portrait issues

[einahpets]

For kicks this morning I decided to make a mental head count (ha, pun) of all the self portraits have done since my first one sophomore year of HS.   The count of all the pieces I remember is 30, one is currently in progress, another is somewhere in St. Augustine (my professor at Flagler never returned it to me), and all the rest are either here or home in Da Buc.  Now, while I was musing over my blueberry banana pancakes I realized that I may be so used to drawing my face that i no longer have an objective view.  Maybe I know the features so well that I have a subjective view to how they should look so the final product looks like me.  Or maybe I have so much practice with my face I know when something is off.  However, I don't think that is the case because my portraits usually look like this.  3/4 view, hair braided and hanging off my shoulder (so it looks like I'm a girl), and usually I'm in a t-shirt and sweatshirt.  Is this some sort of formula I created?  Or is it just the fact that all professors ask for 3/4 view.  BLAH.  
It's appropriate that I'm having these thoughts while I'm in the middle of my 30th portrait.  

Comments

[rowlena-rose.livejournal.com]

maybe you can do someone else for your 31st portrait!

[reni-m.livejournal.com]

I only count self portraits.

[ryukonotsuki.livejournal.com]

Draw someone else... =P

[reni-m.livejournal.com]

all the portraits are because of assignments. it's not that i'm complaining about drawing myself it's that i've drawn myself so many times and i am worried i'm not looking at myself objectively anymore. i just need to find a new way of seeing me without getting trapped in old habits.

[ryukonotsuki.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Do you draw from a mirror, or from a picture? Whichever way you do, do it the opposite way, as (I'm sure you know) we aren't symmetrical. So it'll mess with your preconceived notions, and perhaps train you to be objective again.

[reni-m.livejournal.com]

i do both. however i usually try with a mirror because pictures flatten out the person and it's not 3d anymore.

though creating likeness isn't the goal. i'm more concerned that because i have done so many i'm not improvong my technique when i do another, i just fall back into the habit of what work initially.

perhaps i'm just overthinking it because i want to prove to my professor (and myself) i have grown throughout the semester. we are going to compare the first portrait we did in the semester to this one. i'm afraid it will look exactly the same. which is why i started the whole am i objective or subjective when i draw myself and do the amount of protraits i have drawn screwed up the way i should draw.

you see a lot of this is an inner artist conversation that must be found out through trial and error, and a little insanity. : P

[ryukonotsuki.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I wonder if there's any other way to do it... but I do kind of get what you mean... Perhaps your next portrait, you could say to your teacher... "I've done 30+ portraits of myself, most of which are at a 3/4 view... could I do it at a different angle? I feel like I'm not improving by doing the same thing over again..." And if he or she is like, "No, too bad," ask him or her if they can give you any pointers on how to improve. I'm sorry I don't have better advice. You've probably already thought of this.

I guess the only other solution is to draw other people more...

I like insanity.

[aserene.livejournal.com]

The song you're so vain comes to mind at this point, but alas I know it was all for assignments.

[reni-m.livejournal.com]

But that is still a very good song.