On my most recent trip home, I finally remembered to pack up some of my drawings from my portfolio (the portfolio itself is about 4 x 3 feet big... not so easy to carry on a plane). Since I finally have a computer powerful enough to handle a scanner, I bought a cute little Canon and scanned all of my artwork in, including five self-portraits done between 1988 and 1994. I haven't done one since. Maybe I'm about due...
1) In 1988, when I drew this, I was almost 11 years old. At the time, I wasn't sure of my ability to draw realistically (even today my drawings have a cartoonish slant) and was pleasantly surprised to find I could produce something that looked like me. Proportions are a little off, but still, not bad.
2) This was done in 1989 when I was twelve, and I don't really care for it. Although my proportions are better, one eye is larger than the other and I have a rather severe look.
3) Here I'm 13 (1990) and my proportions are better, though still a bit off. I've begun to experiment with shading, with crude results.
4) 1991 and around 14 years old. I've finally got the proportions right, but haven't quite got the shading down.
5) I was a senior in high school when I did this in 1994. Finally I managed to get the proportions and the shading right.
It's not too different from how I look now, actually. Although I look as though I have a double chin, it's actually because I'm leaning back in the chair, watching Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet on AMC during the 2-3 hours the sketch took.
