The aim of this assignment was to introduce myself and draw a self portrait. Straight away I didn’t like this assignment. This is because I don’t like photos of myself so having to draw myself was a nightmare.
I started the assignment by doing a lot of research into self portraits, looking at how artists have depicted themselves in the past. It was interesting to see what artists thought of themselves and which styles and mediums were used.
I wanted to look at known and unknown artists to give a range of ideas and styles.
I also had to write a short, 100 word, paragraph about my interests:
My name is Adelle and this portrait shows me with images of my interests.
I think the most obvious thing about me is that I love cats. The first influence I remember was my sisters drawing when we were really young. Since then, I have mainly been inspired by the art of Disney and Ghibli artists, though realistic portraits have been what I’ve mainly drawn. Comics and other styles have also inspired me. The subjects I’m most interested in are anything fantasy or supernatural. I love the feeling of old Hollywood. Marilyn Monroe is a recurring subject in my work.
The next stage of the assignment was to convert the statement into an A3 sized self portrait and was also where the difficulties started. I didn’t want to draw myself. Figuring out what to include and what not to was hard. I played with the idea of only drawing part of myself but didn’t think that this would fill the brief.
Having looked at different styles I decided that I wanted to use Mary Blair’s style as a basis to my illustration. This is because I am fan of her work, along with my love of Disney. Her simple style seemed the perfect way to draw myself. Emanating the style was a lot harder than I expected but I enjoyed doing so. I like the simpleness of the style as Mary Blair still managed to create engaging, narrative images with depth.
My first idea was a simple piece with only myself in the image. Not only did I not think this would work for the assignment, I didn’t like it as the focus would be on my face. A few other ideas included using 50s/60s hollywood as a backdrop. I couldn’t think of a way to make this work. My other ideas just seemed too obvious or I didn’t feel they would display any skill. Once I had decided on the general idea of what to do choosing the background and composition was tough. I reworked the image many times before settling on the final design.
I wanted to draw the image digitally, one because I want to improve my digital skills, and two, because I like the clean colour it lays down. I thought this would fit the style. I also thought that Mary would have been experimenting with the medium had it been around at the time she was working.
The first choice was whether to go with portrait or landscape. Looking at many of Mary Blair’s works showed me the possibilities for going either way. Her image of Alice falling sticks in my mind and brings a good argument for going with portrait. I didn’t like any of the compositions I came up with in that format. This made my decision for a landscape design.
Next I had to decide what I’d like to include in the image. Just a simple image of myself only didn’t seem like a good idea. This lead to me adding characters from things I have watched or read that I like. The main inspirations seem to have come from Disney and Studio Ghibli, though Marvel comics and Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon have managed to worm their way in. This whole idea doesn’t seem the most creative to me but to show my interests/influences, I thought that this would be the most translatable of ways, with no room for argument on the meaning of the image.
I decided that I wanted to spread the characters out a little as I had tried having them closer together, sort of like a group hug, but this would have meant drawing more characters and cluttering the page or leaving way too much room left on the page. Neither of which I liked.
I chose the characters I did as they are some of my favourites from some of my favourite movies/comics. I have many of these characters dotted around my room in some way. Including the castle from Howl’s Moving Castle may seem an odd choice but I liked it as it adds variety to the image, and the castle is actually alive in the movie. I debated on whether I should include Calcifer or not, him being the heart of the castle. I couldn’t find a way to make him fit without looking awkwardly placed or making the image look over crowded. The castle, I think, fits in nicely. It’s odd shape seems to flow into the image well.
There is one person that I wanted to include in the image but it didn’t fit. It felt like I was trying to force a piece from a puzzle into a completely different one. This person was Marilyn Monroe. The idea behind including her was that she could represent my like of old hollywood and the fact that she has been the subject of a few of my drawings lately. This didn’t work though and added an awkward feel to the drawing. I also contemplated the idea of including my sister in some way as, like I said in my statement, she was the first influence I remember. This just didn’t seem to fit with the brief, the idea of a self portrait.
Drawing myself felt very strange. The thing about Mary’s style is that it doesn’t add too much detail. This meant that I could draw myself more comfortably. I decided that drawing myself with a cat was a no-brainer as I have always had cats and they feel a big part of myself. Having myself cuddling a cat seemed the most organic of poses for me. I chose a simple outfit so as not to over complicate things or draw the attention from the rest of the image. It’s fairly honest too, as a lot of the time I am wearing jeans and a top. All the characters are in a simple 2D style, reminiscent of Mary Blairs. I didn’t include the eye detail as this would have been too detailed for the style.
