At the end of September, inspired by artist Bill Creevy who was doing his own 30-day challenges, I challenged myself to do 30 self-portrait sketches in 30 days. And amazingly (to myself anyway), I did it!
Some days were easy and some days not so easy. Some days I made the time to do the sketch early in the day, some days I came screeching in just before the daily deadline. Most days I just picked up a pencil and got going. Then I decided to bring some charcoal in as I do love using it as a medium. There are also four colour pieces – two pastels, one with watercolour pencils that I wanted to try out, and one in acrylic using up left over paint I had on my palette.
They are all sketches ie, no measurements, no under sketch, no points marked out – I just started drawing.
Everyday, I posted a new one on my Facebook Page.
Most of the sketches were done in my studio using an 8 x 8 inch mirror. Some were done in the kitchen using a similar sized mirror on the wall, a couple were done using our small bathroom mirror, and a few were done using the mirror in the guest bedroom of my parent’s home. (A couple of times my Mum drew me drawing myself!)
Here are all of them except one which was done digitally on my phone (you can see it further below).
First, most of the pencil drawings (in no particular order):
Here are the charcoal ones, a couple of pencil ones and one done with a biro :
And the colour ones:
When I started, I thought, Can I do this? Can I produce a sketch of my face everyday? 30 days is a limit which meant I only had to commit to the challenge for 30 days, not an endless stream of self-portrait sketches stretching into the future, so I felt, Yes, I can do this.
And everyday, I got in front of the mirror and did something – sometimes only a contour drawing, sometimes a drawing fully shaded. If I did it in the morning, I could photograph and post it to Facebook that evening. If on the other hand I created the self-portrait in the afternoon, I’d have to wait until the next morning to photograph and post.
I often worried about how to create something new everyday, how could I make each one different? Well, as you can see, I really didn’t have to worry about that.
I also worried that the sketches wouldn’t look like me, and that the drawings might be awful. Well some are me, some not so me; some are terrific, some are, well, not so good.
I worried that I wouldn’t have a sketch to post everyday, that I wouldn’t be able to keep up. Well, I did …. but it was a struggle
Generally I was pleased and the most pleasing thing was doing something EVERY day. Every. Single. Day. The deadline meant I couldn’t not put pencil (or pen or charcoal or pastel) to paper. It forced me to succeed. Posting the challenge publicly (on Facebook) meant I had to succeed or have my ego battered.
Here’s the first one I did – not a bad way to start (but holy crow, I have wrinkles!):
The third day, I think I created a sketch that was really good. I still think it’s one of the best even though I have all that wrinkly flesh below my chin…:
Day five and I thought I’d try doing something different by getting further away. This only happened once!
On the eighth day, I decided I’d had it with pencil and jumped into colour. It was dark and rainy so I think this helped my mood. I had these Caran d’Ache watercolour crayons I’d rarely used so thought, What the heck, and experimented fairly successfully. It was a limited palette hence the purples!
After a couple of disappointing pencil drawings, I got out colour again, this time a very limited palette of pastels. The paper I was using really wasn’t designed to take pastels so I chose Holbein pastels. I set the mirror up on the window sash, and with the light coming straight in at me, this is what I came up with. At the time I thought, Hmmm, it’s okay, but it’s grown on me as time has passed.
The next day, I finally got into charcoal. For some reason, I am rather partial to this drawing even if I look rather grim (I wasn’t feeling grim…).
Well into the series now! It was suggested by Facebook commenters that I try a smiling pose. I picked up the gauntlet and did a couple. This was the first. Harder than you might think to keep that smile pasted on my face!
I decided to try a detailed contour drawing. Here’s the result. I rather like it.
Over on Salt Spring Island, visiting my Mum and Dad, I had the opportunity to work in front of the bedroom mirror. So much easier! Jane, one of my Facebook commenters said, “This is probably how we look to our computer monitors!” 🙂
The next one was done at our bathroom mirror – a really lovely light coming in. I was so pleased with the eye on the right, the way the light catches on my eyebrow and the lower lid. The light changed quickly so this was done speedily!
Desperate for something different, I tried a digital piece on my iphone. I definitely needed a stylus (pen for the computer) rather than using my finger. Absolutely no control!
