Painting self portraits has been common for artists since medieval times when it was the only way of recording how a person looked. Kingdoms were won and marriages made based on portraits painted.

A series of self portraits done over a lifetime provide an intimate record of your life and show how you change not only physically, but emotionally as well. It shows styles, environments and your technique. And when you don't have a model, who is always available? You!

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?

This is a short and sweet exercise for everyone to participate in. Its a challenge to draw a self portrait. Not from a photo, but from life. You can draw it in any medium that you like, any colour that you like, on anything that you like.

You have until April 30th to draw your portrait and post it in this thread. Here are a few tips to get you on the road to success at drawing from life.

1. Choose your position carefully and note 'markers' so you can line yourself up with your drawing and sit/stand/lie in the same position from where you left off if you take more than one session to draw/paint your portrait.

2. Choose your lighting carefully. You want interesting shadow where possible.

3. Sit or stand with the mirror approximately 2 - 6 feet away. You want to be able to see detail clearly but also be able to reflect values effectively too.

4. Relax, enjoy yourself. You won't be judged on style, technique or medium. Its simply an exercise in self portraiture.

Finally, a little side trip. Here is a Self Portrait marathon that I took part in last year. There are lots of self portraits here of all types. Have a browse, get inspired, then get drawing!

Sounds cool, Jeanette. I hope you don't mind I am going to add this link to get to the pictures.(it took awhile to find them) Portrait marathon
Paulette

This is great Jeanette... and I'm chuckling! The first thought that came to my head was - Jeanette is a sly fox! But never mind me - I'm strange!

So here's my problem. As I grow older I become more and more long sighted. I need reading glasses and what's more I need more than one pair. I generally draw off my computer monitor and to do that I wear not one but two pairs of glasses perched on top of each other - one for looking at the monitor and one for looking at my drawing which is closer still. Believe me I'm a very odd sight indeed! That is actually one of the reasons I got myself a separate drawing table - so I'm either far enough from the monitor that I can view it without glasses or I can print out my reference and stick it on the board at the same distance as my drawing paper.

That said, I did a couple of weeks ago try a self portrait from a very small mirror. Now I am neither young nor pretty but what I ended up with really made me look rather ancient and positively ugly!! OK - so maybe I wasn't in a very good mood that day either and it really was a very quick sketch. Plus the mirror was so small I couldn't even see my hair which ended up looking extremely short.

I'm not at all happy with this but I am posting it anyway..... if only to check out it I can do better than this. Thanks for the initiative Jeanette!

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Thanks Paulette, I should have drilled down further for the link but it was late and I was tired.

Rose, I swear I look completely different in each self portrait that I do! So if you don't like this one, just do another I know there are challenges for a lot of us 'more mature' people with vision but there are ways around it. Quite often I find it can be beneficial to not have wonderful vision when creating a loose drawing or painting as the values are there without have to squint.

Try a nice large one in pastel perhaps?

Here is a self portrait that I did a couple of months ago. It was while sitting in the car waiting for my son. I was looking in the rear view mirror. When I was done my eyes, I still had time left so I started the rest of my face. Needless to say this probably was not the best idea! So I am with Rose lets see if my next one is any better. (It will have to be, because I don't know the woman in my review mirror!)
Paulette
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<<So here's my problem. As I grow older I become more and more long sighted. I need reading glasses and what's more I need more than one pair.>>

Hi Rose.... your post brings me out of lurkedom to let you know what I have been doing about the same problem. It might be a solution for you as well. I have one of those Opti Visors that jewelers wear to see up close. I wear my regular progressives ( bifocals) glasses for looking at the monitor and flip the optivisor down when I draw. It flips up or down and is very comfortable to wear. I am providing a link so that you can see what I mean. secure.transtronics.com/Optivisor.html

I am new to drawing and have been reading the board and learning alot from all of you here and I especially have been in awe of your tremendous growth over just a very short time. You have been an inspiration to me.

Christine

Cool here r some I did a while back!!! I will try again I guess!!! Hopefully I can do better!!!

Paulette - that's a really cute self portrait! I like it - it has personality!!

JesusFreak - yours are very nice too

Christine: Thank's for the link - those things are really cool! What I have thought of is maybe one of those big magnifying glasses that you hang round your neck and then they sort of sit on your chest. Failing that I could always try reversing time by thirty years or so! And thanks for your lovely comments sweetie. I see you have not yet started a gallery. Please do so. It will motivate you and don't be afraid to post and ask for critique. That is how I learned to see my own mistakes.

