My Life as a Chicken

Above: I am doing an online course at Designboom, which I am enjoying very much. The first task is a self-portrait. I sat in the studio yesterday and wrote down words which popped into my head: bicycle, folk art, chicken, pig, coloured pencils, human body parts. I decided not to go with anything too gruesome (which might be a sign of psychological progression) and composed a picture just using some of the words. I gave the chicken a human face with red lipstick (of course) so as to give it an element of the unexpected. Rather Edward Lear, I thought, complimenting myself. Then I became worried that my internet classmates would think that I am proportioned like a chicken. I had plenty of time left in the studio, so I worked up an old sketch: While those shown agreed that it looked more like me, I feel uncomfortable with the result and I don't find it very interesting. So I worked it up again below (this time it really doesn't look like me, thankfully) removing the girl's clothes, which hopefully contextualises it less and makes the idea a bit more interesting. She is holding a bunch of sage, which covers her body parts and goes nicely with pig.

I decided however to forget my vanity and send over the chicken.

I really enjoyed using watercolour: it's a very dignified medium, although it intimidates me to be using the same medium as alot of the mid 20th century illustrators I admire, and alot of contemporary European ones as well. (Beautiful examples here: Le Crayon, a society of legendary French illustrators.)