I saw the movie about Frida Kahlo and have been obsessing ever since about doing a self portrait. I never realized portraiture could be so difficult. My first attempt looks nothing like me. I have to revise the head shape and size and redo all the features. But my second attempt, more of a sketch is more accurate. I used a weird method. I took a picture of myself in the lighting that I wanted and then did an outline in dots on the computer. I transferred these dots to my sketch book and then began drawing from life using a mirror and the dots as a guide. When the light had changed too much I went back to the photo and finished it off. It does seem to capture something of “me” but it also doesn’t. Here it is, along with the reference photo, and dots:
I suppose its a bit like tracing. I wonder if it counts as “art”. I saw a talk given about a religious painter (I’ll try to find out who), who used grids of string and mathmatics to draw more accurately. Why not? It shouldn’t be all guess work. These things are, to me, never quite done. Since I took the photo I’ve gone in and made some revisions. I might still do more.
