1. The Portrait

2. A portrait can tell the viewer much about the subject
A portrait can tell the viewer much about the subject. A portrait can be flattering, epic, respectful, powerful or ugly; but all say something about the character of the person.

3. When creating a self portrait, one must consider what you want to say about yourself.
Are you playful, serious, trying to portray a message?
How can your clothing, surroundings, expression, and manner affect this portrayal?

4. To the left is a pencil portrait drawn in the detailed "realistic" style.
This portrait was drawn from a photograph.

5. A detail of the eye. All the pencil strokes are "crosshatched", not smeared or smudged. The gentle crosshatch gives the portrait a cleaner, neater appearance. It is much easier to control than smudging. Small subtle details are easier to define.
If the crosshatching technique is done with these small, refined pencil strokes, the effect will look smooth and even photo-realistic when the portrait is seen at a normal distance.
If contour lines are used in conjunction with the crosshatching, a subtle but effective dimensional effect will occur. This will enhance the "realistic" look of the portrait.

6. A close-up of the nose and mouth.
Notice that there is a subtle indication of a "highlight" on the tip of the nose, and a highlight on the bottom lip. This was achieved by gently laying down a light tone around these highlights. With a portrait this "detailed", most of the face will be rendered as a light gray, so that such "highlights" will show up.
When seen at "normal" size, most of these light pencil crosshatching strokes will not be very visible. However, the crosshatching technique is not unattractive, and needn't been concealed, or hidden

7. Vincent Van Gogh Self Portrait 1886

8. Vincent Van Gogh Self Portrait, 1887

9. Vincent Van Gogh Self Portrait with Straw Hat, 1887

10. Vincent Van Gogh Self Portrait with Straw Hat, 1887

11. Vincent Van Gogh Self Portrait in front of Easel, 1888

12. Vincent Van Gogh Self Portrait dedicated to Paul Gauguin, 1888

13. Vincent Van Gogh Self Portrait, 1889

14. Vincent Van Gogh Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889

15. Botticelli. The Adoration of the Magi. Early 1470s

17. Jan van Eyck. Arnolfini Wedding Portrait. 1434 oil on wood

19. Toulouse Lautrec At the Moulin Rouge 1892 - 1995

20. Pablo Picasso The Artist Before His Canvas, 1938

21. Frida Kahlo. The Two Fridas 1939

22. Frida Kahlo. The Broken Column 1944

23. Egon Schiele Self Portrait 1912

24. Léopold Boilly Grimacing Man (Self-Portrait), c
Léopold Boilly Grimacing Man (Self-Portrait), c , conte crayons on paper

25. James Montgomery Flagg (American, 1877-1960), I Want You for U. S
James Montgomery Flagg (American, ), I Want You for U.S. Army, 1917

26. Herbert Bayer Self-Portrait in Mirror, 1932

27. Chuck Close Self Portrait 1997

28. Chuck Close Self Portrait 1968

29. Tim Hawkinson (American, 1960-), Balloon Self-Portrait, 2004
Tim Hawkinson (American, 1960-), Balloon Self-Portrait, 2004?, latex sculpture, life size cast from the artist's body, turned inside out, then inflated by an air compressor, Ace Gallery, NYC.  

30. Cindy Sherman

32. Cindy Sherman Untitled Film Still, 1981

34. Norman Rockwell Triple Self Portrait, 1960

35. Banksy Self Portrait, 2007

36. Eisuke Sato Self Portrait, 2008

37. Gustav Courbet, Self Portrait/The Desperate Man. o/c 1843

38. Pierre Auguste Renoir Self Portrait, 1910

39. Joe Peller
Self-Portrait—Day’s End ,
2003

40. Costa Vavagiakis, Self Portrait, 1994

41. Mary Beth McKenzie, Self-Portrait, Life Masks 1990

42. Michelle Flanagan Personal, 1997

43. John Hodapp Self Portrait, 2008

44. Eric Elliot Self Portrait, 2008

45. Chrissy Dwyer Self-portrait, 2005

46. Arkady Roytman Self Portrait, 2006

47. Susanna Coffey, Self Portrait (cloudy) 2002

48. Catherine Fox Self Portrait 2004

49. Andy Warhol Self Portrait 1986

50. Albrecht Durer Self Portrait 1500

51. Colin Harbut, Self Portrait Graphite on paper, 2010

52. Melissa Cooke Self Portrait as Pig, 2010

53. Ottilie Simpson, Self Portrait, 2010

54. Megan Van Groll

55. Megan Van Groll Bakery Brawl

56. David Airey Self Portrait of the Artist with Liquid Refreshment Chalk, 1997

57. Francis Bacon Self Portrait 1969

59. All of these artists gazed into their mirrors and attempted to grasp their identities.
They sought to portray their image, whether it showed a clear representation of their features, a walk through their childhood or an outpouring of emotions.
Some self-portraits show only what the artist wants us to see, some chronicle the history of the artist, others reveal personal secrets and a sense of isolation.
Whichever method is employed each artist took a long literal and figurative look at him/herself. Each portrait is an exploration of the self.

60. Fin