Self-portrait questions

[Leonor]

A while ago I was doing a self-portrait daily but I didn't find it very rewarding. I don't like my face. :(

I also don't see the learning advantage of drawing one's own face again and again. Is it a matter of self-discipline or is there something else to gain with this exercise that you can't gain just by studying your books, life drawing, working on varied things regularly, etc?

[Derek the Usurper]

You have access to your own face 24/7 as opposed to a model. It's arguably more challenging to do using a mirror than a normal portrait. You can also capture yourself aging over the years, where unless your model is a family member, you wouldn't likely be able to do.

I like my face though, so maybe I'm biased.

[Baron Impossible]

I'd imagine drawing your own face has no advantage over drawing any other face apart from its availability. In fact, because it's impossible to be objective about your own face (people tell me I'm not blue but I can't see it myself) it's probably not a particularly useful exercise.

[Noah Bradley]

It's a great excuse to look at myself in the mirror a lot.

*shrug*

[JJacks]

I think doing self portraits are the better exercises in drawing what we see and not what we think or expect. Because it's so hard to be objective about our own features, it's more of a hurdle to draw our likeness. I know I have big lips but I have a tendency to overcompensate and draw them bigger than they are. With working with self portraits I have a little bit more difficulty overcoming that whole problem and that's why I find them worth it.