Van Gogh Self-Portrait

In my high school art classes, the students use the digital cameras to take their own photograph and download it to our Dell computers. With the Tool Factory Workshop program, we will manipulate the photograph and simplify the photograph to only a few basic colors and values of dark and light. With the digital cameras and program, it makes it possible to only see the lights and darks that are important for a self-portrait. Van Gogh accomplished this artistic skill by squinting his eyes and "looking through the lashes". My students will be able to see the same things that Van Gogh saw by computer and camera technology.

After the photographs are simplified to basic shapes and colors, they will use the photograph as their guide to paint a self portrait in the style of Van Gogh. The pictures will be matted and/or framed and displayed when complete.