Surrealist Self-Portraits

High school students in Drawing & Printmaking class recently completed these self-portraits with Surrealist backgrounds. These were created using ultra-fine point Sharpie pens and Prismacolors on 14"x18" illustration board.

After viewing the work of Surrealist Rene Magritte, students brainstormed lists of objects to juxtapose, combine, and morph within their backgrounds. We used mirrors and anatomy guides to find accurate proportions of facial structure as we gestured in our rough compositions. Additional requirements included the presence of the artist's hand in the image, as well as a formal or implied border to create movement around and within the composition.