Some Kind of Wig - Self-portraits

Self portraiture in Wikipedia

This is my most recently finished drawing, finished today lol
It's based on this picture, that I took of myself, wearing the wig I meant to wear for "Drifter", but didn't in the end.
I like how the picture turned out, the facial expression and most of the lighting. I tried to ignore the light from the computer flash. Also, that wig is weird, it's like really bad plastic or something, or maybe it was on purpose that it looked so weird, because it's a witch wig.

So here's a couple of pictures of the process of the drawing and the end result will be last.
I don't know wether I consider it a self-portrait or not, I'm always really close to getting into a discussion with whoever about that. I guess, by definition it's a self portrait, but I also don't feel like it's me in the drawing. I have been the model for several of my drawings or paintings, but I don't call them self-portraits lol Like this one, I definitely don't call this one a self-portrait.
It's titled "Some Kind of Wig", it's 11 x 14 inches, pencil over paper and it's not for sale.


Finished:

Close up:


I really like the facial expression in the original picture and I like how it turned out in the drawing, there's a mixture of defiance and passivity in her face.

I'm working on a series of monochromatic paintings, where I only use one color in the painting and I'm working on making an individual art exhibit out of them. I presented the idea to this gallery and I'm waiting to see what they say about it, I'll keep you posted on that!

Remember that I have a page in Facebook that I update pretty often, you should like it and suggest it to all your friends! Link: Gabriela Handal Arte in Facebook

Thank you so much for reading <3

Drifter

Installation

I did my first installation/performance on February 3rd, titled "Drifter". The installation is part of a cultural and artistic event called ARTBLOCK, which is taking place in Panama for the second year; this ARTBLOCK, which was on February 3rd, was the first of three for this season.
For more information on the ARTBLOCK, here is a link to the group in Facebook: ARTBLOCK - Panamá
The theme for this ARTBLOCK was light, how each artist took that, that was their problem. SO, we had a meeting for the participating artists to be informed of this and to know each other, about a month and a half before the event took place, and a couple of days later, I though of what I was going to do, which is pretty much what you see in the pictures.

I used, white fabric, for the outfit and limiting the space on the floor, a white fabric that resembles organza for the outfit, white body and face paint and seven christmas lights. Two pieces of the white fabric where used to make a square on the floor, I originally wanted everything to be white, but a place like that wasn't found, so I AT LEAST needed the ground to be white and limited. The lights on the ground, were bunched up, like a snake when it coils, in order to make "islands", with the lights and the lights were not meant to be in any order or have symmetry.

The outfit, I didn't mean for it to be so asymmetric, but I made it myself lol I actually didn't really know what I wanted her to wear or if I wanted her to be almost naked. Or, rather, not naked, but like with a white body suit or something. Then I decided I wanted her to have a rectangle or white cloth covering her down to her thighs. I also wanted her to have long, black, straight, kind of stringy hair; but I ditched that, 'cuz it was TOO warm. I also wanted her to have black eyes, but I wasn't able to get black contacts for the night of the performance, and I was pretty sure my eyes would look dark enough, because I was wearing chalk white paint.

She was meant to be walking around the islands of lights, with no specific course. I decided on the title of the installation/performance a day or two before the ARTBLOCK actually took place. And I was going to get a girl to do it in the beginning, but everything was so vague about it, that I decided to just get myself in there; I wasn't going to be able to explain myself.
I walked in the installation for maybe two hours and a half and I was SO. TIRED. When I finished, my lower back hurt, my knees hurt, my Achilles' tendons hurt, my feet hurt and all I did was walk in that limited space.

I imagined her walking and walking and actually looking at some people, but with a really vacant stare and pretty emotionless face, no sign of recognition, sometimes looking behind them. Mostly just walking around the lights.
It was pretty difficult for me to start and "get into character". And it was still difficult, even after I'd been in the installation for a while, because if I saw a friend or something, I still smiled at them or waved.

SO, here are some of the pictures.

This next one my favorite picture





Here is a link to the album in my page, with many more pictures of my installation and a couple of pictures from the ARTBLOCK: Anything and Everything ARTBLOCK. And while you're at it, DO like my page! I'm really glad and proud, because it made it to one thousand likes last week! I hope that can be kept up and that the page can keep growing, so go ahead and suggest it to all of your friends with the suggest to friends button that is under the profile picture!
See you there and thank you for reading <3

Onyx

1. I finished my Alek Wek drawing and I'm pretty proud of myself.
I was seriously intimidated by this piece, because I don't think I'd ever drawn a black person before and because I felt like shading her was backwards from how it's usually done.

The picture that made me want to draw her. I'd heard of Alek Wek and seen her pictures and what not and I always have liked what she looks like, I LOVE how long her limbs are, I've always pictured her as a hunter and in my mind's eye, she runs across a savannah with a spear in her hand as she chases her prey. It reminds me a little bit of Janet Jackson's video "Together Again", there's a scene similar to that. There's a picture of her, that reminds me of a panther sitting on a branch resting.
I seriously LOVE how DARK her skin is, I can't get over that and it's one of the things that I really wanted to take advantage of in the drawing, make her look as black as possible.


Close up of same picture, for better reference of her face.
I don't consider her to be beautiful in the same way that I consider Milla to be beautiful, but I still love her features and her body <3

What I used for reference for her ear


From when I was first starting out the drawing


Just about to finish!


Finished piece! <3
Close up

Another close up, I seriously like how her ear turned out XD


I'm pretty proud of myself with how it turned out. It's a 3B pencil over paper, 9 x 12 inches and she's most definitely for sale at USD90.00.

2. Remember that I've added the share buttons at the bottom of each entry, so go ahead and share this entry on your twitter or Facebook!
Also, remember that I have Twitter now, just look for @gabrielahandal
AND, last but not least, remember my page in Facebook, like it so that you can always keep up to date with my work and DO suggest it to your friends with the share with friends link that is right under the profile picture. The more the merrier! Here's the link: Gabriela Handal Arte See you there! =D