Self Shape

 

When first reading about this assignment I had a very clear idea come to mind. I was going to draw a rectangle with a bunch of random shapes in the middle. But after I sketched my first idea out, I wasn't all too pleased. Something about the square shape didn't sit right with me as a representation of myself. After a couple more sketches that I ultimately threw away, I came up with this outline. I would describe it as a cross between a train, a dragon, and a bar of soap. I can not fully articulate why this shape spoke to me the most out of my other ones but I will try my hardest anyways. I like that it is wobbly and has some soft edges but some round ones as well. The reason I say it reminds me of a bar of soap is because it made me think of when you’re in the shower and you mould a bar of soap with your hands. Which, I think, describes me. I’m still a bit malleable but I’m learning what my shape is and it will eventually harden. 

My design choices were a bit more pointed than my shape reasoning. I think my choice of using a black pen over, say , a marker, was because it was easier to write freely and fluidly with a lightweight pen over a heavy marker. I chose to use construction paper over lined paper because I personally always believed that for art projects, construction paper looks nicer than lined. there is really no reason I chose yellow paper, really just I thought my design choices would show up best on a light paper. Now that I’m looking at my creation once more, I think it looks like a cave painting which makes me like it even more. The next step was to fill my lined creation with something that describes me. I tried looking for a shirt I didn't want to maybe add some texture/definition but unfortunately, here at school, my options were limited. I ended up settling on some construction paper my mom sent me in a care package I had yet to use at all. At least now I can tell her I’ve put it to good use. I cut a heart out for a couple reasons. The first being, it is definitely the easiest shape to cut out of paper. Second being that I thought if my shape is a representation of me, it needs to have a heart. I chose to use blue paper for the heart because blue is my favorite color. Looking back I can see how it might seem that it was a design choice in that I chose a blue heart to possibly represent sadness of something. But I am saying right now that is not the case. I am reminded of books I used to read in english class where the teacher would tell us to analyze the symbolism of the text and I regularly argued that the author very well could have just liked whales or something. That's a poor example. I digress, I chose to add the blue heart simply for the reasons I listed and nothing more. If you look back at the drawing you will also notice a random assortment of other cutout shapes from construction paper. The snippets I made were from construction paper that is red, green, and blue. My goal was to make the inside of my shape look chaotic. I wanted there to be no sense on the inside of my shape. I did this by scattering a multitude of different shapes. The paper represents how I tend to feel on the inside most of the time. As an adolescent I’m still trying to figure myself out and am a constant, crazy amount of thoughts and emotions. The paper clippings have no sense really which is what I was going for cause neither do my feelings or emotions.My final addition to my creation was splatter paint using nail polish. I paint my nails several times a week. I tend to get bored with my style so I like having something I can regularly change up. I chose the colors I tend to use most on myself and splatter painted them over the drawing. I also really like painting and doing art in my free time so this fun little addition still is important to who I am and what my picture represents. 

Overall, I can admit that the creation I made is a little ugly. But I am incredibly happy with what I ended up with because I truly feel like it's an accurate representation about how I see myself. As well as how I feel about myself. I hope my explanation of my art work helps you see how I see myself.