For the final part of my project I intend to explore different ways in which a mirror can show reflection in a portrait in order to see the effects it has on the overall composition of the piece. 

I was initially interested in looking at how a mirror has the ability to distort a portrait as the first part of my project focussed on distortion. However from researching artists who look at reflection I decided to look at more than just distortion within reflection. I wanted to look at meaning, identity and the idea that a reflection has the power to tell us more. 

I have been inspired by many artists throughout this project and intend to show this influence within my own work. I intend to look particularly at both Jenny Saville’s and Degas’ drawing style who both explore expressive marks within their drawings and who both introduce subtle elements of colour that build upon tone and depth. 

Through my work I want to develop my own style of drawing that uses expressive marks and subtle elements of colour. I intend to show depth effectively by focussing on tone and perspective and I will strive for accuracy of proportions when it comes to drawing facial features and body parts. I also intend to experiment with different compositions within my work in order to be able to make an informed decision about my final piece. 

For inspiration I started the final part of my project by creating an image board of all of the artwork I have looked at so far.

In order to start thinking about composition and perspective I took some photographs of my husband Rob looking into a mirror. I thought about angle and light and I tried to make the compositions as interesting as possible. 

When drawing from these photographs I wanted to think about composition and how I could make my compositions exciting. I wanted to balance the elements in my drawings and think about how the negative space would contrast with the drawings of my figures. I also wanted to experiment with expressive line and just a touch of colour drawing inspiration from Jenny Saville’s ‘Reflective flesh study’ and Degas’ ‘A standing Dancer, hands behind her back’. Even though these are two completely different images with completely different subject matters, the simple drawing style using charcoal to show line with just a touch of colour really inspired me. 

Compositionally these drawings are mixed, but this was a great exercise in allowing me to start thinking about composition. I worked quickly and I used black pen, a graphite stick and watercolour paint. The black pen allowed me to experiment with mark making and line and I used the paint and graphite stick to hint at an element of tone and depth. 

I spent about two minutes each on these drawings. 

In order to give me time to experiment more with composition and technique, I completed a slightly longer drawing (about 15 minutes) using the same materials with the exception of adding in some yellow paint. 

What I like mostly about this composition is because of the angle of the mirror I appeared in the background taking the photograph with my phone and I appeared upside down. This is one of the really interesting things about looking a reflection. If someone was to observe us in real life they would see me in my kitchen standing behind my husband taking a photo with my phone. However the second a mirror is introduced the scene is altered or distorted completely. Instead of standing behind him I am shown reflected upside down! 

The other exciting thing about using a mirror is the angle of the image it reflects. My husband had positioned the mirror at an angle below his chin therefore the reflection looking back up at him was not the reflection that he likes to identify with. His face was distorted by gravity and he was given some extra chins, this was in his opinion a very unflattering reflection. 

Even though this is a regular mirror the portrait was still distorted. It really made me think of Duane Michals work on distorted mirrors, and not knowing the reflection you will get depending on the slight tilt or angle of the mirror. 

I wanted to experiment further with composition and try out some new poses with both my model and the use of the mirror. This time I experimented with two mirrors and I used my five year old son Teddy as my model. I asked Teddy to stand in front of the mirror holding a second mirror in his hands. I decided this time to experiment with a black biro.

I was pleased with the composition of this drawing and found the use of two mirrors really exciting. Not only did the mirror distort Teddy’s face by cutting it across his eyebrows but by using two mirrors the viewer is allowed to see Teddy from every angle. Thus allowing the viewer to gain a more intimate knowledge of Teddy. 

With regard to my drawing style, I am pleased that I have managed to capture Teddy. I have however made Teddy wider and shorter than he actually is. I also struggled with tonal work on Teddy’s reflected jumper. I worked and re worked it but in the end it still just looked wrong. One of the main problems with using a biro was I couldn’t alter the mistakes I made. 

