Self portraits

Through the eyes of an artist

Paper and pens set up next to the mirrors beckon children to investigate.  A glimpse of their own reflection is enough to ignite their curiosity and spark creativity.

The creative process of self portrait work offers insight to how the artist views them self.  In essence a self portrait is about self discovery, a celebration of individuality and uniqueness from an inner perspective.

Ann Pelo states "When we invite children to create self portraits, we offer them mirrors and encourage long, sustained study of their faces from this unfamiliar perspective.  Then we ask them to re-create themselves on paper, weaving together the image that they see in the mirror with the person they experience themselves to be.  Their portraits are eloquent statements of self." (2007)

If you look closely, what do you see?

After some time spent looking in the mirror, we invite children to focus more specifically on the features of their face.  We ask children to observe, to linger and notice intricate details.  The shape of their face, the slope of their nose, the way their eyelashes frame the outside of  their eyes...

We help children decipher the lines of their face and call attention to elements that are missing from their portrait.  During their work with self portraits children grow skills for looking closely and for communicating what they see and think (Pelo, 2007).

"Look and draw, look and draw" I encouraged Indy.

"Eyes, nose, eyebrows up on top of my eyes. Hairs on my eyes" said Indy.

"Do you know what they're called" I asked Indy.

"Uh, uh" replied Indy.

"They're called eyelashes" I said.

"Eyelashes" repeated Indy.

"Yes, eyelashes.  Can you make your eyelashes blink?" I asked.

Indy looked in the mirror and blinked her lashes.  After careful observation and exploration Indy transferred this new knowledge to her self portrait.

 

Exploration of 'self' continues...noticing intricate details to add to her portrait.



"What do you see when you look in the mirror? 
What stories does your face tell?"


"These self portraits are windows into the children's identities.  Their details tell us how the children see themselves and what they choose to emphasize in their drawings about themselves."
(Ann Pelo, The language of art, 2007).

Luke is another keen artist and has spent much time exploring this art medium recently.    

Self portrait work is an exciting way to enrich and inspire self discovery.

To extend on this interest, I invited him to create 'emotional' portraits of himself.

What does angry, sad, frightened or happy look like?

Luke's playful exploration with the mirrors and focused study of his face enabled him to notice intimate details and subtle changes in the emotions he expressed on his face.

Immersed in the richness and pleasure of the experience and excited to hone his skill, Luke seemed to enjoy the opportunity to revisit this art experience again and again; eager to create several self portraits today.

"Does your face look the same when it's an angry face?" I asked.

"No look, my nose has got lines on it" he said as he experimented with the facial contortions of an 'angry' face, "and my teeth are all tight together" he observed.

"When I'm sad I have no top lip only a bottom lip.  When I'm really sad, when I'm crying, some water drips out of my eyes" Luke commented during his exploration.

"I have a circle face" said Poppy.
"Look how I do myself.  That's how I actually do my hair.  That's how I actually do me" said Poppy as she studied her changing expressions in the mirror and drew her self portrait on paper. 

"That's a crazy face!  I can do a chin.  That's how I actually do my chin.  There's how I do my forehead" said Poppy.

Art touches the soul... art is communication... it reaches out from the canvas and passes through the eyes of the viewer right into his heart where it can leave an imprint of beauty that can make the spirit sing. 

(Nina Baldwin)

Thanks for visiting,
Nga mihi nui,
Tania