Draw or paint a self-portrait.

“Today I decided to break that boundary. I printed a photo of me on computer paper, then transferred the image onto my altered journal book. Also added scrap paper, Dollie, other images on the page. I get very excited at this stage as it is the beginning of mixed media fun!! I added gesso over the transferred image and then painted over it. It was the hardest face I’ve ever painted. I have to stop myself from “beautifying” my face and stay true to my face. Owning it. Accepting it.”

“For this painting, I took a photo of myself wearing a mask by using a mirror. Then I printed it out, sized it, covered the back of the paper with pastel, held it up to my painting surface, and used a pencil to go over the primary lines. Voila! A faint “sketch” of my face with the proportions all correct. Painting my eyes was not as difficult as I had imagined it might be. I think it was just one of those things that happens sometimes with painting. Occasionally I have to struggle and struggle to get what I want and occasionally it just comes. Mostly it’s somewhere in between. This one just came. I painted the rest of my face (mostly mask) and my crazy floating hair.”