I broke the routine today, and put on my photographer’s cap, to design the self portrait below. Placement of the image adds to the mood of the photograph, or in this case, the sketch.  The way I framed today’s self portrait gives the image a claustrophobic feeling.  This is a good way to convey the general feeling of living under in the environment of an uncontrolled pandemic.

The reference photo I took reminded me of a photo by documentary photography and film maker Eugene Richards (who taught a course I attended many years ago). This photo graced the cover of his work Below the Line.  I can’t deny I had the general idea of his photo design when I took my picture, but the feel of my picture is different than his. I think artists owe it to themselves to see as much artwork as they can. It helps to have a databank of images in one’s head if one is a visual artist.

Quarantine Portrait Series: Self Portrait, Pensive Mood
Pencil Sketch (with Charcoal)
9″x12″ 60# Drawing Paper