How to Make a Self-Portrait Like Picasso's Cubism
Pablo Picasso is one of the most well-known artists in history and is often associated with the art movement he was involved in creating: cubism. Cubism rejects the ideas of art movements that came before it, such as realistic portrayal of the subject and perspective. Instead, cubists paint using multiple, usually impossible vantage points to view an object. Human faces and figures are a common subject for cubist art. Imitating this style in a self-portrait can be a challenge because it uses multiple viewpoints and requires an abstract portrayal of yourself.
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Instructions
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Study cubist art. If possible, visit a museum that has Picasso's cubist art or the art of other cubists, such as Georges Braque. Becoming very familiar with the style is the best way to imitate it. In addition, try to find a cubist portrait that you like the look of and use it for a reference with your imitation.
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Draw a sketch for your portrait on a sheet of paper. Avoid imitating exactly what you see and instead imitate general shapes or even your feelings about shapes. Break up the shape of your face into angular, three-dimensional shapes. For instance, your nose could be a trapezoid. Avoid curves and circles as much as possible and use them only to emphasize parts of the picture. The shapes do not have to be physically possible in reality or even complete, finished shapes. Cubism emphasizes the flatness of the painting surface, so flat, two-dimensional shapes are also acceptable.
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Trace the image onto your canvas.
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Mix your colors on the palette using the palette knife. Cubist paintings tend to be very monochromatic, using mainly browns, grays and other dull colors.
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Paint using the guidelines you have drawn on the canvas. Compare to your original sketch often and use your ruler and palette knife to help create the straight lines often found in cubist art.
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Tips & Warnings
Though cubist works were often painted, Picasso was noted for using nearly any medium. Any type of paint, as well as pastels, pencils or collage are acceptable for an imitation of a cubist work.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
