Self-portrait assignment, review of last year and progression

1. Summer Project
Review
SINUO GUO

2. National Portrait Gallery
My main interest was in the 20th
Century, contemporary displays and
BP Awards as I found these
contemporary portraits far more
varied in terms of style and meaning.
Although the traditional portraits
were technically crafted, I wanted to
sway away from realism and go out of
my comfort zone, experimenting with
a contemporary style. I also wanted to
explore different colour scheme that
may not necessarily represent the
‘real’ colours.
I was particularly
intrigued by portraits that
had some deeper
meaning to them or the
ones that used a unique
technique, e.g. unusual
brushwork or mark
making. Most of these
portraits are very vibrant,
with a visual style.

3. Initial Sources
Oskar Kokoschka
Self Portrait - 1965 Henry Cooper
William Redgrave 1969
I’ve started with line/tonal drawings,
looking at the form, mark making
and the effect of the works.
Kokoschaka’s self portrait conveys a
sense of ‘power’ and ‘seriousness,
with the lower angle of perspective
making him appear intimidating and
important. It’s also suggested with
the straight and firm lines that look
very confident and definite, perhaps
reflecting the artist’s character.
Redgave’s sculpture provides a more detailed interpretation of
the face, more realistic approach. I also enjoy drawing from a
sculpture as it’s 3-dimensional, providing an additional
perspective, which highlights the tones and contrasting areas. I
made a tonal drawing, emphasising the highlights and contours
on the face, capturing the intense expression.

4. Initial Sources
Girl in a Liberty
Dress – Clara
Drummond
(2016)
BP Awards 2016
1st Prize
I chose this painting because it was the
winning entry of BP awards and its style is
quite unusual. It didn’t impress me at first but
when I looked at it in more detail, it was quite
intriguing to see the subtlety of the lines and
the colour scheme that gives it a ‘vintage’ feel,
matching the theme of the painting. The girl’s
expression is also enigmatic and draws the
viewer in.
This was another unique
portrait, commissioned as
part of the 1st prize of BP
awards 2001. It’s an oil on
board construction, with a
strong sense of space and
perspective. I wanted to make
of study of something that
incorporated a spatial
relationship to the subject, in
addition to the 2-dimensial
works I’ve looked into. The
composition is also intriguing
and the artist observed J.K.
Rowling during a period of
time, setting her at the table,
suggesting the setting where
she wrote her first novel.
She’s presented both as a writer as well as a mother – with the
eggs representing her three children. The surrounding space is
almost surreal and carries a sense of distortion. This could
reflect Rowling’s ‘own’ world of fantasy, creating a sense of
enigma. Positioning her in the corner, makes her look almost
‘trapped’ physically but the window on the side creates a sense
of ‘escape’, perhaps to her thoughts. It also suggests a passage
of time and illusionism that resonates with the Harry Potter
stories. This portrait is effective as it comes across very personal
and is more than just a ‘physical’ portrait of the author but
holds deeper meanings.
J.K. Rowling (2005) – Stuart Pearson Wright

5. Laurence Stephen ('L.S.') Lowry (oil on canvas, 1938)
This self-portrait was painted in 1938 by Laurence Stephen Lowry (1887-1976) during the
year that his mother was dying, with the artist’s intense emotions expressed in the painting.
The composition of the portrait orientation with a full face view and eye-level angle makes
the portrait. This is further suggested by its symmetrical composition with the subject
touching the edges of the frame, creating a close-up relationship with the viewer. The
serious, formal feel of the portrait we get from its composition most likely reflects the
artist’s deep emotions during that difficult time of his life.
The area above the eyes is also outlined boldly, with the structure of the nose grouped into
three outlined shapes, creating a slightly depicted representation. The influences of art deco
and expressionism in terms of the colours conveys a sense of depression and grief, most
likely reflecting Lowry’s feelings at the time. This is intensified with the wide-open eyes,
bright red colour in the corner of the eyes and black, harsh outlines – suggesting fatigue
and pain
Main colours of Lowry’s
palette. He used a very
basic range of colours,
which were often: ivory,
black, vermilion red,
Prussian blue, yellow
ochre, flake white, with
no medium.

