Ideas for a creative and inventive self-portrait?

Conceptual Ideas for a Self-Portrait

• Answer:

  Creating a self-portrait can be a challenging and rewarding art activity. Whether you are a seasoned artist or a beginner, you will learn about yourself as you develop your skills and create something new. There are many ways to conceptually approach the process of making a self-portrait. Each type of self-portrait will reveal various aspects of the artist and each will produce different results. Self-Portrait from Life In order to create a self-portrait from life you will need to use a mirror. The easiest way to do this is to work at a table with a mirror propped up in front of you, either beside your work or just behind it. You will need to see your own image as you paint or draw. For this type of self-portrait you can use almost any medium, including watercolors, pencil, colored pencils, acrylics, oil paints or pastels. If you prefer, you can also mix your media. Make sure that you are using an appropriate canvas, paper or other surface for the medium you have chosen. Study yourself in the mirror and paint or draw what you see. Life-Size Self-Portrait For this project you will need a very large piece of paper such as a roll of newsprint. Lay the paper out on the floor, lie down on it and have someone trace around your entire body with a pencil. Once this is done you can use the outline of yourself to create a life-size self-portrait. Ideas for how to do this include making a huge collage, painting it, writing words to fit inside the silhouette or making it part of an abstract painting. Self-Portrait Box This self-portrait idea requires a plain, unfinished wooden box, although almost any box will do. You will also need two photographs of yourself, collage elements, acrylic paints, a paint brush and white glue. Paint the box to suit your own taste. It can be as complicated or as simple as you wish, so long as you remember that your photo will be centered on the top. Once you are satisfied with the painting you have done, affix your photo to the top of the box. At this point you may decide to attach collage elements to the box, although this is not necessary. The next step is to glue the second photo of yourself and to paint your complete name and the date onto the inside of the lid of your box. For this, you may prefer to use a permanent marker. After all of the paint and glue have dried you complete your self portrait box by filling it with images, photos, written words and small objects that represent you and your life. Each thing that you place in the box must be meaningful to you on the day that you place it there. Collage Self-Portrait For a collage self-portrait you will need paper, a variety of art materials including a pencil, a glue stick, background papers for collage and an assortment of photographs from your life. These photos can include pictures of you that were taken with other people. The only rule is that you must be in each picture. To begin this project, draw or paint a face that will represent you. It can be as abstract as you wish, or it can be your true likeness. Once your face is completed, glue background papers around it. Alternatively, you can paint your background. Arrange the photos around your face and when you are pleased with the results, glue them to the background. If you wish, you can add images of anything else that you feel would add to or improve your piece, keeping in mind that each thing must represent an aspect of you or your life. You can also add written words for visual interest and depth.