Category: F2025 – Aya

Portrait Concept

For my self-portrait, I decided to create a cartoon-esque representation of myself, with a background that evokes the feeling of entering another world in the viewer. The expanding circles in the background represent a portal, implying that the portrait is a view into another world. Aiming to give a sense of exploration, I wanted to add layers of interaction where the eyes follow the viewer’s cursor. The wandering of the eyes with the viewer are there to represent the curiosity of the character as they enter another world exploring their surroundings along with the viewer’s cursor. Combining the concept of dimensional portals, exaggerated cartoon features, and interactivity expresses my interest in making a portrait that feels alive and dynamic. The work aims to combine a static drawing with an experience where viewer becomes part of the artwork with their movement.

Code that I am Proud of  

//necklace
  fill('white');
  let necklace = [
    [210, 415], [220, 425], [230, 434], [245, 437],
    [260, 437], [275, 437], [289, 428], [294, 415]
  ];
  for (let bead of necklace) circle(bead[0], bead[1], 10);

  fill(125, mouseX, mouseY);
  let innerBeads = [
    [215, 420], [225, 430], [237, 437], [253, 437],
    [267, 437], [283, 434], [292, 423]
  ];
  for (let bead of innerBeads) circle(bead[0], bead[1], 10);

One of my priorities while coding is to keep my code clear and concise, as it ensures that later if there are any edits to be made I can easily identify the exact area that I need to modify and edit it with ease. While creating the circles for the necklace at the start I was creating one by one using the circle() function, which was taking a lot of time and was starting to look pretty repetitive, especially with all of them sharing the same size. At the start I decided to create a size variable to avoid having to change the size in every line if I wanted to change it. But then I realized that I was still repeating the circle() function, so I decided to create an array of the coordinates of each bead and creating a loop to place a circle in each of them. The resulting code was what I am particularly proud of off due to its efficiency and clarity.

Self-Portrait

 

Reflection

As my focus for this assignment was to get comfortable with the use of code for the purpose of drawing, I spent majority of my time experimenting with functions and made different stylistic choices without focusing too much on the concept and the story behind the work. For future assignments and projects I’d like to look into how to use the code to deliver a message or a story, which in turn would lead to me adding more interactivity and complexity to the piece as there would be a more clear path I am following while working. In particularly, I’d like to focus on adding an element of animation to a piece to give it life and create a more engaging feel to it.

Introduction to the Portrait

Last summer, I watched Dexter (the TV series), which has multiple seasons and sequels. I really enjoyed it, and it inspired me to create a portrait of the main character. I opened a picture of Dexter on my computer and worked on the portrait in p5.js on my MacBook while I was in the library. Since I already have some background in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, I didn’t struggle much while making it.

A quick introduction to the character: he is a serial killer who targets other serial killers, following his own moral code. His ritual involves keeping trophies from his victims, specifically by collecting blood slides after cutting their faces. In my portrait, the rotating element around him represents those blood slides, one of his signature trophies.

Code that I liked

fill(255, 255, 255, 90)
translate(300,300)
let angle = frameCount * 0.01;
rotate(angle);
noStroke()
rect(225,10,150,80)

fill('#AC153A')
circle(300,50,50)

I really like how I managed to create certain details. For example, when I wanted arcs for the eyebrows or around the ears, I achieved them by covering parts of ellipses with skin coloured shapes. I used the same method for the mouth, ears, and eyebrows. That I think involves a lot of logic. More importantly, I applied some techniques I learned from a tutorial to make the blood slides rotate around Dexter, which I thought was a great touch. So, the code above showcases rotation of the blood sample based on the frameCount. By increasing the constant, the blood sample would rotate even faster.

Reflection

For improvements: I’d like to add more interactivity and animation in the future. For example, animating blood actually dripping down his face would be a really cool effect. I could also add knife animations circling around him. Since I’m so invested in the show, I like to think of this piece almost as a self-portrait of my interests and feelings at the moment of doing this assignment. It feels very personal and entertaining to me, even if that sounds a bit delusional. For future projects, I definitely want to experiment with WEBGL to explore a 3D space. That way, I could even create a full 3D knife kit for Dexter, or add other extra details.