Documented Life Project Week 2 - A Selfie

For week two of he Documented Life Project, our task was to add a selfie. I tried the selfie thing taking a picture with my phone but I always seem to have an extra big head in each picture. Weird. So when I had to go get new passport pictures, I thought problem solved. At least in the passport photo the size of my head seemed more normal.

I didn't want to do a normal picture so I did my own thing.

I traced the picture on to a sheet of tracing paper, used carbon paper to transfer the image on to water color paper, then a light wash of gesso, Let dry.

Here I used caren d'ache watercolor crayons to lightly scribble color on, the smudged it all together.
Note about these crayons. They don't adhere well to the gesso. They spread very well but you would have to be careful of white spots. Next time I will use clear gesso. Let dry.

I gave myself some blue hair, and added some shadows with prisma colors. To add the black lines I used an ink waterproof pen. I tried to leave it alone until it all dried. The ink takes a while to dry especially since it is not being absorbed into the paper.

After cutting the image out, I stuck it onto scrapbook paper. By now I am thinking the picture does not look like me. But whatever, I'm having fun. Among my stash of "stuff" I found some old rub on's, and a 3D butterfly. Some gesso in a few spots will allow me to make a writing or doodling surface.

The finished product. Or is it? There is still enough space left to add more doodles or words or thoughts.

"A BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY". That is what I think I could describe my life to be so far. Many ups and downs and twists and turns but I don't think I would change a thing.