Face Portraits

Inspired by images by Nina Chakrabarti, an illustration artist who transforms the face by doodling over portraits, I decide to transform some faces from magazines of my own as a way of encouraging my mind to think of face architecture and design for this project. 

To create this image, I used neon paper and a white marker pen. Here, I chose to emphasise the cheekbones, using sharp triangles that extend out of the face, the white marker is used to highlight areas that I want to appear raised, like raised patterns through scarification. The neon spikes on the cheekbones provide a modern take, standing out much more than skin tone would.

I used a very simple technique to alter this image, I simply punched holes through with a sharp pencil on the cheeks, this create an indent. The holes in the face are reminiscent to those which are left behind when piercings are removed, the indents on the skin left from the pressure of the jewellery, like lifting furniture from carpet.

To edit this photo, I used black and white markers. I took advantage of the mouth being open and created an illusion of coils or springs under the skin to restrict the movement of the mouth. I feel that a sensual feeling is created with the mouth open and Chanel logo in between the lips.

In this photo, I referenced more to subculture, adding horn, eyebrow and cheek implants along with face tattoos resembling a skull, creating a very three dimensional face. I also stuck down gems along the forehead and mouth that are meant to look like subdermal implants further accessorising the face.

This is a more fashion alteration, I added coloured gems in tear shapes under the eyes, a more beautiful approach to tattoo and piercing hybrid.

When creating the last image, I had in mind a human-animal hybrid, and also Avatar, in the way the nose is sculpted to resemble a cat. The eyes are modified to become long and feline and the implants on the forehead, not to resemble horns, but the placement of cat ears. The teeth have also been modified to look predatory and the lines on the face are tribal and also resembles the stripes on a tiger.

The outcome however, reminds of Stalking Cat, an American man who has gone through extreme body modification to look like a cat, he says his next step is getting fur implants, but that has still not proved possible so far.

Image Reference

Nina Chakrabarti
Available from: http://insideout.topshop.com/images/old/6a01053695b916970c0120a51d7189970c-550wi [19th Oct 2014] 

Stalking cat 
Available from: http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1201223!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/article-catman-1113 [19th Oct 2014]