I’ve drawn several self-portraits before for various class assignments, and they’re not fun. Personally,
I can never tell if my portrait looks like me because I’ll never be able to objectively look at my own
face. For this assignment, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to do a more stylized representation
of myself rather than a completely realistic portrait. The style of my drawings are loosely based on one
of my favorite artists, Jesse Mockrin. Although I did not want to blatantly replicate her style, I drew
inspiration from her compositional elements and recurring themes.
I can never tell if my portrait looks like me because I’ll never be able to objectively look at my own
face. For this assignment, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to do a more stylized representation
of myself rather than a completely realistic portrait. The style of my drawings are loosely based on one
of my favorite artists, Jesse Mockrin. Although I did not want to blatantly replicate her style, I drew
inspiration from her compositional elements and recurring themes.
Many of Jesse’s portraits depict the subjects with slightly warped features. Nothing is too grotesque or
obvious, but the figures are definitely not anatomically proportional. I decided to adopt this style as a
way to break free of the pressure to create a face exactly like my own. Additionally, her portraits often
contain floral elements, so I included this in my own work.
obvious, but the figures are definitely not anatomically proportional. I decided to adopt this style as a
way to break free of the pressure to create a face exactly like my own. Additionally, her portraits often
contain floral elements, so I included this in my own work.
In addition to portraits, many of Jesse’s paintings focus on hands. Because of this, I decided to create an
additional drawing to supplement my portrait. A lot of her work features recurring colors, patterns,
gestures, and themes, and so I wanted to create two drawings that felt very much connected to each
other.
additional drawing to supplement my portrait. A lot of her work features recurring colors, patterns,
gestures, and themes, and so I wanted to create two drawings that felt very much connected to each
other.
My drawings ended up becoming very personal to me. The aesthetic artistic choices I made were all very
intentional. I wanted to combine detailed, realistic elements with graphic, bold ones. I wanted to include
soft, subtle color and intense, vibrant color. I wanted the drawings to feel dreamy and innocent, but also
harsh and violent. I often feel like a walking contradiction. Maybe it’s because I’m at a transitionary period
in my life, but I can’t help but feel as if I am constantly trying to balance a never ending amount of
diametrically opposed qualities. I feel like both a young, naive child and a jaded cynic. Every detail in my
drawings, from the arrows and their placement, to the flowers, and the moon, and the blood, are all
included for a reason. The specific meanings behind these details are more personal than I care to share
in a classroom setting, but I’d rather the viewer find their own meaning anyway.
intentional. I wanted to combine detailed, realistic elements with graphic, bold ones. I wanted to include
soft, subtle color and intense, vibrant color. I wanted the drawings to feel dreamy and innocent, but also
harsh and violent. I often feel like a walking contradiction. Maybe it’s because I’m at a transitionary period
in my life, but I can’t help but feel as if I am constantly trying to balance a never ending amount of
diametrically opposed qualities. I feel like both a young, naive child and a jaded cynic. Every detail in my
drawings, from the arrows and their placement, to the flowers, and the moon, and the blood, are all
included for a reason. The specific meanings behind these details are more personal than I care to share
in a classroom setting, but I’d rather the viewer find their own meaning anyway.
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