SW+05+-+Self-portrait+Painting

Self-portrait Painting Media: acrylic on canvas  Size:   Month of completion: March 2012 **Description:**  This painting relates to my realistic theme. Primarily, this piece was created to improve on technical skill. I have never painted with acrylic before and after a couple of trials, I was able to create this piece. This is painted from photo reference. Also, I was trying to focus on creating contrast and show that light is being illuminated on one side of the face. However, I think I was unsuccessful in doing so. **Analysis:** **What were the artistic and/or cultural influences for this project?** **Who/what influenced either the composition and/or the style.**The artist that influenced me to paint in acrylic was Lee Hammond. I bought her book and was interested to know more about acrylic and how to paint with the medium.The book helped me discover how complementary colors help in creating schemes and appropriate shadow color throughout the painting. However, since my decision of painting in acrylic was thought of before researching complementary colors, I was unable to successfully include the research in this work. In the future, I hope to include schemes and complementary colors as significant factors in my work. **Clearly explain the weaknesses/areas for improvement -** My initial idea was to create a painting that shows an obvious contrast between both sides of the face. However, I think that i have failed to do that. The photo used as reference had intense contrast and my painting does not show this. Also, the hair does not look like hair. It looks like a brown blob. I was unable to create a texture that would resemble hair. Moreover, the photo used to paint this was slightly unclear, making it difficult for me to add in details. **Clearly explain the strengths of the piece –** Strengths in this piece include the proportions of the face. I was successful in creating a proportional self-portrait. This was done by creating a grid. Also, although both sides of the face to do not intensely contrast one another like the original photo, the shading well-painted. Home  SW 1 - Distorted Reflection   SW 2 - 25 Drawings   SW 3 - Metamorphosis and Self-Portrait   SW 4 - Cat with Wings Tessellation
 * What materials/media/processes did you use and or experiment with, and how?** The medium used in this piece was acrylic. However, prior to experimenting with acrylic, I also attempted to improve my technical skill with watercolor. Since my last watercolor painting was unsuccessful, I think that practicing with watercolor during this project definitely improved my technical skill. However, I did not want to focus on watercolor again. Instead, I decided to use acrylic. There are two reasons why i have decided to use acrylic. The first reason was that watercolor is transparent and it is hard to fix any mistakes. Acrylic dries quickly and when making a mistake, it is easier to go back and paint over that mistake. The second reason was that I wanted to experiment with paint in general. Having said this, in the future, I will also experiment with oil paint. In my first acrylic trial, I painted in the darker areas and afterwards, painted in the lighter areas. This made it difficult to add contrast because the dark tones were ubiquitous. In my second trial, I decided to do the opposite, where instead of adding in the darker tones, I painted in the lighter tints and gradually blended it in with a darker tone. This made it easier to create contrast in the painting and it made it easier to blend and, in a way, "control" the paint. In my final piece, i have used the same method.
 * How do you think you have responded to advice and criticism during this project (and during the term), both from fellow students and the teacher. Did you actively seek advice? If so, was it useful?** Since this is first time painting in acrylic, I have relied on advice from classmates that have painted in acrylic, the teacher and the book by Lee Hammond. In my first trial, I did not use any help. However, probably after seeing how disappointing the first trial was, they decided to give me advice on how to paint in acrylic. Painting in the lighter areas and gradually blending it in with the darker tones was extremely helpful. They also helped me create different colors, such as my skin tone. I think that I have actively sought advice because I knew very well that I needed help.
 * What could you take through to the next project and develop further? This could be anything, from a technique to an idea, not neccessarily just the theme.** In the next project, I will be creating a bust of myself. The medium for this sculpture will be clay. Also, I think since I have not created a piece that specifically relates to my culture, a friend of mine suggested to make a sculpture where half of my face is veiled and the other half is not. This would essentially show the differences between a stereotypical Middle Eastern and what I actually look like even though I am Middle Eastern.