Reflection On Me
an ink self portrait of me
Introduction:
This was the first project in my foundation drawing class. We were tasked with ink pens to present ourselves on a 15x20' hot press board. We were able to choose to present ourselves either literally or abstractly. The goal was to use the pens to show value in the work. The concept I based my work on was how I stretch out for help but I am also reaching to help others.
Materials:
1.Micron pens (0.5, 0.3, 1)
2.15x20" hot press art board
3.tracing paper
4.bond paper
5.pencils
Creative Process
I started by creating 20 thumbnails to get a sense of which direction I want to go in. I found myself going in a more abstract then literal direction. most of the thumbnails were based on my negative self image or how i escaped a negative self image. I eventually fell in love with two in particular.
I did post card sized versions of the two so I get get a feel of how they would look in ink. I decided very quickly to go with the image of hands reaching towards each other based on how the ink work of the other one looked to me. It looked too cluttered and not enough value for me.
Workflow:
I created an 11x14" surface study on bond paper of the post card version. i used this version to practice how i would do the harder parts of the image. I played with different version of the hands as to give a more realistic version or which will technique will look better.
I also played with the line work of the water because i didn't know how to do water that would be see through enough to see the other hand allow the hands to be in focus. I decided pointillism would be the best technique to use.
I used the surface study to create the 11x14" version on the 15x20" hot pressboard.
Conclusion:
The project allowed me to learn and experiment with using ink techniques in art as well as develop ideas creatively. I found that i loved using ink although I felt it was very time consuming especially doing pointillism in the background.