Again wanted to do something different coming into the home stretch. In frustration, I pushed my glasses on top of my head and there was the pose!
On day 29 I had been painting in acrylics. With paint left on my palette, I thought I may as well challenge myself to use it up. I painted this portrait with no underdrawing: the days of scrutinizing my face paid off I think!
My final piece just had to be soft pastel. In the bathroom, the light was soft and my nose cast a bit of a shadow so I set up. In the middle of it all, my honey comes in and needs to shave! So I slip out, wait and wait, wondering if I can get back in the ‘zone’, and luckily, I do. I was pleasantly surprised at the result. I think it looks like me and is a pretty good sketch. A good way to end my challenge!
So, some of the things I learnt:
– There’s not just one me!
– It’s easy to commit to drawing every day but it’s not so easy to follow through.
– Having a deadline, and posting a self-imposed challenge publicly helps accomplish the goal. There were days when I looked forward to drawing, and others when I didn’t, but I did it regardless – I had something to prove after all.
– The practice of drawing is a worthy one. It’s work and it takes time to move forward and become accomplished. Draw everyday!
– You learn a lot by looking at the same thing every day, by drawing it everyday. You begin to see in a deeper, stiller way.
– I had a tendency to start a drawing with an eye, usually the one on the left side, and once I realized this, I tried starting with other areas. It took a lot of will and effort to do this and sometimes I just gave in. I wish I had recorded the ones I had started not with an eye!
– Looking at yourself every day, in a different way than you normally look at yourself, ie. you are really seeing yourself, is an interesting practice. You tend to believe you know what you look like but it’s not until you examine yourself and translate that into a drawing that you really begin to see yourself. It can be quite surprising what you find.
– I have always said that doing a self-portrait is excellent practice – I still believe that. I always thought that drawing yourself meant you can keep yourself still and you can look and look at yourself without making yourself uncomfortable. All true. But what I learnt that surprised me was that you cannot fully detach yourself from yourself the same way you can detach yourself from another model. You look out from your own eyes into your own eyes and so you can’t detach. Fascinating.
I am sure there is much else to say but I’ll leave it at that. I very much look forward to your comments. Were you surprised by anything I said about the process? Do you have questions about it? Have you done a self-portrait?
Thanks for spending time with me.
Until next time,
~ Gail
22 thoughts on “Self-portrait: 30 sketches in 30 days”
Thanks for taking the time to articulate some of what you learned, Gail. You spoke about what goes into making our goals a reality – nothing like declaring something publicly for sure! 🙂 I also really like how you say “Draw everyday!” That could become a mantra. Like “Journal everyday!” Or “Meditate everyday!” or “Exercise everyday!” I’m curious about more of your thoughts about why you would say that… Were there meditative benefits, for example? Nourishment derived from a “practice”? Some kind of journey into self-exploration (or even self-acceptance?). The book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain comes to mind. That book did a lot to encourage people to take up drawing. Taking up a simple practice like choosing one thing to draw everyday about – could be a lovely rallying call! Join Gail for the next 30 day challenge!!! 🙂
Hi Julia, Thanks for your comment! Yes to to the mantra idea. Let’s see, why would I say that? Well for me, I get easily distracted and I am a born procrastinator so just getting into the studio and doing the work rather than say, waiting for inspiration, is a fantastic thing. I mean, I want to be in the studio but seem to find ways to avoid it (that needs a whole blog unto itself). So I wouldn’t say meditative benefits but definitely nourishment from accomplishing something no matter what it looked like. And so maybe some self-acceptance there too.
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain was a seminal book for sure. I have taken elements from it for teaching people to draw. One day I will read the whole thing!
Love your idea of a rallying cry. I think I’ll use that!! Yes I will 🙂 THANKS!!
Well, you really succeeded with your perseverance “to the task” over the last month. Well done! And of course (to my old eyes) you saved the BEST for last. #30 is my favourite!……….Helen
Thanks Helen. It was certainly a task!
The last is my fav too 🙂
All stunning, Gail. A fascinating post. I’m glad you did a blog entry because I would have missed it on FB!
M.
Thanks so much Marla.
Yes, I know lots of my friends aren’t on FB and anyway, it was a nice way to wrap up the whole thing.
