Self-Portrait Drawing

Unit 6: Illustration 3 Instructions

Create a self-portrait drawing from life (instead of from a photograph) by observing yourself in a mirror or more than one mirror. Your self-portrait should be approximately life-sized, from the neck upward. It may be a straight-on frontal pose or from another angle. Graphite pencil on paper may be used, but you are not restricted to that medium. Please use unlined paper. 20 Points.

Post a scan of your finished self-portrait into Illustration #3 submission tab as well as a brief text of 100 words describing the your experience. Don’t forget to submit again into the Illustration Journal for peer review.

Notes:

Facial proportions vary slightly with individuals and age, but there are some close similarities between most adult human faces. The most common mistake made by beginners in portraiture is placing the eyes too high in the forehead. The approximate location of eye level is half way between the top of the head and the bottom of the chin. The bottom of the nose is approximately half way between eye level and bottom of the chin. The center of the lips is approximately half way between bottom of nose and bottom of the chin. Ear length and placement is approximately from brow level to bottom of the nose. There is about one eye width between the eyes.

A few web resources:

http://www.carnegieam.org/uploads/2/0/5/0/2050909/cam_portrait_lesson_03.pdf

http://creatingwithkaiser.blogspot.com/2012/02/drawing-facial-features.html

http://www.npg.org.uk/learning/digital/portraiture/drawing-self-portraits.php. Click on ‘Masterclass 1’ & ‘Masterclass 2’ to see how this artist does it.

There are many others!