I wanted to go back to exploring a more expressive use of line whilst adding a touch of colour for my next drawing, however I wanted to experiment with making it a bit different.  I drew Teddy again, this time I laid down a patterned background from the inside of an old envelope. I worked again with biro but I also worked with charcoal and blue and white watercolor paint. I again wanted to experiment with Degas’ and Saville’s style of adding just a hint of colour. 

I love the composition of this piece and how the use of mirrors show Teddy’s reflection multiple times, this allows my two dimensional drawing to become three dimensional and again shows more of Teddy then maybe a traditional portrait that doesn’t use reflection would do. 

There are some areas of my drawing which need some more attention, his thumb holding the mirror for example has not been observed very well, it looks more like a banana than a thumb. 

I do like my use of background paper on my drawing, I think the pattern on it adds to my drawing by adding to the tone and depth of the piece. 

For my next drawing I wanted to again experiment with composition and new ways of using the mirror to show reflection. This time I drew myself. I placed my large rectangular mirror down on a table and on top of that mirror I placed two small circular mirrors, I then looked down towards my reflection. 

I worked with a mixture of materials, including a black biro, oils pastels and charcoal. I worked heavier and darker this time with my charcoal. 

Whilst working on the piece, I thought it was terrible! I couldn’t seem to get anything right and all of my proportions seemed off. However once I’d finished I realised it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was. 

I like the composition of the piece and the way my face is reflected from a different angle in each mirror. I like the texture in my jumper, and even though I don’t like the look of my double chins, I like the way the angle distorts my face and alters the image of what I identify myself with. This angle that causes a distortion to my face reminds me of the work of both Wes Namen and Rut Mackel who both purposely distorted their work with glass and tape. I have used a much subtler approach of distortion, that can probably be argued is not actually distortion at all, but is instead just an alteration of the face I identify with.

I think the mix of materials I used was successful and I think if I had drawn the proportions of my face correctly to start with, this could have been a far more effective drawing.  my features are all in slightly in the wrong places and they are all a bit wonky looking. My eyes are wrong and even though I did try to fix them I ultimately decided to leave it and start again with a new drawing as ‘fixing’ them was just layering charcoal upon charcoal and it was not working. 

I have through this drawing really learnt about the importance of getting the facial features correct in the first place. That if these are not blocked out perfectly to start with then the drawing ultimately is not going to be successful. 

For my next drawing I wanted to experiment more with Degas’ drawing style whilst continuing to explore the use of mirrors and reflection in composition.  This time I drew my youngest son Bertie who is still a baby at just one. I again positioned a small circular mirror on top of my larger rectangle mirror. He just crawled over the mirror and wouldn’t allow me to pose him. But I did manage to capture some interesting compositions. 

I wanted to continue taking inspiration from Degas in the way that I worked, this time looking at Degas’ ‘Three studies of a dancer’

I decided to create a background first rather than just work on white paper in order to reflect Degas colour scheme in ‘Three studies of a dancer’ and I hoped it might make my drawing more interesting than just working on a white page. I worked with a graphite stick, biro and white and blue oil pastel. 

Overall I was pleased with this drawing. I used the oil pastels to try to highlight the light and reflections in the mirror and I think this worked. I am pleased with my use of shape and proportion, I do feel as though I have managed to capture not only the way Bertie looks but his personality too. I like the way the small circular mirror was drawn from such an angle that it not only distorted the shape of the mirror but of the reflection also. I am also pleased with the compositional style of using the circular mirror on top of the rectangular mirror. 

I decided to be more experimental for my next drawing as I felt my work was starting to look a bit the same. I worked on an old piece of cardboard and I used charcoal and chalk. I drew inspiration from Degas’ the mirror room and this time decided not to add any colour. I also decided to keep my black lines simple like Degas in this piece. 

