Create an Inner Self-Portrait

You have probably drawn plenty of pictures of yourself, but have you ever drawn a picture of your inside self?

If you think about it, that’s where the most interesting things are happening — all of those thoughts and feelings that make you totally unique, and that very few people ever get to see…

…until now!

Thank you to the amazing Beth Haidle for creating this project and sharing it with us. Beth is an artist, a musical saw player (yes, that’s a thing!) and the creative director for Illustoria Magazine, which we highly recommend.

Okay, ready to get started?

First, on a piece of paper or in your journal, write a list of words that describe what you are feeling. They could be your feelings right at this moment, or feelings you’ve had recently.

Here are some examples, and you can find A LOT more examples on this great big list of “feeling words”:

Happy
Sleepy
Hungry
Worried
Excited
Confused

You can also try coming up with unique ways of describing your feelings, like “cloudy” instead of confused, or “bouncy” instead of excited.

Next, draw a large circle on your paper to represent your head. Underneath your head, draw your neck and shoulders.

Now look over your list of feelings and thoughts and circle the ones you want to include in your inner self-portrait. You can choose all of them or just some of them.

How many did you circle? That’s how many sections you will need to divide your head shape into.

You can use a ruler or the edge of a book if you want to make your lines straight, but don’t worry about getting them perfect. The best art is imperfect.

Once you have your sections drawn, you can fill them in with your colored pencils, markers, paints or chalks. It’s a good idea to think about what you’ll be using to write your words. If you are using markers, for example, be sure that the background colors you choose are light enough that your words will show up on top.

It’s now time to fill in each section with the words from your list. Experimenting with different lettering can be fun, or maybe you want all of your words to look the same. You’re the artist so it’s up to you!

You can also choose to create a key by numbering your sections and writing your words down in a list like in the second photo below.

When you’re finished it can be nice to share your inner self-portrait with others. Who knows, maybe you’ll find that they have some of the same thoughts and feelings inside of them.