Thesis for Folio Two

I went into this project trying to continue with my first folio work. I was interested in masks and masking the body in different ways. I was also interested in merging animal and human elements together. I decided to try something different and use myself as the model. Using myself as the model gives a new perspective on the work. It enable me to express both the physical attributes from the outside and the internal emotions I have. I created my own headpiece and modeled it. I tried to draw from the reference photographs, but I do no believe the outcome was that successful. It didn't quite convey what I wanted to achieve. 

I then went in a slightly different direction. I started looking at Frida Kahlo and her self portraits. I was interested in how she expressed her discomfort and pain. I wanted to somehow depict my own illnesses, and the fatigue and pain that surrounds it. I tried to use my self portraits to create a mask-like depiction. This mask is something I use on a daily basis. It's difficult to constantly draw healthy bodies in class, when your own body isn't like that. We talked a lot in class about how our own bodies are reflected in the work we create. This idea is what I kept in mind when drawing my work.

This second piece came out a little too traditional. I stuck to conventional portraiture rules. I tried to explore the use of the material a little more here. I attempted to move away from my normal method of using line to create the image. Instead I tried to build it up with charcoal and conte.

The third piece turned out quite mask-like and slightly ethereal. I quite liked the finished product of this piece. It was similar to what I had hoped to achieve. I think I was able to convey some suffering and depict some of the cloudy feeling that I have. 

Overall I think the work is incomplete. I feel that the issues I was exploring have not yet been resolved. I hope to continue to investigate using myself as the model in the future.