This time I drew Rob holding the small circular mirror in his hand, looking into it. I really like the composition of the piece, with the hand holding the face, however I am not  pleased with the actual drawing. I don’t think working on such an uneven surface helped my drawing, this is something I have experimented with again and again and I can never get it to quite work. I also think I have drawn robs fingers too wide which makes his hands look unrealistic. I feel like my tonal work looks a bit cartoony, maybe this is because of heavy outlines? I felt like my drawing was looking a bit flat so added some chalk to show some lighter tones. I am not convinced though that this actually helped. 

I am however quite pleased with some elements, I like how the circular mirror has distorted and made the beams above Robs Head round. I am also fairly pleased with my efforts on Robs face, whilst not perfect I do feel like I have captured his likeness and his face doesn’t look as cartoony as the rest of the drawing seems to look. Even though  the mirror is not a convex mirror like Eschers or David’s the circular shape of the mirror still appears to distort Robs head and background. 

I think if I was to do this drawing again, I would work on a flat surface and use Eschers ‘Hand with a reflecting sphere’ as inspiration for how a hand should be drawn.

ARTIST STATEMENT

The Exploration of how the mirror can be used in portraiture. 

To conclude part 5 I will produce a final drawing that brings together my research and exploration throughout this project. 

I started my project looking at distortion and how distorting a portrait can explore identity. This led me to look at the role reflection can have in both distorting a portrait and exploring the sitters identity by allowing the viewer to see different versions of the sitter and their surroundings. 

Throughout my exploration of reflection I have researched and experimented with different ways in which a mirror can show reflection in a portrait and I have looked at the various artistic effects of reflection in different compositions. 

After culminating my research, exploration, experimentation of different techniques, preliminary studies and compositional ideas together, I had a good idea of where I wanted to go for my final piece. 

My aim for my drawing was to create a portrait that uses a mixture of mirrors to show reflection in a way that allows the viewer to see more of the sitter. 

In my final drawing I wanted to focus on scale. Large drawings have always been a challenge for me, I am far more comfortable drawing on a small scale. Therefore I decided I wanted to challenge myself by completing a large scale drawing. 

Not only was it important that my drawing was large in scale but it was vital that my drawing included all of the different elements that make a drawing successful. For example I wanted my drawing to show depth by using tone effectively and I wanted to show perspective through the use of foreshortening. I wanted my drawing to have an exciting composition that balances both drawn elements and negative space. And most importantly I wanted my drawing to be accurate. I wanted my proportions to be correct and for my portrait to look like the person I was drawing. 

I have been inspired by many artists throughout this project and intend to show this influence within my own work. Throughout most of my reflection drawings and experimentations I have drawn inspiration from the drawings of both Saville and Degas. In particular their expressive use of line and their small elements of colour that build upon tone and depth. This was a technique I was keen to develop further into my final drawing. I also wanted to draw inspiration from the drawings of Da Vinci. The precision and tonal qualities to his portraits are in my opinion, exquisite.  

For practical reasons I decided to draw myself for my final drawing rather than one of my family members. 

In order to start planning my composition I started by taking photographs. I decided to work outside because the light was better. 

For my final composition, I decided to draw myself looking down towards a large rectangular mirror that was placed on the grass with two small circular mirrors on top. Whilst looking down, gravity brought the skin of my face downwards. This is in my opinion an unflattering angle, but I like how it distorts my face and it forces me to question my vanity which in turn makes me question my identity. 

I also like how the small circular mirrors reflect different parts of my reflection, which again distorts my overall reflection. 

I completed a quick a4 drawing to map out the layout to check that the composition worked. I drew quickly and used a mixture of biro, oils pastels and charcoal. 

I was pleased with my composition and felt like my materials worked well together. However I did feel like there were some elements of accuracy that needed addressing in particular the facial features namely the nose and eyes. 

Now I had my composition planned, my next step was to experiment with different materials and drawing techniques in order to understand the best approach for my final drawing.

I started with the face. I worked with charcoal and I tried to block out the basic shapes first. Once I was happy with my basic shapes and tones, I added some watercolour pastels. Whilst my use of shape and form on my face was not perfect, including my eyes looking in different directions, I felt like the charcoal and pastels complimented each other well.

