What To Draw That Represents Me

In that location'south an assignment in my course, Sketchbook to Mode Boot Camp, that sometimes trips people up. Students often go stuck on this consignment for days and weeks before they're able to move on. I've adapted the assignment over fourth dimension to try to be more than clear and to assist students struggle less, only this particular struggle is actually an essential part of the course. There'due south a very of import lesson to learn from this assignment, and almost important things aren't like shooting fish in a barrel, are they?

But I'm not a drill sergeant, and I understand the struggle, because I've had the verbal same one. I know how the students feel and where they come from. I know what's holding them back and it'south my mission to help them break through those barriers. And I believe this consignment is a huge step in getting at that place.

The Assignment

I'thou talking well-nigh Assignment 6.1: Draw your cocky-portrait character. Students are instructed to describe themselves, "but we're not breaking out the mirror and going photograph-realistic here. We're trying to capture the essence of ourselves, our interpretation of ourselves, not the actual representation of ourselves."

Information technology'south elementary in theory, simply difficult in practise. Immediately when people see these instructions, drawing "rules" come to mind. A focus on homo anatomy bubbles upward. About people begin attempting to draw human anatomy, which usually ends up giving them a strong, generic human with all the typical homo parts, instead of a drawing of themselves. They go defenseless up in drawing arms, legs, and those forsaken noses, and forth the fashion something is lost and frustration is built-in. Then the process becomes a cycle of drawing a few versions y'all're unhappy with and getting mad that you tin't do better. We become stuck.

I believe the crusade of this trap is also much thinking.

Too Much Thinking

We trap ourselves from the beginning. We begin our procedure of drawing by thinking. Nosotros think a homo has to look a certain way, and we effort to draw it that predetermined way, instead of allowing ourselves to explore the infinite possibilities of how it could look. Past beginning with too much thinking, we immediately limit our options and potential. We close off our experimental, playful side, and we fall back into our perfectionist beliefs.

From there, nosotros continue on thinking, remembering all those cute drawings of people nosotros see on Instagram—elegant arms, strong legs, glorious hands. God, they're just and then good, why tin can't mine be that good?! There we go thinkin' once again…

Turn it Off

But that's not what this consignment is almost. I don't want students to create photo-realistic recreations of themselves, and I don't care what'southward currently trending on Instagram. Drawing in this way, allowing our thinking to dictate how we draw, leads to stiff art, hesitant lines, and generic people that don't look like anyone, much less like you.

What I want students to practise is plow off their brains. I desire you lot to explore and play. I desire yous to discover that character that feels like them. I want you to permit go of the perfectionist thinking and comparison thinking and brainstorm to uncover the character that'due south hidden deep inside you. This isn't just about cartoon a one-off character. The whole form is most finding yourself as an artist, and this assignment is a direct and literal stab at that idea. It'due south difficult, but information technology works.

Discovering Yourself

But none of this happens overnight. Many students motility on from this assignment non totally in dearest with their grapheme, but over time to come assignments, they keep drawing the graphic symbol in different ways, expanding on what works, removing what doesn't, making changes as they go along. Through no-pressure exploration they discover which features feel right and make those bigger, bolder, more than important. With patience and experimentation their character morphs into something real—they begin to discover themselves on the page.

Even subsequently you lot've "found" your character, information technology will shift and evolve over time as yous change. Sometimes in obvious literal ways, if you chop off 13 inches of hair similar I did last yr. Sometimes in more subtle ways yous may non even notice as you draw your graphic symbol again and again, and equally y'all grow and evolve as an artist.

Toning Back the Thinking

Then how do we tone downwardly the thinking while we draw? How practise we plough off those perfectionist and comparison-filled thoughts? How exercise we end comparing our start attempts to someone else'due south 100th?

One modify we tin make is taking stock of who we are comparing to and what art we are absorbing. We can look at where we view art (Instagram? Pinterest?) clarify WHO we are comparison to and WHAT we see in our feeds. Because we're human and humans are highly impressionable and what we surroundings ourselves with as artists matters a whole heck of a lot.

On Instagram, depending on who you follow, it's possible for your feed to become quite homogenous. That'southward what an algorithm does—you collaborate with something, it notices that, and serves up more similar stuff to you. Information technology rewards sameness. If yous look at many of the top accounts or hashtags, a lot of the art starts to feel the aforementioned both in mode and content. Which, especially if you are a new impressionable artist (aren't we all?), tin really begin to affect your behavior virtually all art and about how your art should look.

But you guys, there is SO MUCH art out there, and and then much uniqueness and originality. It's important to have exposure to a wide variety of different art styles so you remain open and exploratory in your ain work. We're deeply impacted and afflicted by what we look at, and comparing tin happen without united states fifty-fifty realizing information technology. If all you run across is 1 certain blazon of art, then that's what you're going to believe you must create also.

Self-Portrait Characters

So, to end this essay, I'd like to show you some examples from my favorite artists who oftentimes draw themselves as characters in comics and illustrations. I tried to include a wide diverseness of styles so you can see how successful and impactful ANY art style can exist. Making a self-portrait grapheme isn't about drawing your nose correctly, it'south about boiling everything down to the essence and drawing that.

In fact, that'due south exactly what an art style is. Drawing in our ain artistic style is about removing our blinders, opening our eyes, actually seeing what's in front of us, and then cartoon that realness.

You're non unique because you have a olfactory organ, and your self-portrait character won't look like you considering y'all drew the nose "accurately". Yous're unique because yous are you. And that'due south what I want my students to observe—that's what I want you lot to draw.

Tara Booth: http://www.tarabooth.club/

Tiffany Ford: https://toffany.tumblr.com/tagged/comics

Lucie Bryon: https://luchie.fr/

Tyrell Solo: https://www.instagram.com/tyrellsolo/

Liana Finck: https://www.instagram.com/lianafinck

And in that location ya go! V completely dissimilar artist self-portraits equally proof that anything goes—there are no rules. Go on cartoon, keep trying, proceed opening your eyes and exploring the possibilities, and slowly, everything will fall into place. Trust in yourself, trust in the process, and permit your pen flow.

Cheers for reading, and good luck with your own cocky-portrait grapheme! You lot tin can do it! :D

Source: https://might-could.com/essays/draw-yourself-discover-yourself/

Posted by: sullivanwouniend1968.blogspot.com

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