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DESIGN PRINCIPLES // PROJECT 1 : Self Portrait

 02.05.2022 - 20.05.22 / Week 6 - Week 8

Lim Yi Xvan 0354552

Bachelor of Design in Creative Media


Instructions 

fig 1.1 -refer to page 7

Week 6

There're no classes on week 6 due to Raya holidays. By that, we're advised to watch the pre-recorded lecture 6 - Self Portrait and then we may kick start our progress for Project 1 too.

In lecture 6, we were introduced to self portrait. If we were to visualise ourselves, we can see from our physical traits and personality on how others see us and how we see ourselves, our thoughts, experiences, interests in our life. The objective of this project is to let us define ourselves.

So what's self portrait? Self portrait is a self presentation in the form of a drawing, painting, sculpture or design. It's a visual depiction of self. And also an artwork which is used to represent the artist themselves which mostly is more about self-exploration.


Visual Research

Portraiture is the art of depicting a person, whether painted, drawn, sculpted or photographed.Portraiture was thus frequently used as a symbol of power, wealth, importance, authority, virtue, status or beauty. 

From the mid-1800s, the advent of photography changed the nature of portraiture. Artists no longer needed to accurately record their sitter’s likeness as this could be more easily be achieved with a camera. 

The word ‘portrait’ arose in the thirteenth century and means to show a likeness. Create a self-portrait, that is, a likeness of yourself.


fig 1.2 - self portrait of Stella Bowen 
(https://agsa-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/dd/files/EDU_Resrce_ELDR_RHANG_STELLA_BOWEN_JAN2019_FA.c032c16.pdf)

fig 1.3 - Every face has a story; Every story has a face: Kulila!
(https://agsa-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/media/dd/files/EDU_Resource_TARNANTHI17_KULILA.b5db868.pdf)

Every face has a story, every story has a face: Kulila! is a collaborative installation of embroidered sculptures made by nine women artists – Dulcie Raggett, Dulcie Sharpe, Marlene Rubuntja, Rhonda Sharpe, Rosabella Ryder, Roxanne Petrick, Roxanne Sharpe, Trudy Inkamala, Valerie Stafford, from the Yarrenyty Arltere Art Centre in Alice Springs.

Using embroidery thread, wadding, twigs and dyed blankets, the artists at Yarrenyty Altere manipulate techniques such as weaving, looping and knotting to create these unique figures. The artists from the Alice Springs community meet, listen (Kulila) and share their stories. Their experiences result in the vibrant and vivid self-portrait sculptures made collaboratively.


1. Use mirrors

Using a mirror is one of the best ways to start; this way, you can be holding and controlling the camera as you pose.

fig 1.4.1 - self portrait cr Pinterest 


fig 1.4.2 - self portrait cr @Sand8826


fig 1.4.3 - self portrait cr Maddog




2. No-face self portrait

Although some people consider only the images where you’re showing your face to be a self-portrait, many other artists contend with this idea. But actually we can make a fascinating self-portrait with any part of our body.

fig 1.5.1 - self portrait cr Life of Pix
fig 1.5.2 - self portrait cr Pinterest

This one is using its body parts to reflect self portraits and only not just a part it's using. There're few parts of body shown in a way by composing a collage so it won't look to simple and also not too messy. This also carry out the design principles of harmony with same colour scheme using.


fig 1.5.3 - self portrait cr Pinterest


fig 1.5.4 - self portrait cr Pinterest

 

3. Double Exposure

Another way to show more than one picture in a self-portrait is to use a double exposure (see guide). The idea is that two (or more) exposures are overlapping in the same frame. This will give a ghostly-creative feel to your picture.

fig 1.6.1 - self portrait cr Pinterest 


fig 1.6.2 - self portrait cr Pinterest 



4. Motion Blur

Another cool self-portrait idea is to incorporate motion blur. This means that you’ll leave a trail when you move.

fig 1.7.1 - self portrait cr Pinterest 


fig 1.7.2 - self portrait cr Pinterest 


fig 1.7.3 - self portrait cr Pinterest 


Further Readings: 

Design Process & Idea Exploration


I've surfed the website while finding materials for my visual research and then I saw that it says we can use our silhouettes to create a self portrait too.