I then experimented with drawing my hand. Due to foreshortening my hand takes up a large proportion of my drawing. Hands are something I have struggled with drawing throughout this course so it was essential I practiced first. 

I experimented with laying down a patterned background, as this has been effective in some of my past experiments. I then worked on top of my drawing with charcoal and watercolour pastels. Ultimately I am not pleased with these drawings. My tonal work is clumsy which in turn makes my drawing look flat. For my final drawing I need to be more sensitive in my approach to  using tone in order to create form effectively. I also won’t be using textured paper as a background for my final piece of work as this didn’t work in this experiment. 

As my hand experiments were unsuccessful I decided to practice drawing my hand that was reflected in my small circular mirror. This was an added challenge as my hand was slightly distorted by the mirror. I again used charcoal and pastels. 

When reflecting upon this drawing my tonal work was far too heavy, this in turn didn’t show form successfully. For my final piece it is important that I use more white areas and slowly build up elements of tone in order to show light and form effectively. 

I also drew my circular mirror wonky, this really effects the overall drawing so I need to make sure I draw this accurately in my final piece. 

One of the other things I did not draw well in this drawing was my cardigan sleeve and it’s knitted woollen texture. So naturally my next step was to experiment with this pattern,

I worked with a biro, then added watercolour on top. Whilst I did manage to draw the pattern what I didn’t do was show its shape or form by using tone. 

It was then time to start my final drawing. Through experimentation I had a better idea of my challenges ahead and techniques I didn’t want to use. 

I wanted to challenge myself by working on a large scale as previously my larger drawings have been less successful than my smaller ones. 

I started my drawing using charcoal, and immediately regretted making things so complicated for myself with regard to the composition. I straight away felt like I would have been more successful if I had of just concentrated on one part of myself, for example my face.

I didn’t feel like my drawing was finished after just using charcoal. So I tried to add some depth by adding colour.  I used some very watery watercolour and tried to build up more tones.

When looking closely at my photograph I noticed lots of tiny white flecks, I am not sure if this is dust reflected from my phone onto my mirror or what it is? But I felt like it needed to be included in my drawing? 

I added a few little specks of white ink and a tiny bit of black ink and I think this worked really well.

I was pleased with this result so I added more. Unfortunately I went too far and feel like I have now ruined my work as I can not take it back! 

 

The other areas I needed to work on were

1) My reflected face, my tonal work made my face look droopy, so I needed to fix it, using a rubber and some more charcoal. 

2) I also needed to work on the the light and tone on my nose as the position of the light made my nose look wonky.

3) I found all of the hands difficult, and I am not especially pleased with any of them. I found I spent a lot of time working and reworking them. 

4) The eye and lip areas.

Below are some of the very subtle improvements I went through to get to my final result.

Below is my final piece. 

I am pleased that I managed to work on such a large scale as this is something I have found challenging throughout the course.  I feel I have achieved the things I have set out to do with regard to reflection. I have shown how reflection can be shown in a portrait. I have been inspired by a number of different artists who have looked at both reflection and distortion who each in turn have helped me to reach my final destination. In particularly Saville and Degas whose drawing style greatly influenced the way in which I worked. 

I have managed to show depth by using tone effectively and I have managed to show perspective by using foreshortening. My drawing is accurate in the sense that it looks like me. My features show the correct proportions and appear to be in the correct places. 

My drawing however is not perfect and I understand I still have a way to go, however over the duration of the course I do feel like my drawing skills have progressed significantly. 

Throughout this project I have been interested in looking at distortion and how a reflection has the ability to distort a portrait. However through research and from the development of my own project and body of work, I have come to the realisation that rather than distorting a portrait, a reflection has the ability to show more of the sitter by showing different angles and viewpoints. These different angles and viewpoints have the ability to challenge identity and allow the viewer to view the sitter in ways the sitter may not be familiar with themselves. Hence creating a form of intimacy between the viewer and sitter.