For the rest of the image I felt that an art theme would fit best as this portrait is meant to show my interests. I have us all sitting on a roll of paper. I liked the flow it added to the image. I also have Toothless in the air holding a pencil. I felt that having him in the sky was the most organic way to include him in the picture. I though having him hold the pencil would be cute and a metaphor for how these characters/movies/comics have influenced me.
I decided that I would have pencils in the background falling like rain. This is because my main medium is pencil. I also like how it can be a metaphor for how much I draw or how much influence the characters/companies have had over me. I had the three at the bottom form an A shape for my initial and have Toothless’ pencil hovering over it so that it looks as though he is signing it.
For the palette, I tried to keep it consistent with Mary Blair’s work. I am unsure as to whether I have gone with a palette that’s too dark. When creating the image it seemed right, that the balance of colours work but now the colours seem to drain life away from the image. Maybe I should have added some brighter colours in a few places. I went with two different shades of purple for the pencil rain to add some depth to the image. I chose purple for the background as it is one of my favourite colours, along with blue and red. Since two of the characters in the image are these colours I chose this so that they wouldn’t blend into the background. I chose to have a white cat, one so that it would stand out and two, because adding the colours and patterns of my cats would have been too detailed for the image, especially at the size it is in the image. I tried to keep the characters colours true to themselves.
When considering scale I didn’t want myself to be too big. This then informed the decision on the size for the rest. I didn’t like the characters being too big. They seemed to drown me out, make me look tiny, which killed the idea behind the brief. In some ways I feel that this should have been the route to go down though as it would have shown their importance and influence.
Overall I think that the idea I had wasn’t too bad but I’m not impressed with the final result. I don’t think it showcases much creative thinking but more of a limited mind and imagination. I am also rethinking the scaling of each aspect of the image. I am happy with the characters picked but feel that the final illustration is very disappointing and wish I could have done better. I do think that I did a good job of resembling Mary Blair’s style. The whole thing reminds me too much of what a child would make in school.
Bibliography
Andy Capp
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Andy Capp – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Capp> [Accessed 23 September 2022].
Google.com. 2022. andy capp strips – Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=andy+capp+strips&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiB2O-E-Kr6AhULghoKHSsbC1oQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=andy+capp+str&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgUIABCABDIGCAAQHhAIMgQIABAeOgcIABCxAxBDOgQIABBDUPoFWPkMYKgUaABwAHgAgAFyiAGbBJIBAzAuNZgBAKABAaoBC2d3cy13aXotaW1nwAEB&sclient=img&ei=kKktY4HQKYuEaqu2rNAF&bih=601&biw=1280&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB1000GB1000> [Accessed 23 September 2022].
Modesty Blaise
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Modesty Blaise – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modesty_Blaise> [Accessed 23 September 2022].
Google.com. 2022. modesty blaise strip – Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=modesty+blaise+strip&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB1000GB1000&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjqh4C_gav6AhWjlFwKHYMzDMQQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1280&bih=601&dpr=1.5> [Accessed 23 September 2022].
Fred Basset
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Fred Basset – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Basset> [Accessed 23 September 2022].
Google.com. 2022. fred basset strip – Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=fred+basset+strip&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB1000GB1000&hl=en-GB&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiyy9ClgKv6AhWHN8AKHSF1C54Q_AUoAnoECAIQBA&biw=1280&bih=601&dpr=1.5> [Accessed 23 September 2022].
The Gambols
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. The Gambols – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gambols> [Accessed 23 September 2022].
Google.com. 2022. the gambols strip – Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=the+gambols+strip&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB1000GB1000&hl=en-GB&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjjg-e_gqv6AhV1nVwKHc3ODrMQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1280&bih=601&dpr=1.5> [Accessed 23 September 2022].
The Perishers
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. The Perishers – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perishers> [Accessed 23 September 2022].
Google.com. 2022. the perishers strip – Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=the+perishers+strip&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB1000GB1000&hl=en-GB&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjesPqEhKv6AhWCQEEAHaUFCRoQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1280&bih=601&dpr=1.5> [Accessed 23 September 2022].
Garth
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Garth (comic strip) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_(comic_strip)> [Accessed 23 September 2022].
Google.com. 2022. garth strip – Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=garth+strip&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB1000GB1000&hl=en-GB&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiz4unrhKv6AhUQQEEAHZybBYgQ_AUoAnoECAIQBA&biw=1280&bih=601&dpr=1.5> [Accessed 23 September 2022].
The history of comics
Encyclopedia Britannica. Undated. Charles Schulz | Biography, Peanuts, & Facts. [online] Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Schulz> [Accessed 11 May 2022].
