IB Self-Portrait: part deux

Dark, glowing colors and contrast illuminate the Dubai skyline. Colors crash against the blue glass of the tallest skyscrapers that took only months to build.
Bold outlines drag the colors out of the painting. Many of them are "dark and disturbing," as many say about some of my previous works. I am Leighton McDonald, the painter of the Tribal Tagged Self-Portrait. This painting took me four days(school days) to complete. Everything was done with acrylic paints. On certain areas of the paintings I used the high gloss to brighten and distinguish the acrylics for where and what they were used for. Again, I did not start with the background. Glad "Press-and-Seal" helps me to do my backgrounds with ease and precision. I just paint on top of the paper, and peel it after five minutes of application to reduce the chances of bleeding paint. The water consists of deep purples, light blue, marine blue and white. This is where the High-Gloss Emboss was used. I used a sponge to give the water a wave layer, making the water look even more transparent. Since I never follow the unwritten rules of art and never start with the background, I did decide to try "layering" the background and it turned out perfect for me. This is my 4th studio this year, and this blog can expect to see many more in the near future.

Tribal Tagging Self-Portraits in IB Art

My name is Leighton McDonald and I am a Senior in a Higher Level IB class. I have taken IB art for 2 years and am now in my second year. This is a self portrait done in acrylic on wood canvas. This piece took me about one school week to complete. I began to express my new "electronic tribal" style in this piece. This new style makes the painting pop and it makes it seem busy but not to busy that it takes away from the main focus of the painting. The facial details contain many other colors that minor artists would not originally use. Purples, yellows, reds, and greens helped me build the facial shading that I originally wanted. The bold lines that surround the face make the face seem like a comic book illustration. In a recent critique, another artist said that the lines make that painting look 3- dimensional in a way. After wondering what made the painting pop, i came to the conclusion that the artist was right. The bold lines completely changed the way the painting looks. The lines and colors on the outside of the face were a free style of my imagination. I didn't purposefully mean to freestyle the painting, but I'm glad I did. I have gotten many great comments about the painting, but I still think there could be something else done to it.