Finished Self Portrait

Projects that force us to look deep inside ourselves really push me to hit home with whatever idea I’ve come up with. As soon as this project was assigned I knew exactly what art style I was going to use, and precisely the message I intended to convey with it. Many ideas with several different layers of meaning all make up this personal scene. I wanted to show many different aspects of my personality, and not just one. I decided I was going to convey the message that I never give up. If I am passionate and believe in something, quitting is never an option. Sticking to a plan the whole way to the end is something I take great pride in. The next part of me I tried to convey is my reliability. I am a very sympathetic person and not doing something someone has put trust in me for hurts me emotionally as much as them. These ideas jumbled into one picture were very hard to achieve.
A first look at my picture leaves the viewer very confused; it is only when deeply analyzed the real meanings reveal themselves. You can see me, but green, standing among barren hills in a night time landscape. In the background is a floating city skyline, and a too-close for comfort sun. Immediately you can tell many aspects of the picture are impossible, which can directly be related to surrealism. These surrealist values all really add up in the end to describe each of my personal traits. I am green because I am a zombie, and zombies are known in movies to never quit. Three missing limbs and zero teeth won’t stop them from persistently trying to reach their goal; your brains. This I felt was the perfect way to show how I never give up. Making myself a zombie wearing a suit also shows how I keep persistent to my goal while staying composed. Setbacks will not make me freak out or get angry, but push me harder towards finishing. The sun and city and supposed to tell the viewer that this scene is far in the future. I am still existent this far in the future because of my reliability. This shows that I have meaning to be where I am. This meaning stops me from letting down who ever it is still needs me to be here. All of the content in the picture has a deeper meaning, that isn’t seen on the outside. To fully understand me and who I am allows someone to fully understand what I was aiming for with this piece.

Surrealism has always been my favourite art style. The freedom to hold your art by no bounds, and follow zero rules allows you to do exactly what you imagine. I feel in many ways surrealism directly relates to my personality. I like to feel free to do as I please, no matter who thinks it’s un-proper or “wrong”. I do not like to be confined to a set of rules, but would rather make my own and do things the way Dawson would. I feel that this has been consistent throughout my whole life.
With many aspects in this picture one would question how to get them so perfect. So would I. The floating city could have more to it, such as detail or light, and same goes for the sky. I tired many times to add some sort of feel to the sky, but couldn’t accomplish this. Noise would make the sky too important in the picture and stars would add more un-wanted clutter around my head. This could have been achieved differently, but I stuck with a gradient to avoid too much trouble. I am very proud of the detailing done to make myself a zombie. The gory hole in my head and missing left hand really add feeling to my emotionless face. Without these added I am staring blankly at nothing, and my positioning almost feels out of place. I found this very successful. Overall I am really happy with this piece. The personal connection could be discussed for hours, and the sheer confusion of the content hits what I had been aiming for. Keep Chuggin’ will always hold that personal piece of me within it and looking onto this paper is the equivalent of looking into me.