Peanuts. Undated. About Peanuts. [online] Available at: <https://www.peanuts.com/about-peanuts> [Accessed 11 May 2022].
Kidd, C., 2015. Only what’s necessary. New York: Abrams ComicArts, p.17, 26, 29, 65
LIND, S., 2017. CHARLIE BROWN RELIGION. Mississippi: UNIV PR OF MISSISSIPPI, p. X, XI, 23
Jeffries, S., 2015. Why I loved Charlie Brown and the Peanuts cartoons. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/dec/05/charlie-brown-charles-schultz-peanuts-cartoon-movie-steve-martino> [Accessed 11 May 2022].
Nix, E., 2018. 9 Things You Might Not Know About “Peanuts”. [online] HISTORY. Available at: <https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-might-not-know-about-peanuts> [Accessed 11 May 2022].
Arnone, C., 2021. The History of the Peanuts Comics. [online] BOOK RIOT. Available at: <https://bookriot.com/the-history-of-the-peanuts-comics/> [Accessed 11 May 2022].
Charles M. Schulz Museum. Undated. 70 Years of Peanuts – Charles M. Schulz Museum. [online] Available at: <https://schulzmuseum.org/70-years-of-peanuts-online/> [Accessed 11 May 2022].
Google.com. 2022. peanuts cartoon – Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=peanuts+cartoon&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB1000GB1000&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj6hvLmldj3AhWBQUEAHRzABQ04FBD8BSgBegQIAhAD&biw=1280&bih=601&dpr=1.5> [Accessed 11 May 2022].
Marvel.com. 2022. Stan Lee | Creator Spotlight | Marvel Comic Reading Lists. [online] Available at: <https://www.marvel.com/comics/discover/546/stan-lee> [Accessed 12 May 2022].
Fear, D., 2022. Stan Lee: 15 Essential Comics. [online] Rolling Stone. Available at: <https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/stan-lee-15-essential-comics-252972/> [Accessed 12 May 2022].
Raphael, J. and Spurgeon, T., 2003. Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, pp.22,39.
King, L., 2015. Stan Lee Discusses his Career, Movie Cameos & Bonding with Marvel Actors. [online] Youtube.com. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_29DHdH_ig> [Accessed 12 May 2022].
Youtube.com. 2018. An Interview with Stan “The Man” Lee, Marvel Comics’ Real Superhero. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHwZV4RF5sY> [Accessed 12 May 2022].
Universe, A., 2017. Stan Lee in Conversation with Todd McFarlane at ACE Comic Con Arizona. [online] Youtube.com. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9Gz9KAPcHA> [Accessed 12 May 2022].
Bohlen, T., 2018. Seven Singular Ways Stan Lee Changed the World. [online] Westword. Available at: <https://www.westword.com/arts/stan-lee-changed-the-world-in-at-least-seven-ways-10998306?storyPage=2> [Accessed 12 May 2022].
CBC. 2018. 95 facts about Marvel comics legend Stan Lee | CBC Books. [online] Available at: <https://www.cbc.ca/books/95-facts-about-marvel-comics-legend-stan-lee-1.4760079> [Accessed 12 May 2022].
Lee, S., Kirby, J. and Ditko, S., 2021. Mighty Marvel masterworks. New York: Marvel Worldwide Inc.
Evanier, M. and Sherman, S., 2022. Jack Kirby Biography. [online] Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center. Available at: <https://kirbymuseum.org/biography/> [Accessed 13 May 2022].
Marvel.com. Undated. Jack Kirby | Creator Spotlight | Marvel Comic Reading Lists. [online] Available at: <https://www.marvel.com/comics/discover/801/jack-kirby> [Accessed 17 May 2022].
Burlingame, R., 2017. Stan Lee Reveals Jack Kirby’s Last Words To Him. [online] Marvel. Available at: <https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/stan-lee-reveals-jack-kirbys-last-words-to-him/> [Accessed 17 May 2022].
Hoskin, P., Undated. The persistent influence of Jack Kirby at 100 – TLS. [online] TLS. Available at: <https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/jack-kirby-centenary/> [Accessed 17 May 2022].
Smith, J., 2022. Disney Legends Spotlight: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. [online] LaughingPlace.com. Available at: <https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2022/04/25/disney-legends-spotlight-stan-lee-and-jack-kirby/> [Accessed 17 May 2022].
Burt, S., 2021. Who Really Created the Marvel Universe?. [online] The New Yorker. Available at: <https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/02/15/who-really-created-the-marvel-universe> [Accessed 17 May 2022].
