Self Portrait
Title: Self Portrait
Medium: Self Portrait Size: 91 cm x 91 cm 10 December 2015 Exhibit Text Alicia Zepeda focuses on creating a self portrait based on the influence of Andy Warhol and the Pop Art Movement. The piece that she recreated is Andy Warhol's poster of "Che Guevara" created in 1962. This piece is intended to convey her inspiration as well as an insight of how she feels others misinterpret her. All aspects of this piece are self made. |
Process
First, I made a list of different art movements as well as some artists I could gain inspiration from.
Third, was my sketching process. I was unable to use the projector due to my time management, so instead I decided to graphite transfer a picture I took of myself onto the canvas.
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Second, I made a few planning sketches of layouts for my canvas.
Lastly, was the painting process. The colors I used were red, yellow, yellow-green, and blue mixed with white as well as black and white for my face and hair.
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Meaning Behind My Piece
My Self Portrait is based on the influence of Andy Warhol and the Pop Art Movement, but it also portrays how others misinterpret me. I have been told too many times that someone's first impression of me was that I look mean and stuck up, and once they got to know me their opinion was completely different. The 4 colors symbolize the main characteristics of my personality that hide behind my appearance. Red represents "sacrifice" because I would do absolutely anything for those close to me. Yellow represents "laughter" although my face may say otherwise, I'm always full of energy and in a positive mood. Green represents "comfort" because I care for others, and their well-being, sometimes even before myself. Lastly, blue represents "control" because I know what I want in life, and have the intelligence to get there.
Artist Inspiration
My artist inspiration comes from Andy Warhol, one of the most influential artitists of the pop art movement. Warhol's poster of "Che Guevara" influenced the design and colors of my self portrait.
Website: http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/popart/Andy-Warhol.html |
Reflection
Throughout this piece I had many difficulties and successes. First of all, I have never stretched a canvas, but my first try turned out successful. One difficulty was how much gesso to apply, and I ended up having to paint on another layer since the first one was to thin. I also made the mistake of not applying a background paint coat. Instead I separated the canvas into four sections and began painting on the background colors, which was frustrating because the paint dried fast and I had to apply more in replace of the background coat I forgot to paint on. Another difficulty was creating small lines to create the facial features, I had to go back and touch up on a few mistakes. What I found useful working with acrylic is adding water to the paint to help it last as well as apply smoothly, otherwise the paint might crack when it dries, as it did on my self portrait. Overall, I am happy with the outcome of my piece, although next time I do a self portrait I plan to make it look more realistic.