Digital Design: Self-Portrait With Texture

For the next artwork in the portfolio, there is a simple, yet appealing quality to this portrait. Among many artists, portraits are one of the most common paintings they create. The challenge of putting facial details onto a canvas aspires to creative techniques and styles. In this case, I wanted to create a portrait of myself, but take the design direction in my own way. As many people know, Photoshop allows for countless effects, brushes, and layer settings to combine the design of your dreams. For my idea of the portrait, I wanted to create something almost abstract, but still reasonably within the realm of reality. This resulted in me creating a portrait that has the important aspects of my likeness but is modified in a way that communicates visually.

Self-Portrait With Texture (2022)

The first thing a viewer might notice outside the use of brush splatters is the distortion of my head. Obviously, this is not how it looks like in real life, but a potential depiction of what one might find interesting within a person. Notice the eye on the forehead, suggesting that our minds work like the "third eye", and are one of the most interesting components of us. The background texture was created through a series of varying brush strokes with a limited color palette (hues of blue). The limited use of colors resembles a monochromatic style that relies on the harmony of each color chosen. These brush splatters are joined together to form a stained texture one could compare to tie-dye. Deep in the background is an old painting of the outside view of the neighboring house across from where I live. Photoshop was also used for the outside view, specifically the art history brush tool. I wanted to include a background to not only improve the scenery but to add additional texture to the design.

One of the reasons why I chose to distort my face was because I personally enjoy exploring the "unnatural" and unique aspects of art. When studying art, one of the most enjoyable aspects is to create something not considered "normal", and an idea that personally entertains you. Art is not something that should solely be weighed by another critic, but how your ideas are expressed. A person might look at this portrait, and be repulsed by the distorted and odd characteristics of my portrait. Since this was something I deliberately chose to do, a comment like that won't be offensive to me, as it wasn't intended to look normal. What makes us interesting are the differences in our qualities, and the way we perceive things. Has there ever been a moment where you took an interest in something that one might consider "strange?" Do not let people discourage you when sharing your work, as the qualities of your art are always special in their own way.