Art Explainer: what is a self-portrait?

A self-portrait is like drawing or painting yourself, but not just your face, maybe even how you feel inside.

Imagine you’re playing with clay and you make a little person who looks just like you. That’s kind of what artists do when they make a self-portrait. They use colors, lines, and shapes to show who they are, or maybe even how they feel on that day.

When you take a photo with your phone, it shows what you look like right then. A self-portrait is like taking a picture, but instead of using a camera, you use crayons, paintbrushes, or even colored pencils.

Sometimes artists add silly hats or extra eyes to make their self-portraits more fun, just like how you might wear your favorite socks on your hands when you’re playing dress-up.

If your best friend drew a picture of you, it would show what they think you look like. A self-portrait is like that, but drawn by you, so it shows how you see yourself. Maybe you draw yourself with big smiley eyes or tiny little hands, and that’s totally okay! A self-portrait is like drawing or painting yourself, but not just your face, maybe even how you feel inside.

Imagine you’re playing with clay and you make a little person who looks just like you. That’s kind of what artists do when they make a self-portrait. They use colors, lines, and shapes to show who they are, or maybe even how they feel on that day.

When you take a photo with your phone, it shows what you look like right then. A self-portrait is like taking a picture, but instead of using a camera, you use crayons, paintbrushes, or even colored pencils.

Sometimes artists add silly hats or extra eyes to make their self-portraits more fun, just like how you might wear your favorite socks on your hands when you’re playing dress-up.

If your best friend drew a picture of you, it would show what they think you look like. A self-portrait is like that, but drawn by you, so it shows how you see yourself. Maybe you draw yourself with big smiley eyes or tiny little hands, and that’s totally okay!