‘Kathleen’ (2021), 210x297mm (A4)

‘Kathleen’ (2021) is the first digital art portrait I have illustrated. It depicts a woman facing straight on, in a blue jumper with a black backdrop.  The art piece is considered a contemporary study of human features rather than a self-portrait. 

The composition has considered elements that are included in the general characteristics found in western art. The composition provides the layout and structure of the artwork as well as it can also affect the way the subject is received or understood by the observer viewing the piece. The composition leads the eye of the observer through the image and emphasises the focal point.

The portrait is an artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are intended to play the loneliness and/or personality and even the mood of the person depicted. In this art piece, the subject is straight on focus, as if they're all in all of you are as if confronting the observer, possible in a challenge.  However, the use of the blue calms the hostility as the woman has been captured taking a selfie. This idea of self-portraiture can be expanded as the woman has the top of her head been cut off, and the short brown hair bob with full fringe is also redacted as we so often do with photo editing, especially the parts we dislike.

The age of the woman is indicated to be a millennial as the eyeshadow suggests the popular 1990s fashion statement, along with the early 2000s cobalt blue jumper hinting to the pop culture reference frequently associated with the film known as Devil wears Prada. The woman depicted in the art piece uses large shapes and black lines to convey the subject matter as in Cloisonnism. The subject is placed on a black backdrop as if to suggest floating in negative space, such as the internet.