For my Illustration class, we were assigned to create a work of art that reflects our "Toolbox" which could represent anything that shows our personality, childhood, or everyday objects.
I found that I kept trying to put too much personality in my ideas and I was overthinking the concept and project outline. To simplify my ideas, I created a self-portrait that is split down the middle to show two of my favourite mediums, acryclic paint and charocal. I thought that they could represent my personality as well as the tools that I use often in many projects. By using acrylic paint, I showed the more expressive side of myself, while the charcoal side is more reserved and conservative.
I started by taking a reference photo, then created a grid to help get the correct porportions. I used a granite pencil to draw out the important aspects of the portrait, then I went in with acrylic to paint half of the image.
Then, I went in with charcoal to illustrate a structured and precise representation of myself.
I am happy with the outcome and enjoy seeing how the mediums communicate as well as contrast against each other.
Jenna Maertz, Two-Faced, Acrylic Paint and Charcoal, 2022, 21"x26"
