Self Portrait and Portrait from Memory

Self Portrait  
These sketches made handy references, but I don't think I made enough use of them for measuring in my second portrait, as initially  I had problems getting the facial proportions to look right. Believe it or not they are really me and not copied from a book.

First portrait - pencil

 One of my critics remarked about the similarity between the two...? This photo was the nearest  I could find of Liam Gallagher. Possibly there is  something about the gaze.

Liam Gallagher

Check & Log

1. Which drawing materials produced the best results? Why?

For the self portrait I found that a mechanical (clutch) pencil with 0.7 lead was versatile for detail and fine lines, but with definition, although I needed to use this with a conventional pencil for shading areas with the side of the point. I discovered that using a silicone paint pusher for blending some shading was easier to use for large and small areas and more accurate than a fingertip, without the grease.

It was easier to control the detail and depth of lines and shading with conte pencil than conte crayon. The crayon was better for more defined, darker tonal areas. I like the fact that conte pencil and crayon aren’t crumbly, so are relatively clean and easy to control in comparison to soft pastel for instance, so I thought it would be a safer bet for a subject requiring accuracy .

For the portrait from memory a Faber Castell Pitt medium art pen was ideal for giving definition by using pressure, delicate enough for feint lines and easy to manipulate. The same would apply also to all the above media.

1. Does your self portrait look like you? Show it to a couple of friends or family members and note down their comments.

My husband Kevin said that although he thought both portraits were a good likeness of me, especially the second in conte crayon and conte pencil, but the first  (in pencil) looked rather serious for me, as my usual expression suggests a grin lingering under the surface. I’m not sure if this is always true, there are many times when I know I look serious, sometimes too much so.

My sister Nicola was of the same opinion about the second portrait, saying it’s definitely me -I would agree. The first one in pencil, she said looks more masculine, yet still like me with no eye make-up (that would be true) and reminded her of Liam Gallagher! I’m not sure how to take that, particularly as I’m far from being a fan of his, although it could be worse. The eyebrows I would dispute most of all - I doubt she was serious. But I have to admit, when comparing the gaze in the self portrait and the photo - if his eyebrows were trimmed drastically and if I knock a few years off myself, I can see some slight similarity.

2. Did you find it easy to convert your sketches into a portrait?

The first exercise certainly helped me to observe more closely the basic shapes and facial features of my own head and face and to become more familiar with my own unique appearance. This may sound odd – even though I thought I  knew my own face better than anyone’s, it’s the little nuances that make such a difference in achieving a likeness (or not). Previously I didn’t realize that the corners of my eyes are slightly higher on the outside than the inside. By doing studies of individual features before the portrait/s, really scrutinizing all facial features these things become evident. The same was true for the portrait from memory, although here, I didn’t have nearly as much visual information to hand as for self portrait.

3. Were your preliminary drawings adequate?

Yes I think they were. For the self portrait I referred to my own reflection for the actual portraits, although the sketches were useful to familiarize myself with aspects of my head and face such as shape and proportion and planes and came in handy as references.  

Portrait from memory -
a sketch I tried without
references

Whereas, in the portrait from memory, my sister posed for me on two separate occasions while I did a couple of sketches of her face. Shortly after the second sketch (the following day) when I tried to do another sketch without any references and purely from what I could remember of her face, the face was too rounded and looked younger by about 20 years. It came as a surprise to realize I didn’t know her face as well as I had thought. I tried this out with a couple of other people I know well and discovered the same problem.

Nic in felt pen

In the end I did a portrait of her in black art pen from the two sketches below. I did a few studies of individual facial features but didn’t use them for reference. Just drawing them seemed enough to help the information sink in a little.  This drawing was definitely more successful in obtaining a likeness, because of the reference sketches.

Portrait from Memory

The drawing on the right in coloured felt pens, is a first attempt at a portrait. I don't like the effect of the facial shading. Most of this is made up from memory, apart from a reference for the nose. The eyes are different sizes, as with most of the portraits I do. Compared to the black art pen (below right) it is a course medium, but it was probably more to do with the way I used it. With a lot more experience I might have had a little more success. 

This is a better likeness than above.
Pitt art pen

Two sketches from life