Identity Portrait
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I went into this project very open-minded. This was our first project of the year and I was excited to prove my worth through art. Creativity and thinking outside the box has always been a challenge for me, so this project was a little outside my comfort zone. Be this as it may, I was super excited to dive right into it and challenge myself a little bit more.
I started with my background for this project. At first I wanted to do a solid color for the background and place words that describe me around it. As I played with this idea in my head, I realized that I could do something better. My dad died from Hodgkin's Lymphoma when I was 12. This made a severe impact on my life. Such a life-changing event changed the way I viewed almost everything in life. Remembering my dad is such a huge part of me, and I wanted to include that in this project. The color associated with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is purple, so I decided to fill my background with numerous clips of different purples. The background was probably my favorite part of my piece to complete. I had so much fun putting together the different purples and seeing it all come together. With all the different patterns of purples, I felt that I needed my shirt to be a solid color to differentiate the two parts of the piece. I chose a solid white for my shirt, and it was fairly easy to put together. The contrast between the simple shirt and the crazy background was so important for me to showcase. Most people know that I have both a simple and a crazy personality. The ability to demonstrate both in this piece was especially important for me. With both my shirt and background completed, I moved on to my hair and face. These two parts of my piece were the hardest for me. Finding the right shade of blonde for my hair and blending it all together was a challenge. Once I found these pieces, though, I had so much fun putting my hair together. Finally, I finished my piece with my face. Picking different pieces to match my skin tone was very difficult. I wanted to be able to portray how I view myself verses how others may perceive me. A true Identity Portrait may give a false image, and to others, it may not even look like you. This is why I think this project was so important and influential. Using different strategies and techniques was a challenge for me, but also a great way for me to showcase my own artistic ability and the way I view myself. Each self portrait has a special value added to it to make each one unique and special. |