OK so I've given it a second try... couldn't let you run away with the idea that I look that horrid!! This is about thirty minutes standing at my drawing board which is not at all how I usually draw. And it also involved some mental acrobatics. I didn't wish to include the glasses so to draw the eyes I looked at the mirror placed at about three feet away, memorized, put on my glasses and drew.... then off with the glasses again and repeat as above.

It's still not a very good likeness but already much closer than my previous attempt. Oh, and BTW - it's done in a single HB pencil.

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Rose,
your last self-portrait looks very good. Okay, I can't say anything about the likeness but I can say that it is fine.
It is a self-portrait without the very typical grim glance. The most selfportraits have this in common - a grim or sad look in the eyes (did I mention that I don't make a selfportrait - I'm too shy ... ).

Has anyone noticed that? I think it is because of the concentration from starring at the mirror than at the papaer than shaking the head ("Wow - Is This Me??").

And Jeanette -
wouldn't it be easier to ask for a little photo for knowing how we all look???

Why on earth not?! We are what we are!

Thank you for your comments. I know my drawing looks very different from my avatar. But then the angle and lighting are totally different. Also - that picture was taken about a week before I joined Drawspace. Since then I have gained weight since I stopped exercising in favour of sitting here on my bum and drawing! Well, to be fair to myself I really had to stop exercising vigourously like I used to because of back problems.

Still, I admit it's not a terribly good likeness. Practice, practice and more practice!

I've been on Sketchfiend's Sprite thread checking out what can be done with MS paint. Here is a self portrait in paint. Does it count that I didn't consult a mirror?
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Paulette

Sorry for such a late reply as I have been busy working on a few other things.

Jeanette, we did this in my freshman year of high school the only difference was that when we used the mirror we also had to use a ruler and mark on the paper the exact meassurements of our face. Meaning meassure how long the eyes were, the space between each eye, how long our nose was, the gap in between the nose and mouth, space between the forehead and eyebrows, how long each eyebrow was, how long and how wide the length and width of the face was. How long and wide the ears wear then you work on the details of the your own face. It was alot of fun and everyone enjoyed how much their faces came out looking like themselves.

Anyways it was just an idea to help people accurately draw their self portraits. I hope it helps. I think I will go and get myself a little handheld mirror from the dollar store up the street and start working on mine.

I've been thinking about drawing a self portrait simply because it would allow me to practice drawing facial features in real life three dimensions. Unfortunately though, If I started working on one now, there would be no way for me to complete it before the deadline of this challenge.

I forgot to add... That's the reason I don't participate in the challenges. I can take my time without the pressure of deadlines.

Each self portrait will be different but each will show an element of you. There is no right or wrong, simply an interpretation.

Martina, do join in, there is no judgement, just for fun.

Rsine, you could always add just a section of your face if you wanted and had time.

Jeanette I think this is a very good challenge ...drawing yourself is hard I did it once before when I was younger , this will be fun .

Ok here it is .. I thought it might be easy once i started but it was really hard .. I used the mirror in my bathroom because it has three movable mirrors so I was able to do a side portrait kinda .
Jeanette this was a fun challenge .

So...beautiful inside and out! Amazing.

very nice Kim

Thank you both .. it was a challenge indeed

WOW, Kim awesome job!!! I still have to do mine sometime soon. Hopefully maybe tomorrow?? I started on another colored pencil portrait of my grandmother and trying to work stuff in. I may be working coming this next weekend as well. Will be in India/kentucky boarder selling GloWorks for a fireworks show. Hey at least it buys art supplies!!!

Fabulous portrait Kim. its lovely, well done.

Good job, Kim.
Paulette

Venus what are gloworks ?

I cant wait to see other self portraits

Kim, Gloworks are like the novelties they sell at festivals and local firework places. Like the glo necklaces that last for a night and the glowing pacifiers and other type necklaces that blink different colors in the dark. I am sure you know what I am talking about. Here is a link to the website..
http://gloworks.com/prodcat.asp?mode=new

great portraits everyone. kim love the color. i think i might give it a try. i dont know
Lori

Hello Everyone. Just found this thread, so here is my portrait. I actually did it a couple of weeks ago so I thought I would post it here. I will work on another one, but looking in the mirror that long is not an easy task.

Judyvan

Nice job Judy. Is that chalk?
Paulette

Another first for me I've never done a portrait of anyone so this was interesting ...thought about taking creative license adding a really good crop of hair.My wife did ask what i was doing with the mirror .Instead I have a nice portrait of someone who looks like you would find him on the walls of the post office Wanted ... for bad shading... in a few states and provinces

Reward offered

I check out the web site venus very cool stuff .. must be fun .

Judy I LOVE the chalk ? that is a medium I am afraid of lol you did a beautiful job and I just love the colors.

