Black and white self-portrait.
I was 18, thus the incredibly self-conscious narcissism.
«ArtLung»
Joe Crawford makes things on the web. Contact
Geographic summary:
San Diego→Los Angeles→Philippines→New Orleans→San Diego→ Roanoke→Charlottesville→Los Angeles→San Diego→Moorpark→Roanoke
I think I did this in about 1989, but I’m not totally sure on that. Pen and ink, with watercolored. I think I must have been thinking about Jean “Moebius” Giraud’s work when I started.
I’m reminded again that watercolor is a heartless, well-nigh-impossible medium. Folks who can do it, even as hacks, have my respect.
The first self-portrait was executed in high school. I didn’t like high school. My appearance is anxious, as I no doubt was. The medium is marker on paper, and I watercolored on top of a photocopy of that marker drawing. It’s the first self portrait I ever made I was really happy with. It’s from 1986.
As the “Lung” portion of www.artlung.com indicates, I was once in medicine. This line drawing is from that era. I added color to the original drawing in 1999, using Photoshop. My appearance is serious, and maybe a bit weary. This is what I wore clinicals – a white lab coat. Clinicals take place in the hospital, actually carrying out health care tasks. It’s from 1991, and yes, I really did have a mustache like that. It is not a choice I would make again.
I only have this photo to show I made this illustration. I used to draw, sketch, and paint headshots of women all the time. It was a real habit for a while after high school. Most of that work was pretty much useless – but this is an image of one illustration I’m kicking myself over. I think it got damaged during a move and was unsalvageable. It was done with an odd combination of brush and india ink and charcoal. I like it a lot.
This is the first digital self portrait I ever did. An acquaintance was getting tattooed and my pal Erin took a picture of me in this biker vest – something I can’t imagine wearing otherwise, by the way. Anyway, I matted that to a postcard of some Italian Basilica (giving me a somewhat strange messianic look, I suppose). Note the use of my AOL address
Age 23.
I was dabbling with Micron Pigma .005 pens, an extremely cheap but fine-line pen I discovered a few years before. The style and attitude of this rendering I will leave the viewer to judge.
Color added digitally, 1999.