Faceless Portraits

Ever since I was young I've loved making handmade gifts.  Paintings, drawings, mosaic pieces & personal photographs are my go to pieces.  Having somewhat of a talent comes in handy when money is tight and you have a bunch of people to shop for during the holidays.  Thankfully, my friends and family are super appreciative of handmade items and it always makes me feel great seeing a personal piece bring a smile to their faces. 

This year I experimented with watercolor pencils to create portraits ..of the faceless variety..

 

I started playing around with pictures of myself.  Sketching out the figure and creating a focus on the clothing as if it were a fashion sketch.  I liked the look without facial features and realized you could still tell who it is. 

 

 

Friends started requesting drawings of themselves from memorable events we've had together.  Focusing on body characteristics, clothing & hair gives the impression of each person even without the literal eyes, mouth and nose.

 

 

 

Tried my sketching skills on images of my cousins from a day at the beach.  Realized that even without facial imagery, there is still emotion portrayed in each.  These became a gift for their mom (my cousin) for her birthday and she absolutely loved them! She knew exactly which photographs they were referencing.  

 

 

 

Being able to infuse emotion into these, I noticed that a sense of playfulness was a nice touch.  The one above is of a friend & I on a trip acting super touristy, peace sign & large camera in hand.  It really portrays the humor of the moment.    

 

 

 

 

This Christmas, I decided to do personalized pieces for most of my friends.  They became intimate 'photographs' of them and myself as a creative memory.  A little bit of a time (and nice frames from the dollar store) lead to some pretty sweet gifts ;)