Gallery Visit #3

This week it was difficult to get to a art gallery especially with finals be underway and for me almost over. This semester has been challenging and busy, but I have loved every minute of learning new things, meeting new people, and adjusting to a new school. But, for this final what I loved was the fact that I learned a lot about art. For the gallery I visited, I checked out the Google Arts and Culture Female Artists self-portrait gallery. The portraits were wonderful and definitely not what I expected from an online gallery. The first piece that I used for inspiration was Judith Lester's Self-Portrait painted in 1630 as an oil on canvas. The second piece I choose for inspiration was the "Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting" by Artemisia Gentileschi in 1638 and 1639 as an oil on canvas. The third piece I chose as my inspiration piece was The self-portrait of Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun painted in 1781 as another oil and canvas painting.  I chose these pieces because I feel like they are what I wanted to do something more realistic piece. I didn't do oil on canvas because that would have been a tad difficult and I am definitely not an artist, but I wanted to show something similar. I chose to draw my piece in pencil because it was the easiest way to erase mistakes (which I knew I was going to make). It was an inexpensive and quick way to know that I had some way to be able to make sure I could erase and fix any particular errors that would be made.

My biggest challenge with my self-portrait was the fact that I know nothing about being an artist or drawing so I didn't know really how to start or how to create a self-portrait. I did my best! I overcame this obstacle by just drawing an realizing that it didn't matter how much it looked like my piece as long as it looked similar and was somewhat of a self-portrait it would be okay. It was an extremely difficult to be able to pick the picture of what to use, but I overcame this by searching through selfies that I had taken in the past. This piece represents me because obviously it is me and I love that way I look in this initial picture. The picture I had based it off of is also a picture I took while visiting my brother in Missouri and the first time I have ever been to Missouri. It represents me and how I am an open book, plain and simple with how things work. Honestly, this piece didn't intrigue me as much just because I am not a artist so for me what I was more focused on was making it somewhat resemble the picture I had initially chose. I am truly impressed with my final piece!!! It may not be the exact same or a very close piece, but for me I think it was a good start and a good thing. I really am happier than I thought I was going to be with the final product. I had thought it was going to be a lot work.

For my piece I was able to use value and the contrast between the gray pencil and the paper. I didn't use color because I know it makes my piece look a little more amateur which I am. I wanted it to represent the artist. Color would've also given a way my eye color more, but the way I did it the darkness of the eyes stands out to the viewer. I do love my smile also so the value and contrast between the white and the darkened pencil marks help draw attention to this area as well. Using black and white I didn't use too many of the art elements and principles and just the two really of value and contrast in this piece.