Old Lady with a Turquoise Earring. self portraits

This shows the stages of the self portrait I have tackled. I have found it difficult because I do not relish looking at myself for long periods of time and examining the sagging flesh and wrinkled face that has developed over time. However, it had to be done!

First I did a charcoal sketch which I then wiped over with a cloth, followed it with a sketch using blue and yellow pastels. I wanted to use purple to have the complimentary colour but could not find it! I then rubbed it over with the cloth as the mistakes ( face too fat, neck too wide, mouth too crooked, jumper not hanging ) were too obvious.

I then used a rubber to mark out the lightest parts of my face and also found my purple pastel which I used to emphasise the shadows.

The rest of the time was spent in tweaking the drawing, trying to get the proportions better, the tones more accurate and both eyes looking in the same direction.

It all looked a little boring and so I put on my earrings.














The final drawing is now " Old Lady with a Turquoise Earring."

The drawing on the right is one I did earlier, (with shorter hair)
drawn with a biro on my notebook. Slightly intense, rather cross and not feeling my best!
















I realise that I have not put myself in a room, no other objects of interest and no idea of where I am. This was intentional in order to focus entirely of who I am,  as a result of looking at other artist's self portraits. My intention has been to be honest and look with clarity at my image in the mirror, without prejudice, without over-emphasising my distorted view of myself or my mood.
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