Looking in the mirror is very hard lol I kept going ... my gosh do I look like that . lol

Tim you are too funny ......it is a fine drawing

Thanks Kim ....

My scanner and I were disagreeing drawing is much better on paper than what i have posted.

Here is yet another attempt. I did this in under 10 minutes on a whim last night before I went to bed. Sadly my poor eyesight let me down again. I realised when I was more than half way through that I had picked up a 4B pencil instead of an HB. No wonder all the shading was coming out so dark!

It's not quite right yet but this is a little closer... probably the closest I have gotten so far in this attempt. I'll keep trying and maybe I'll master it one day!

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I have found self portraits the hardest to do .. and looking in the mirror is very hard .. I also wear glasses and its like I cant get closer to the subject to see better cause the subject gets bigger and throws me off .

Okay, this was really hard. I did this about 3 in the morning when I took a break from paperwork for my sons custody thing. Can you tell I'm worn out, stressed and tired? If you can, then it's pretty good for a first try. . Well, except for the fact that my eyes are dark brown.

Good job, Artfix, Rose and Cyn.
Paulette

Cyn .. nice job and its true you look tired and worn out in that drawing .. there is meaning in the drawing and you can see it ...I like it alot .

No Paulette, it is colored pencil on mat board.

Judyvan

Hi Everyone!

Tim
*lmao* You're so funny!


All your self portraits are really good. So I take my heart in all my hands (and feet) and post mine. It is really a great likeness to whom ever but not to me....... My mouth is smaller, my face wider and I myself look very different anyway too.

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aaaaaaaaawwww - it is really ......... *hiding myself behind a biiiiiig tree*

It's amazing how critical we can be of ourselves

I think it's amazing that many of us have attempted to do it.!!!!

Yes Tim, it is! I think it is a great trust to each other, and this is really amazing.

Martina .. I think you have done a nice portrait
I myself am not real critical of my own work ..my problem is if I dont think i can do it I normaly dont and that is something I am working on ..when I feel comfortable drawing people I tend to want to only draw people .. I started out only doing women .. then tried men and then babies and now childeren ...so because of drawspace i have seen my own growth ..I admire so many of you who attempt to draw trumpets and locks and trees ... those are so out of my comfort zone . but I am working on that

here is my self portrait...i did it on my webcam....hope that counts....live footage of myself....drawing myself...i didnt use a mirror for the simple reason my arm got sore...so i figured this would work just as well

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if i shouldnt have done this let me know and i will redo it with a mirror

I don't think it makes any difference which way you do it Laurie.
You have made a good effort, I particularly like the highlights in your hair, very good. Perhaps you could put some darker shading around the eyes to make them stand out a little more.

Andrea

Hi everybody,

I think this self-portrait is a wonderful challenge and everybody did such a great job!

I actually didn’t want to participate (I first wanted to start with the drawing lessons) but then I saw my reflection in my glass desk at work. (And I love looking at all of your self-portraits so I thought it only fair if I gave you a glance at me.)
I wanted to give it a try, though I only had a ballpen and printing paper.
I was looking down at my desk, hence ‘the pigs nose’ and there was too much shadow to do it right and I actually have two eyes that have the same size and I have a load of other reasons why I don’t really like this picture, haha. But I still believe it’s fun to participate in this challenge. So here’s my try. Perhaps I’ll give it another go if I find the time and pencils.

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(Made a second photo, so you can sort of see how I worked from the reflection in the desk, only now there’s a camera in the way, and the reflection is sharper in real life.)

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Hey there! I think you did an excellent job, considering what you had to work with. By all means get a mirror, hb graphite pencil and some acid free printer paper. ;-)

I'd like to see your second attempt.

laurie I think your portrait came out well .. I to like the highlights ..good job.

Mari...I couldnt even begin to do mine from a reflection in a desk lol it was hard to do mine looking in the mirror ...good job

It's so hard to draw ourselfs.
Here's me... i use very short hair almost shaved. It's my feminists side showing that you don't have to have long hair to be a woman. Because of this way of thinking here at Madeira people think i'm a foreigner (however i'm married with a scottishman).
It's very funny.
I all soo have a boyesh look (my son said that i really brought the boyesh look up to the drawing )
My eyes are green, white skin with lots of frakles (i adore frakes) and dark brown hair.

Nair

I found this one really hard too but it also gave me much more perspective on how to approach a portrait.

There was a time that i couldn't draw people that i talked to (family and friends, i don't now why) so imaging draw myself it is a great challenge. In school we have to do it but nobody takes it to serious. But i'm no longer 15 i'm 30 so it's a all of myself, my personality, my character, my life on the portrait... this is what i love about art it's not only a beautiful picture it's our soul.

Nair