Self-Portrait

"The Hip-Hop Project"
Nikki S. Lee 
2001
chromogenic color print photo
21 1/4x28 inches

"Self-Portrait With Monkey"
Frida Kahlo
1938
oil on masonite
16x12 inches

"The Messenger"
Bill Viola
1996
sound and video installation
28 min, 28 sec

I selected these three inspiration pieces from The Albright Knox because they weren't just plain head shots, in each one the artist had made himself look a certain way, or included several items to represent them. There were details or events happening in each of the portraits that made them personal to each of the artists and I wanted to use techniques like them in my own portrait, even if it didn't mean as much detail as these chosen ones.
I selected charcoal to use for my portrait because I thought black and white charcoal would be very simple, and would capture tones and values and make it more interesting. I definitely wanted it to be black and white tones, and if I had done it in a different media such as colored pencils or paint, I don't think it would've been quite as easy. Charcoal was great for blending, and allowed me to create the values I wanted.
The areas I was challenged in were the hand and the profile of my face. I often got frustrated, and kept going over and over the details of the face to get it as accurately as I could. The lips and nose always give me problems, and the best way I dealt with them was going over them until I had an image I was happy with. I overcame my struggles by continually drawing and re-drawing.
This piece represents me because I am a very simple person, and I  show that by having a dark background, and have removed all color. I am as simple as black and white I'd like to think, and so I portrayed myself in that with lots of value surrounding my face. I am holding my I-pod, entranced by music, because it is one of the things I love most, and it relaxes and soothes me.
I applied the use of value, texture, emphasis, balance, and light in this piece. There were many different scales of value, by using black and white tones, and light was used carefully, highlighting the peaks of the face and skin. Texture was apparent in the soft curls of my hair, and the piece was asymmetrically balanced. I chose not to create a background, because I didn't want to distract from the main focus.

I absolutely enjoyed working on this piece because it's been a while since I sat down and created artwork. I love self-portraits and I was excited to show my skills and interests when it came to this assignment. I think I did a very good job on this piece, and I am pleased with how much it looks like me, even if the angle is slightly off compared to the live-photo.