Hoppe, R., Undated. Societyillustrators.org. n.d. Jack Kirby – Society of Illustrators. [online] Available at: <https://societyillustrators.org/award-winners/jack-kirby/> [Accessed 20 May 2022].
Tintin.com. Undated. Hergé. [online] Available at: <https://www.tintin.com/en/herge> [Accessed 18 May 2022].
Golden Age Children’s Book Illustrations. 2022. » Hergé (Tintin) Biography | Life, Art & Illustrated Books. [online] Available at: <https://www.nocloo.com/herge-tintin-biography/> [Accessed 18 May 2022].
TV Tropes. Undated. Herg� (Creator) – TV Tropes. [online] Available at: <https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/Herge> [Accessed 18 May 2022].
Thefamouspeople.com. n.d. Who was Hergé? Everything You Need to Know. [online] Available at: <https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/herg-6940.php> [Accessed 20 May 2022].Artnet.com. n.d. Herge. [online] Available at: <http://www.artnet.com/artists/herg%C3%A9/2> [Accessed 20 May 2022].
Google.com. 2022. early herge work – Google Search. [online] Available at: <https://www.google.com/search?q=early+herge+work&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB990GB990&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjSt9fU0e73AhUnQkEAHVJmDtYQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1280&bih=601&dpr=1.5> [Accessed 20 May 2022].
Luebering, J.E., n.d. Marjane Satrapi | Biography, Books, Films, & Facts. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marjane-Satrapi> [Accessed 20 May 2022].
Nast, C., 2022. Emma Watson Interviews Persepolis Author Marjane Satrapi. [online] Vogue. Available at: <https://www.vogue.com/article/emma-watson-interviews-marjane-satrapi> [Accessed 20 May 2022].
PenguinRandomhouse.com. 2022. Marjane Satrapi | Penguin Random House. [online] Available at: <https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/43801/marjane-satrapi/> [Accessed 23 May 2022].
Satrapi, M., 2007. The complete Persepolis. New York: Pantheon Books.
Illustrationhistory.org. 2022. Winsor McCay – Illustration History. [online] Available at: <https://www.illustrationhistory.org/artists/winsor-mccay> [Accessed 25 May 2022].
Encyclopedia Britannica. 2022. Winsor McCay | American animator. [online] Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Winsor-McCay> [Accessed 25 May 2022].
Artograph.com. 2022. Animation History: Winsor McCay and Gertie | Artograph. [online] Available at: <https://www.artograph.com/infocus/winsormccay/> [Accessed 25 May 2022].
Roeder, K., n.d. Wide awake in Slumberland. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 3, 5, 6, 19
Assignment 1 week of 6/3/23
https://www.artnet.com/artists/jack-kirby/jack-kirby-and-joe-sinnott-self-portrait-with-4Fi-i7wpMuwvaHMvJPAS2Q2
https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1767213#
http://www.kleefeldoncomics.com/2021/04/artist-self-portraits.html
https://www.comicartfans.com/galleryroom.asp?gsub=5540
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_Wood
https://gocollect.com/comic/self-portrait-comic-1
https://www.artforum.com/news/aline-kominsky-crumb-1948-2022-89785
https://www.cbr.com/underground-comix-best-iconic-characters/#gary-panter-39-s-jimbo-is-the-original-interplanetary-himbo
https://openart.ai/discovery/sd-1006344309408276580
https://www.myartbroker.com/collecting/articles/self-portraits-by-urban-and-contemporary-artists
https://www.brewin.co.uk/insights/exploring-the-evolution-of-the-self-portrait
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/sherman-cindy/
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/glenn-ligon-self-portrait
https://whitney.org/collection/works/38087
https://www.wikiart.org/en/henri-de-toulouse-lautrec/self-portrait-in-front-of-a-mirror-1883
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/333993
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-state-market-women-artists-work
https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/about-us/news/art-self-portraiture
The Story of Art, E H Gombrich. Page 214. 16th edition, 1995
https://comics.ha.com/itm/memorabilia/disney/charles-boyer-walt-disney-self-portrait-signed-limited-edition-lithograph-print-1399-1500-and-2-other/a/121702-12725.s
https://plainmagazine.com/lyle-reimer-outlandish-portraits/
https://expertphotography.com/21-creative-self-portrait-photography-ideas/
https://schristywolfe.com/2022/06/10/autoportrait-day-161-mary-blair/
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/23/t-magazine/hayao-miyazaki-studio-ghibli.html
https://loish.net/project/self-portrait-2/
Illustration log 