Pastel on Card
14 x 14 inches