Self Portraits

Self portrait A self-portrait is a painting or drawing that an artist has done using them self as the subject.

Dürer is recognized by art historians as being the first artist to regularly paint self-portraits. Three other artists known for their self-portraits are Rembrandt, who created around 90 self-portraits (paintings, drawings, and etchings) over 40 years; Vincent van Gogh, who painted around 25, most in the last two years of his life; and Frida Kahlo, who painted some 55 self- portraits.

Durer German painter, printmaker, engraver From the late 1400’s to the early 1500’s.

Rembrandt Dutch artist from the 1600’s

Van Gogh Post Impressionist painter 1860’s – 1880’s.

Frida Kahlo Mexican Painter 1930’s – 1950’s “I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.”

Frida Kahlo did not think very highly of herself Frida Kahlo did not think very highly of herself. She did not value herself. This negativity comes through in her work.

These are both portraits of faces. But the technique used is very different. Portraits can be painted in any way the artist chooses but first you must learn where the parts of the face go.

Face Proportions Proportion- proper relation between things or parts 2. a portion or part in its relation to the whole The proportions of the head can be divided horizontally into four equal quarters. 1. The first quarter measures from the top of the head down to the hairline. 2. The second quarter measures from the hairline down to the eyes in the middle of the head.

3. The third quarter contains most of the features 3. The third quarter contains most of the features. At the top of this section the eyes are usually level with the ears, and at the bottom the nose is roughly level with the ear lobes. 4. The final quarter stretches from the base of the nose to the chin with the mouth positioned just above the halfway mark. These proportions will only work if we share the same eye level as the subject. They will become distorted if we view the head from above or below.

Where do the parts of the face go? Every face is similar. Two eyes. One nose. One mouth. Two ears. But every face looks completely different. What are the biggest and smallest parts of your face? How big are the spaces between things? Top of your head to your eyes? From your eyes to your chin? How do the parts of your face change when you look angry, sad, scared, and surprised?

Terms Self-portrait – A painting or drawing that an artist has done using them self as the subject Proportion – How one part of an object relates to a whole object, such as the size of an arm in relation to the rest of the body Grid drawing- Uses grids as a way to make a drawing from a photo or other image to help achieve appropriate proportions.

Grid Drawing Using your photo and grid, draw your face on a piece of paper Start with a contour drawing, if time, add value. How many grid squares is your face from the bottom of your chin to the top of your head? How far down are your eyes from the top of your head?

Grid Drawing To make sure that your object will fit on your paper and that your proportions are correct, a grid can be used. Create a one inch grid on your paper Make sure that you mark the left and right side of the paper before drawing lines to ensure that the grids are straight. Draw lightly! All lines will be erased. Due Friday September 22nd