After enjoying my painting challenge a few weeks ago, I was eager to try it again. Finally, on a lazy, rainy, Saturday, I stuck a record on and sat down to try and create my second masterpiece.
I’ve never done a self-portrait in any shape or form before. I have done silly drawings of other people or dogs, but to sit and think about how to express myself onto canvas – it was difficult.
I did a few practice drawings, experimenting in a few different ways before I realised I was focusing on two things: my black glasses, and red lipstick. I initially was ready to dive straight in and commit to paint, but right before I made the first brush stroke I paused. Why was I choosing these superficial elements to paint an expression of myself? Surely, a self-portrait should be a more personal reflection. I honestly struggled with this crisis of confidence for a while. I experimented with a few different ways but was never fully satisfied with any of it.
As you can see, I came back round to the glasses and lips theme. It’s not 100% how I imagined, and I still question what it says about me that I chose this motif, but I actually think it looks pretty cool. I added the blue (which now I look at it, looks like crazy blue hair) as it wouldn’t be any reflection of me without a bit of colour.
This was a lot harder than I first imagined, and maybe I over-analysed it a bit too much, but I struggled with how to paint a version of myself. With that being said, it was nice to step outside of my comfort zone, and I am actually pleased with the results: at the end of the day, I can look at that painting and see a version of me on the wall.
New Day, New Thing 