Key words
self portrait; pastel
Questions to ask
Why do you think that an artist creates a self portrait? Is it because they want to flatter themselves, or are there other reasons?
How many self portraits might an artist create over a lifetime?
Study this image really hard for five seconds. Then look away and write down the first five words that come into your head.
How this might inspire your work
Try painting with pastels to create a self portrait. Look at yourself in a mirror, and write down three words to describe yourself. Try to create your self portrait in such as way that these words are communicated to the viewer.
Think about whether you will just picture your face and shoulders, or whether your portrait will be full length or half length. Some artists working with pastel create really interesting surface patterns by using boiling water to steam their pastels. The steam makes the pastel into a paste, which you can apply to paper with a palette knife, or a wash that can be applied with a brush.
Plan your work in pencil first, because pastels are hard to rub out. If you do need to rub out, try lifting the colour off the page with blue tac. Using your finger or a rubber will tend to smudge the work. Remember that when using pastels you work from dark to light, and that you can’t go over light colours with dark as this will make them murky and their crispness will be lost.
Self Portrait 1932, ink and pastel on paper by Augustus Spear (1911-1990).
Spear depicts himself half length in his studio staring intensely at the viewer. He wears a shirt, tie and waistcoat. Spear rests the sheet of paper he works on on the block he holds in his hands.
The artist drew this self portrait when he was 21 years old, at a time when he was a student at the Royal College of Art and first exhibited work at the Royal Academy. In the following years he would remain living in Hammersmith where he was born.
In 1948 Spear became a tutor at the Royal College of Art until his retirement in 1975 where he is recognised as having been a profound influence on the institution, possibly helped by his students Ron Kitaj, Frank Auerbach, David Hockney, and Peter Blake. Spear was elected RA in 1954 and awarded CBE in 1979.
There are these inscriptions on the exhibit:
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery collection, purchased by Sir William Rothenstein 1933
Image © reserved
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