fig 2.1 - sources: https://shotkit.com/self-portrait-photography/


And scrolling through my gallery which I have few photographs of my silhouette. And then I collage them into install forms.

fig 2.1.1 - silhouette photographies of mine



Afterwards, I've also got some inspirations from Pinterest for the idea of double exposure. Here are some inspiration pins~

fig 2.2.1 - Inspiration from Pinterest (double exposure)

fig 2.2.2 - Inspiration from Pinterest (double exposure)


Then, I started to find elements and sources to create my own double exposure. I started off by thinking things I like, as my idea was to create my own double exposure with things I like combining them all together in a frame. 
So here are things I pop out with: Colour blue, butterflies, bridal gowns, flowers, old buildings and paintings.
Then I find the followings pics from Pinterest as my materials.

fig 2.2.3 - Materials from Pinterest (double exposure)


Then I took a few Portrait Pics of my own using my iPhone Pro 12 with the camera Portrait mode.

fig 2.2.4 - Portraits of my own (double exposure)


I use Photoshop to create my own double exposure. I learn these skills  from few tutorial video found on Youtube. 
Sources: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOYz669WNpU&t=150s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvL_JnY7M2o&t=53s
And here are few pieces that I've worked out.

fig 2.2.5 - Self Portraits 1 (double exposure)

fig 2.2.6 - Self Portraits 2 (double exposure)


I used Brush Tool and Refine Edge Brush Tool in Photoshop to create mask and layers for my self portraits(at first, then I found that the blurry edges and unmasked parts irritates me so I changed to pen tool). Then, I added a solid background colour as my background. And few of the materials I found on Pinterest, I used masking, effects to adjust them and create double exposure.

Then, I found that the intention of mine to create a clothing for my outer don't blend too well so I have another idea. I've reduce the opacity for the colour blue which is originally added to cover my body and duplicate a new layer above it with laces. By that, makes me looks like I'm wearing a bridal dress. The laces were also created by masking and with the photoshop filter 'lighten'. So it looks more smooth on the view.
Below is the layers of my double exposure, I even added some highlights and contrasts on my faces, so it makes my face looks more sharpen which I named the file as 'makeups' hahaha.

fig 2.2.7 - Layers for my self portraits 3 (double exposure)


fig 2.2.8 - Self portraits 3 



Final Outcome


fig 3 - Final outcome for self portrait (Double Exposure)

For my final outcome, it's an advanced version of fig 2.2.8. As I've took Dr.Yip's feedbacks which she said she thinks for fig 2.2.8 the above spaces are too blank and she said that she liked the smoke effect on fig 2.2.5. So ya, I replace the cloud above my head with the smoke effect and here's my final outcome.

My idea to create a double exposure of me with all the things I like collaborate together, in the ground that to remind myself, always to love yourself before you love others. In order of that, you may only learn how to love others as you've understand yourself. As a woman, we should always be strong, and never underestimate our limits and abilities.

Feedbacks

I was supposed using fig 2.2.8 as my final and showed Dr.Yip on week 9. But then she said that she thinks the above spaces for fig 2.2.8 is too blank and she likes the smoke effect on fig 2.2.5 above my head. Then, she asked me to replace the cloud above with the smoke effect and see how it comes out.
Blog is neatly and well done~

Reflection

Throughout the whole progress for Project 2, it's much more easier for me to create my pieces as photographies are finally allowed yay! But when photographies are allowed, it might be hard to meet your expectations and once the shot is snapped, you can't undo the layers or edit the parts that you don't like like we used to do on Adobe softwares. Hence, in the middle of exploration, I take it very carefully on planning how to shot out the portraits I want to look like. It was kinda hard to mask out my self portraits to be honest!! Because the refine edges brush and brush tool is kinda hard to manipulate, if you mask out not well, it makes the masking not clean and edges are blurry. This was what I view from Youtube and learn on how to create a double exposure. Then, I gave up on using the brush tool for masking and ended up using pen tool to crop myself out hahaha

Through this exercise, I've learn on how to look at myself on who am I. From different perspectives, ideas and inspirations etc.  I get to finally understand myself deeper and find out what I like. We actually should spend more time on understanding ourselves as most of the time we're spending time on others but don't forget in the word 'time' there's a me inside. We should definitely make time for self and find out things that we like and explore more about us~

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