It's a good thing I've committed to doing 100 of these. I can only get better, right? The first one I did for the series, Self-portrait Picking Weeds, was done from of photo of me working in our garden several weeks ago. It seems I spend a major part of my days doing this, so it's only appropriate to have as one of my portraits. My hair was a mess, half up, half fallen down. Wind blowing. You get the picture! 
After surfing the internet for hours on end, without doing any sketching whatsoever, it being very late and time for bed, I finally decided I should at least do one drawing before bed. So, I did a very, very quick self-portrait with my Pentel pocket brush pen. Not being warmed up, nothing went quite right. It's on some cheap printer paper. Added watercolor the next day. The watercolor was very difficult; nothing wanted to stay wet long enough to make decent washes. Though the resemblance isn't all that strong, I do like it. It is looser than my usual work.
Very nice, Raena! I had to laugh about hair. I need to do that, myself. Windblown hair made me think of the mother on the tv program, "My Family". Lordy, when I watch that program, I just want to comb that woman's hair! LOL (It's on Houston PBS on Saturday nights, about 7:30 p.m.) Our hair looks great, compared to her's. I realize, that may have been the style when the program was made, but, I'm just sayin.......:)
ReplyDeleteI really love your self portrait! Sometimes the things you do really quick turn out the best! And the haircut looks nice :)
ReplyDeleteLove what you have been doing with the portraits. I will be busy for a while, but will try to drop in to see how this is going as I have time.
ReplyDeleteBoth of these are wonderful Raena! I like the sense of movement in your first one- your hair is very appropriate to the activity. I love the looseness in the second portrait and never would have known you found any of the process not quite right.
ReplyDeleteGreat work as always!
Fantastic self portraits! That second one really captures your end of the day mood. I love it! What a great project!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a wonderful project Raena.. I loved both your pictures.. I agree with you Internet is such a time stealer.. Sometimes I imagine myself as an addict wanting a shot of the 'Net'.. can spent hours on it.. and then feel miserable on how much I could have done without it!! :) :)
ReplyDeleteBtw, I liked the way you drew the hair in the first one!
I like both of these. The stance is perfect in "Picking Weeds" (hard to do) and the late night portrait is outstanding.
ReplyDeleteGreat start on your 100 self-portraits. I like them both, although as hwfarber just said the picking weeds position is perfect.
ReplyDeleteLove both of them! The weed picking one looks really dynamic, it has this "caught in the moment" kind of thing! Also, proportions etc are perfect and you really look as if you were putting all your attention and heart into picking that weed! :)
ReplyDeleteThe second is great, too. I like its looseness a lot. It looks perfect and charming just as it is!
And you made me chuckle about the hair issue... Totally feel you. (Just made an agreement with a friend to swap massage against haircut and hope we'll find the time to do it SOON!) :D
Great start! Can't wait to follow along with you!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the others; BOTH sketches are great! I can even feel an aching back coming on with that first one!
ReplyDeleteThese are awesome portraits! If I did this well, I would be thinking that I had arrived. Keep up the good work. Feel free to send me an email at mommaninja1956@gmail.com and I will send you an invite to be a coauthor of 100king to Improve. Then you can post your pictures there too. (If you want to)
ReplyDeleteyour work is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI love both of the self portraits and btw, you look much better than I do when picking weeds. That's funny that you realized you needed a haircut when you started doing self portraits!
ReplyDeleteLovely Raena - what a fantastic start to your project! It may not be a likeness, but I really like the mood you have captured in the second one.
ReplyDeletevery nice drawings of yourself really. 100 of them huh? =) Knowing me being me, I'd give up after 1 and a half...hahahahaha. I don't know Raena, I am just the type who doesn't like to sketch/draw the same thing twice. That's who I am right now anyway, maybe someday I'll be drawing the same thing over and over again(something like a curse maybe)
ReplyDeleteBut your lifestyle kinda sounds like mine for now too, getting distracted by surfing the net and watching youtube videos, and commenting everyone else's drawings, and not drawing your own...hahahahah. Anyway, I hope everything goes better and wish you a great success in your 100 drawings project!
I like them both very much! Good work. nancy
ReplyDeleteI love your line work on the first one, it's awesome. And the second one looks great, it's very expressive, and then, you remind me of a person I like very much, in it, so I can only like it : ) !
ReplyDeleteI think this is a wonderful project, and you are off to a great start! A self-portrait weeding - how creative! Very well done sketch. Never would have thought of that (of course, I avoid weeding like the plague). The second one - if this is not a good likeness I know someone this looks an awfully lot like. I think this is going to be fun, seeing you in many different forms as time goes on, guessing which ones are closer to the real you, and then seeing you emerge as you progress and get better and better.
ReplyDelete(pssst - I finally seem to have emerged from this tunnel I've been in, so think that maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to finally work on the 2'n-fro page this wkend. Fingers are crossed..)
These are great - the last one is my favorite - it's expressive and free. Great job! I can't wait to see the other 98!
ReplyDeleteRaena, tremendous self portraits. I particularly like your weeds one. Strong , confident lines and great cross hatching.
ReplyDeleteExcellent idea and a very good start indeed with these two portraits ! I admire you for facing such a challenge! I'm a bit like Alex and I know I wouldn't be able to face 100 skethes .. particularly SELF portraits ( I have enough with seeing the same face every day !! ):oD
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see the next ones !
I love your work! Beautifully loose and full of character. And thanks for your comment on my blog!
ReplyDeletegreat self portraits, I like the one with you gardening.
ReplyDeleteThese are great self portraits! The weeding one has such life to it and i like the loose feel of the last one.
ReplyDeleteI really know what you mean about the internet stealing time. I just get on to comment on blogs then I get carried away and hours have passed and I haven't touched pencil or paper for my own drawings...
Terrific job on both of these. I can't wait to see the rest!
ReplyDeleteI like it too!
ReplyDeleteThese are really fantastic! I would be so pleased with these!
ReplyDeleteRaena, I love the second pose. That's exactly how I feel when I spend too long at the computer (glazed over eyes) or first thing in the morning. I admire your challenge in 100 self-portraits. You're off to a great start.
ReplyDeleteYou are so talented. I am so thankful I found your site. Thank you for your inspiration.
ReplyDelete