Before you start

How large or small are you going to make your self-portrait? People will feel very different standing and peering at a tiny image, than standing back and gazing up at a huge one.

Where are you going to place the figure? Usually the face is the focal point of a portrait and is positioned somewhere near the middle - but it doesn’t have to be. Will your self-portrait be a detail of your face or represent your whole three dimensional body?

Are you going to put in a background behind the figure? Will you put in what you actually see? Some artists use a plain colour in the background to heighten the atmosphere of their portrait. How do different colours make you feel, do they suggest certain moods?

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