This week I’ll be talking about the process that went into creating two of my self portrait illustrations that were created several years apart, and why it helps to create a portrait of yourself.

My first self portrait was created at the end of my freshman year in college. I had a fascination for stained glass at the time, so I created this self portrait as if it were a stained glass portrait. I used the pen tool in Adobe Photoshop to easily create the sharp shapes and fill them in fast. I loved making this project, because I had tried to make a self portrait before this one, with no success. I was not happy with any of them. This project changed that!

My first (successful) self portrait!

My second self portrait was created this year, and I loved making it even more than the first one! For this portrait, I included some of my beauty marks on my face to make it look more like me. I used the same technique I did before, but I definitely improved from before. The first portrait was created in Photoshop, and this new one was done in Adobe Illustrator. I think it made a difference!

It can really help to make a self portrait of yourself, and can strengthen your self image, and help you focus on what you really love about yourself and turn it into a beautiful work of art. Actually, creating any kind of art helps get your mind off of things, and can be therapeutic! Whenever I get really into an art project, like I did with the newer portrait, I get into the art zone, and throw myself into my work. I come out of it feeling better, and I created a nice piece of art, too!