My personal blog as a 'grown-up' Goth and Romantic living in the Highlands of Scotland. I write about the places I go, the things I see and my thoughts on life as a Goth and the subculture, and things in the broader realm of the Gothic and darkly Romantic. Sometimes I write about music I like and sometimes I review things. This blog often includes architectural photography, graveyards and other images from the darker side of life.

Goth is not just about imitating each other, it is a creative movement and subculture that grew out of post-punk and is based on seeing beauty in the dark places of the world, the expression of that in Goth rock. It looks back to the various ways throughout history in which people have confronted and explored the macabre, the dark and the taboo, and as such I'm going to post about more than the just the standards of the subculture (Siouxsie, Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, et al) and look at things by people who might not consider themselves anything to do with the subculture, but have eyes for the dark places. The Gothic should not be limited by what is already within it; inspiration comes from all places, the key is to look with open eyes, listen carefully and think with an open mind..

Sunday 24 April 2016

Self-Portrait and Green Hair

After all the struggles and fuss of trying to re-dye my hair (I will make a post about that, too, but it's going to be a long one) I figured it needed commemorating with something more than just a selfie.


Ok, that's not really why I did this (well, maybe a little; that is some VERY green hair I now have) and I actually did it to get back into making art. I've done so much for my university coursework that is design, but since the first term, not much drawing that isn't technical. I happen to really like drawing in a more illustrative sort of way; I like doing recognisable artistic pictures of things. Don't get me wrong, technical drawing and CAD are really important in architecture, and have their own beauty when done well (or maybe that's just because I've got really perfectionist about lining up annotations and line-widths and arranging things in the clearest manner...) but sometimes I just want to make a pretty picture. 

This was done with the painting simulator FreshPaint on my shiny new Microsoft Surface tablet. It has a stylus and I am learning how to use the stylus. I like using the painting simulator more than I like actual digital art programs like illustrator; it does a reasonable job of mimicking how paint works, and turning stylus strokes and pressure differences into realistic brush-strokes. I think this looks reasonably like what it would be if it was an actual acrylic painting I ahd done. I don't want it to stylistically be all perfect and smooth like a digital painting, or a very time-consuming oil or water-colour; I wanted it to look painted, a tad impressionistic at the edges. 

And I was wearing iridescent, slightly glittery lipstick. 

I know the nose is a bit off, and that one eye seems slightly droopy, and I would love any constructive criticism. 

8 comments:

  1. Wow, the painting looks stunning. When I first saw the image, I assume it was paint not a simulation program. I absolutely love the colours and contrast between of the greens and blues of your hair and the dark tone of your lipsticks.

    Your very talented and wish all the best with your course.

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    1. Purple, green and black are my favourite colour combination - hence why the crop up in my fashion so much, and also in my art (and my decorating... there's plenty of purple and green in my decor, and I will need to blog about that!).

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  2. Fantastic! It looks just like you. Green and purple is such a great combination.

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    Replies
    1. I'm glad to hear it looks like me - I worry about trying to get a true likeness. I know the nose is a bit off, because I'm terrible at painting noses, but it's good to hear it's still recognisably me :)

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  3. Well, those are some nice colors.

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