Self-Portrait

Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat
Paul Cezanne
The Museum of Modern Art


Charles Willson Peale Self-Portrait
National Portrait Gallery


Portrait of a Man (Self Porrait)
Jan van Eyck
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum



The first inspiration piece I chose was "Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat," by Paul Cezanne. I chose this piece because I like how Cezanne left brush strokes in painting, indicating that the picture can still be "good" even if it doesn't look like a photograph. The second piece I chose was "Charles Willson Peale Self-Portrait." I chose this piece because it is an example of a painting that actually does look like a photograph. I thought it would be a good idea to look at an example from both sides. The third inspirational piece I chose was "Portrait of a Man," by Jan van Eyck. I chose this one because it was created with a unique medium; silkTechnique: jacquard woven. I thought the medium of the piece made it interesting. I selected to use charcoal to create my piece because I think when drawing people, charcoal tends to give me the best results. When creating my self-portrait, originally my mouth looked like it was making a weird face and not smiling. I didm't realize how bad it was until after taking the picture and so then i went back, erased it and redid the whole mouth. This piece represents me because I'm a happy person and I'm always smiling, and I have a huge smile in the portrait. I used line in my portrait in the hair and the hoodie I am wearing. Value is also used in my portrait, the lights and darks in my hair and face. I enjoyed working on this project because I thought it was fun to try and draw myself. I did get a little messy though using the charcoal. I felt like I was a little kid again. I think my final artwork came out okay, I think my face came out a little too ovalm it should have been more round. It does't look exactly like me but if you compare it to the photograph, you can see the comparison. You can definitely tell this is a person which is the most important part.