Resolutions wk 9

Week 9 sees the start of my truly daunting challenge I’ve apparently set for myself. Somewhere somehow this little voice in me is challenging myself to do portraits. Not only portraits, but do a self-portrait. Despite questioning my sanity for even wanting to do it, I have accepted it. I’ve thrown down the gauntlet it seems.

I wanted a challenge? Here is a challenge!

Good god. Why did I set myself up for this? Honestly, I hate being on pictures. Selfies are lost on me, as I’ve posted before. And I always think I end up looking like a total dweeb anyway, so I avoid the camera as much as possible. Or just be the photographer! Hey presto, problem solved. Whoa, this is definitely something that will make me feel uncomfortable. Remember me talking about coming from behind the curtain? Yeah, it doesn’t get any closer than doing a self-portrait if you hate being in the limelight!

The only time I had drawn a self-portrait was when I was about 13, and that was for a school assignment. Surprisingly enough it even kind of resembled me. Once it got graded, I consciously ripped it up when I got home as I felt very uncomfortable with it. It truly is one of the rarest moments where I chose to destroy my own work, because of how it made me feel.

This will definitely take a while for me to conquer…

In the meantime I’m trying to ease myself into this whole weird and tricky maze that is the human face. Close up pictures of people is a godsend in this case, it makes it so much easier to really study the details.

Study sketch. Charcoal. Subtractive drawing. © CC

And I’ve gone back the subtractive drawing, as it really allows me ‘shape’ the shade and texture. Sometimes I do think I should be a sculptor instead, but I don’t think I have the patience for it just yet.