Self Portrait (I became a doll??)

For my last advanced illustration course, our first assignment was to create our very own self portrait.

Now, if you know anything about me (or have looked at even a few of my posts), you'll see that I am always one to take the creative route whenever possible. Take an assignment at face value? Never!!

So for this self portrait project, I decided to turn my portrait into something more than a digital file by marrying digital and traditional art together to make a doll box fit for any toy store. I sketched and planned with pencil and paper, lined and colored digitally on Procreate and then assembled in real life.

I constructed the box and lined everything with colored construction paper and completed the box with a plastic front - just like a real box! All of the pieces are backed with thicker paper to keep everything from wilting in case the humidity got to it and placed on spacers to distance it from the background. I also hand glued rhinestones for a little extra pizzaz!

This is the final digital file - I printed everything in three layers, the backdrop with my gradated pattern, me and all my treats, and the front box cover.

And this is the final doll box! (the picture is not the best - for some reason I couldn't upload one with a higher resolution??)

I created a doll box because I felt like they exude a certain type of joy that I think accurately embodies my personality. There's something about things for kids that just expresses an unbridled happiness that I just adore!

In the upper corners I have my dog, Bertie, a lion who I drew initially when I was little, and a bunch of little pixies. Lower I have birds which are some of my favorite animals and all of the things in the box listed out.

The only thing I think I would've done differently is put some sort of protective covering on the plastic before I put it on... I did my very best but it still got scratched 😞 highly depressing stuff.

And that's the story!! I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I did making it! <3