Congrats! Good for you, very successful. I attempted 30 B&W sketches in Oct and didn’t even get to 10. So mad at myself! LOL
The challenge is hard because there are other things you want and need to do and then with the added pressure to post it, it isn’t a 15 min or 30 min exercise anymore.
Thanks Susan!
I don’t think people realize how hard the challenge is but I know you do!!!
You can always give it another go. Get a buddy to do it with.
Hi Gail, you´ve inspired me! I´ve been thinking about doing something like this for years but I think it demands a lot of courage, I know it is not easy to commit to a project publicly. Congratulations! I will let you know if I decide to put this in practice someday!
Sandra how wonderful to have inspired you! And listen, there’s no better time to start than NOW. I encourage and support you whole-heartedly!!! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Hi Gail,
Two extremely difficult challenges first of all a self portrait and then the 30 day challenge.
I tried drawing a self portrait once, many years ago, I must try it again. I was at Langara college at the time with students who were 20 years younger than I was.
I found that people for the most part, didn’t capture their personalities but, instead, focused on their features. That is what I found interesting about your exercise. To my mind you didn’t capture your personality until the end. I saw your personality in #15, #28 and the last one. You certainly captured your likeness in all of the others.
What a wonderful job you did, you have inspired me to try it again, not 30 just one. I am not that brave.
Keep up the great work.
Cheers,
Bev
Hi Bev,
How very lovely to hear from you! And thank you for your kind comments.
You know already it was a challenge but oh such a good one. Doing any kind of portrait isn’t for the faint of heart and certainly a self-portrait fits right in there. But a del-portrait offers an opportunity like no other. So I urge and encourage you to give it a go. Put judgement aside as I did and then you find that even if it doesn’t look that great, there is some redeeming quality AND you’ve learnt something, both about the act of observation and drawing (or painting) and also about yourself. It’s an intimate activity that only you can experience.
Do give it a go and let me know what happens. Don’t put it off!!
Thanks again Bev for writing.
most of them don’t do you justice except #30 but then i’m probably prejudiced. jonathan
🙂
Thanks Jonathan
Just looked at this weeks Painters’s Life and I must say you really know how
to do a portrait..!!! Of course I have known that for a long time but what variation of faces, all or most really DO LOOK LIKE YOU…. A very interesting Blog ( is that what you call it ) ?
Well done.
Your Pa
Thanks so much Dad!!! 🙂
Hi Gail,
Andrea has sent out a link to your 30 self portraits in 30 days. I just wanted to say what a great job you have done. I loved looking at all of the work you did on them. The difference in looks you get is amazing, considering it is the same subject, you. I think they are all interesting, but I do have a favourite…#12 Vine Charcoal. I thought you really went deeper on that one. The lines are lovely and it is like I am seeing more complexity. Hope that makes sense?!? Great job!
Carolyn, thanks so much for your kind comments. I really like #12 too. Some thoughtfulness coming through.
I’m glad Andrea forwarded my post. Feel free to share with anyone else 🙂
Gail
Excellent to me you capture yourself in most but when you smile or half smile you are there its quite a discipline to commit for thirty days so be real proud look forward to seeing the original items
Hey Sandy, You’re right – I am pretty proud. I keep fudging about getting on with the next 30 day challenge because yes, it does take discipline!
Glad you like the self-portraits 🙂
Hi there Gail,
I’m an aspiring artist of some sort. Just a young’n trying to get into art college and as a part of that I am trying to get into doing little bits of regular artwork every day. So a few days ago, whilst in a bit of a huff due to my lack of options as to what to occupy myself with. I picked up my pen and did a quick 5 minute self portrait on a sticky note. Once I finished I thought that it would make a wonderful project to try and capture my daily mood over period of time as I suffer from depression and paranoia. Having had that idea, I went online only to come across your wonderful portraits. I must say that they have done nothing but inspire me even more! You are so talented, I can only aspire to gain talent like yours while in college!
Keep on keepin’ on!
Juliette
Juliette, how wonderful to hear from you. I love your idea of doing a 5-min self-portrait sketch! Try to commit to doing one everyday. Only 5 mins!
Thank you for your kind words. The most important thing you can do (and I think the most difficult) is to do some drawing every single day. It seems so simple to say that but wow can it be hard to achieve that one goal.
Good luck. Look forward to hearing from you again!
Gail