Torn Paper Mosaic: Self Portrait

Edy Wong, Torn Paper Mosaic: Self Portrait, 12/2/09, sketch paper and computer paper, 8.5" x 11", FCS art classroom

I am so glad I'm finished with this. So this is my mosaic: I tore little pieces of paper and glued them on sketch paper. I didn't sketch the picture before I started gluing the pieces so I had to re-do some of the edges to make it look better. So the next time your art teacher assigns a mosaic project, make sure you sketch your pictures before you glue. Don't get all excited like I did (riiiight) and rush into things.

So anyways, question time...

Did I use changes in value to create form? Well, I kinda had to, because the assignment WAS to use different colors/values to create the form and edges of your face. I definitely used different shades of paper to form the shadows of my face, as you can see.

How did I use the Elements of Art and Principles of Design to express who I am? I created form by using changes in value through different shades of paper, which also created shape because my face had the appearance of being 3-D. Color? Hmm..it's black and white, but I used different shades of black and white. With this change of colors I created visual texture in my face and hair. My mosaic is balanced because the changes in form and color are not too heavily emphasized in one section or another, and the object (me) is in the center of the paper. My features are proportioned correctly (at least I think so) and the overall piece is unified because I stuck with one medium, computer paper.

What was I trying to communicate to the viewers of my art? I wasn't trying to communicate anything special, just a depiction of me.

Would my family or friends understand me better or see me in a new light by seeing this portrait? Not really. Like I said, I wasn't trying to communicate to my viewers anything special or meaningful, this piece is just, well, me.