6. Sir William Turner Walton – Michael Ayrton
I’ve also made a study of Michael Ayrton’s portrait of Sir William
Turner Walton – an English composer, known for his orchestral
music. It’s a large oil painting, painted in 1948. I was intrigued by
the unique style of the portrait, combining a realistic and traditional
approach with a more contemporary style, reflecting some
influences of the surrealism movement. Although the imagery isn’t
as ‘exaggerated’ and absurd as the themes in surrealistic paintings,
however I do see a resemblance in terms of the ‘dreamy’ colour
scheme – use of tones that don’t accurately reflect the subject in
real life. This is reinforced with the exaggerated brush strokes and
shading of the creases on the subject’s clothing.
The effect of the painting on the whole is quite dream –like, with an unusual setting and
background. I interpreted the painting as a reflection of Sir William Turner’s career and
personality. The dream-like state could be tied with musical ideas as the dynamic
brushstrokes create a strong sense of flow and movement, suggesting musical notes and
sound. The block-shaped brush strokes on the mountains create a contrasting
background as they perhaps represent varied rhythms, contradicting with the ‘flowy’ and
more elegant brushstrokes on his clothing.

7. Initial Line Drawings
Initially, I started out with simple pencil line drawings from mainly front angles of my face from
direct observation. In the first two drawings, there’s visible mistakes in proportion and
perspective, however there’s clear improvement in the last two drawings which are much more
balanced and proportional. I experimented with different expressions as these two drawings
appear quite serious and ‘tense’ .
In the 3rd drawing I’ve kept
a more neutral face and
used a straight angle,
without tilting my head. It
appears more formal but
I’ve found that the
drawings worked best at a
slight angle as it adds a
sense of perspective and
question to the portrait.
Hence in my final drawing
I’ve used a slight angle with
direct eye contact, creating
a connection with the
viewer. I’ve also added a bit
of tone to see what a more
developed version of the
drawing would look like.

8. Compositional Drawings
Next, I’ve done four compositional drawings, closer to the final portrait, using the ratio of my A4 canvas. I’ve experimented slightly more
with pose and angles but kept it relatively simple as it was quite challenging to draw from direct observation while holding a certain
expression. I’ve used 2B and 4B graphite sticks for the drawings as they’re quick to work with, achieving a ‘sketchy’ feel and quick tone. The
first drawing tries to convey a deeper meaning of being two-faced, or having two types of personalities. However I felt that the ‘message’
was too direct and I wanted to try for something more subtle, making it more intriguing to look at. The 2nd drawing appears quite mundane
and neutral but I’ve found that placing it at one side, leaving more space on the other, creates a subtle sense of imbalance and asymmetry.
This could be developed into a greater contrast in the background, creating a greater sense of perspective. The last two drawings are less
accurate proportionally as it was more challenging without direct eye contact but I aimed for something more striking in the expression and
pose. I’ve also added some of the background, creating a sense of depth in the image.

9. Colour Experiments
In these initial colour experiments, I didn’t put much emphasis on
the level of accuracy and proportion, focusing more on the style
and colour scheme. The first painting was inspired by Lowry’s dark ,
contrasting colours, bringing the subject forward . However, it
comes across quite mundane as I didn’t exaggerate the lines or the
tones, with an overall ‘flat’ image. Then I moved on to a black/grey
colour scheme, with the aim to create a greater contrast and slowly
move away from the realistic approach. I feel that the colour
scheme worked more effectively as it added an enigmatic feel to it,
with dry brush marks in the background, contradicting the
smoother brushstrokes on the portrait.
To break away from the more ‘realistic’ style, I’ve decided to
use geometry-like shading, dividing the portrait into
sections of solid colours, varying tones. I developed this
idea from Ayrton’s painting where he the separate tones are
quite distinct and exaggerated. This would add a sense of
dimension to the face, and colour variety. The unfinished
experiment is in greyish colour scheme, which works fairly
well but I thought in order to really express the separate
sections, a coloured version would work more effectively

