A Different Kind of Selfie |

A Different Kind of Selfie

It’s an exploration of self. The self-portrait has been attempted by almost every artist, in a variety of mediums. Give it your best shot with the help of Lab 9 from Paint Lab.

Frida Kahlo, Self-portrait with monkeys, 1943

Lab 9 - Inspired by Frida Kahlo: The Self-Portrait

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist who devoted her life’s artwork to the self-portrait. In this project, look at aspects of your life as you weave your own symbolism into your self-portrait.

Selin Ashaboglu, self-portrait, oil on canvas

Materials

large canvas
paint
reference materials of imagery to add into painting
mirror or photograph
charcoal

India Dumont, work in progress

1. Begin to brainstorm what you would like to incorporate into this self-portrait. Some inspiration that my students have used have been a specific landscape that they place themselves within, animals that they feel a connection to, as well as maps and flags that represent a specific region.

Selin Ashaboglu, work in progress

2. Begin by creating a composition that incorporates the different elements onto the one large canvas in charcoal. Be mindful not to overwhelm the canvas with too many elements.

Yitong Cai, self-portrait, oil on canvas

3. Begin painting your piece with a total of four colors to maintain harmonies.

Frida Kahlo

Kahlo lived most of her life in Mexico. After being injured in a bus accident, her father introduced her to painting to help fill the time during her recovery. The complexity of her cultural identity and the inspiration of the animals, flora, and fauna of her homeland provided a bottomless well to draw from in her work.

—