Robert Burns

Key words

stylised; monochrome

Questions to ask

Why do you think that this image lacks any objects or symbols to give us clues about Robert Burns?

Why do you think that the artist has chosen to depict a three quarter length image?

Does any part of the image stand out from the rest? What do you think the artist wants the viewer to focus on?

How this might inspire your work

Create a series of lino prints, which gives a similar effect to woodcut.
 
Draw a simple image of your face onto a lino block. Use lino cutters to cut out parts of the design, bearing in mind that the un-carved areas will be the ones to get printed. Use black ink on a brayer (roller) to ink up the block, and make four prints from your design on white paper.

After the ink has dried, work into the prints with a coloured pen. Think about the composition of your image, and choose a different feature to work on each time (eyes, mouth, hair and so on) so that the viewer’s attention is drawn to different features each time.