10. Final Portrait
I’ve started my final portrait with a pencil
outline, dividing the individual blocks of
colours. I’ve used the angle from the last
final line drawing as it had a subtle tilt and
moved it to the left side of the canvas,
leaving more space on the right side to
create that sense of imbalance.
I painted the face first as it was the most difficult, using different tones with such a sudden change in between
the sections so I had to make it quite subtle but at the same time, noticeable. I exaggerated some highlights on
the forehead and nose, darker areas next to the eyes. This really gave a sense of dimension to the face, while
not clashing too much as I kept it in the colour scheme and used a darker brown, avoiding black which could
contrast too much. I’ve used a light blue on the background to push the subject forward, with a sense of
emptiness as the canvas is quite small and I didn’t want it to look ‘over crowded’. I’ve used a vibrant colour
palette, with a mix of pastel tones and a brighter pink on the clothes to contrast the background. There’s a
deliberate ‘brighter’ area under the left eye drawing the attention to that area. Again, this creates a sense of
asymmetry and expectancy. The final outcome portrays my personality as a perfectionist, through the precise
edges of the shapes. The illustrative style also represents my preferred pathway – graphic design.

11. Review of last year’s work
Last year was a challenging, yet rewarding
experience. I got to explore a range of art
& design disciplines, gaining a range of
skills. I also have a deeper understanding
of the contextual side of art & design and
have confirmed my preferred
pathway/design area that I would like to
focus on, starting this year.

12. The Equivalents project was a good starting point for
me, as I refined my visual recording skills. Exploring a
range of observational drawing and mark making
using different techniques and materials.
The Tate Assignment was the most challenging project for me,
in terms of workload. However, it was an enjoyable process as
I’m passionate about graphic design and it was my first
opportunity to really start exploring it. It was also my first time
using digital softwares for my final outcomes.
The Kew Gardens Assignment was
possibly my most successful
project as I’ve developed a range
of new skills through the model
making, for which I explored new
techniques and materials. I
developed my ideas thoroughly in
both sculpture and surface design
parts of the project. I also found
the surface design enjoyable as I
got to use screen-printing.
British Museum assignment was
the one I was most passionate
about as I could choose the
graphic design pathway. However,
I wasn’t as efficient with time
management and although I’m
happy with the final pieces , I
could have developed my ideas
more , producing more effective
designs.

13. Progression
My plans for the future haven’t changed throughout the year as I have
always had my mind set on studying Graphic Design. Although I was
kept an open mind towards other design areas, the varied project in year
1 confirmed my decision.
Attending a range of events and exhibitions have further inspired me to
go into the field, especially looking at graduates’ work at the New
Designers exhibition and D&AD. I’ve already made a start to planning
my progression by visiting a few universities and learning more about
the Graphic Design courses there: University of Edinburgh, Brighton,
Southampton, Loughborough and Leeds. I’ve found that the course
varies in every university and is taught in a slightly different approach,
e.g. Leeds has a more academic viewpoint and focuses a lot of theory of
design and principles, whereas Winchester School of Art
(Southampton)’s course is more practical and experimental.

14. I’ve also attended a talk in London Design Festival at V&A
about ‘Power of Packaging Design’, with successful
designers and strategists from design agencies like
Bulletproof and Pearlfisher discussed the purpose and
effect of packaging design, the way it has changed in the
current ‘digital’ world and its future directions.
In order to achieve my goal, I need to start working on my
portfolio and personal statement and carry out further
research of courses and their structure/content. I feel that I
need to focus on the graphics aspect more this year, while
still being experimental and using a variety of techniques
and materials.
Progression