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Top 10 Self Portrait Sketches

For this assignment, we have to create a self portrait based on an idea from Alice in Wonderland. Then we have to use that idea in comparison with our first year of college, and create 50 painful thumbnails. The idea I picked from Alice in Wonderland was Alice growing due to eating things, the way that applies to me is that in my first year of college I've realized how I've grown in and out of things and how I have gained weight. I Picked my top 10, it's very difficult for me to get to my final decision, so immuna need some help! 

Here are my descriptions of each sketch (from top to bottom):

1. We've heard of the freshman 15, but I never heard of the freshman 20! that's just what happened to me, I couldn't fit in certain clothes anymore because of all those yummy treats I had in my dorm room.
2. Growing, obviously. I will get back to this idea later.
3. You may not be able to see this one to well, but it's pretty much a toilet with things being flushed down, like the 19 fish i killed as well as some of my personality traits that died along the way.
4. As I was reading Alice in Wonderland, I looked at one of the sketches with Alice having a long neck. I thought I could apply this idea of the neck, and draw on a necklace holding things that symbolize that new me (Retainer, make up, etc).
5. Since I can't quite grow taller, I decided to draw myself wearing this weird hat thing with symbols of my first year of college.
6. I watched the movie called Marie Antoinette, and I loved her sculptural hair styles and I thought I could use that same idea of the big hair and stick things in it that symbolize my first year of college.
7. I've narrated my entire first year of college to my friends through my cellphone, I was thinking of drawing my cellphone along with some text messages and pictures coming out of it.
8. Alright, this is where #2 comes in. One night I was cutting out this model from a magazine when I realized that I had cut through 4 pages below. I thought That was kind of interesting, so I took them and cut out some more, arranged them and realized how this is a good example of me growing. I am not quite growing physically (other than weight), but I am growing in stages. However, the arrangement is too obvious, and I tought that sketch #2 could make it a little more interesting. And instead of just going with my physical body, maybe I can start out with a bird which will then transform into all this other things as it grows taller until it turns into me. 
9. A dress with images of my first year. 
10. This is the one I'm currently leaning more towards. I realized that this semester I've been talking behind people's backs, even my friends. I was unable to keep my comments to myself, and my bad comments only made me look bad. So I started playing this game with myself that when I get some serious negative thoughts about someone, I will replace it with a positive thought (For example, when I was coming back from St Louis last weekend my friend kept playing songs for 5 seconds and then skipping them. That made me really mad, but I thought "Well she knows I hate country music, at least she's trying not to play it").

John Boyd Martin

A few weeks ago, I was in the cafeteria getting my usual bacon and pancakes when one of the employees started to tell his friends that I am "a great artist" (but he was only trying to make conversation). One of them was very pleased to know, so he asked me if I could draw a picture of him and his wife. I have a hard time telling people no, so I accepted even though I hesitated a little. I feel somewhat uncomfortable drawing realism portraits, because even though my drawing looks similar to the person I'm drawing, you find a few flaws after much staring. I decided to suck it up and started the drawing, it seemed to him like a very special gift he wanted to make to his wife. As I work on this drawing, I find this need to make alterations, like draw him and his wife closer to each other, her a little taller, and alter the background a little. I didn't know how to feel about these alterations, until I saw John Boyd Martin's work last Thursday.

John is a native from Kansas and currently lives in Overland Park. To me, his work really seemed like the same old boring commercial art. Silent portraits with no artistic meaning. But once I attended his lecture, he explained to us the process of his work. He will paint a life size portrait, in one month, 8-12 hours a day. How crazy! I dislike drawing for long periods of time because I feel like I will lose my inspiration after a while. Not this guy.

Sadly, his images can't be appreciated as much here since they're so small. But anyways, John used to work doing advertising, which can be reflected in his pieces.

The first piece shown here, is more narrative than silent. This doctor is portrayed according to his personality, and the background does most of the narrating with the paintings on the walls sharing the doctor's favorite things.

The second painting is narrative with the background too, but the contrast in both personalities present here is what appeals to me even more.

What I like about the third image is how the shirt dissolves with the background, it makes it a lot more interesting.

The third piece is what really reflects John's advertising experience, with his use of montage. I really like the background on this one, I like the way different backgrounds merge together, like the water of the fountain turning into grass. The texture and the movement in this background create a clockwise visual force which allows me to see all around the painting.


So after all, making alterations can be fun :)

Melanie 

Source: www.Johnboydmartin.com