This piece originated from a class assignment where we were tasked with creating two self-portraits: one at the start of the course and one at the end. The first portrait challenged us to work in the style of another artist, pushing us to analyze and reinterpret their techniques while maintaining our own identity.
I chose Roy Lichtenstein, best known for his comic book–inspired pop art featuring strong outlines, limited color palettes, and bold emotional impact. Translating that style into a self-portrait was both challenging and rewarding — it forced me to think about how to simplify form and emotion into clean shapes and contrasting tones.
While the original piece was done as a painting, what you see here is a vector recreation of the concept. It captures the same spirit flat fields of color, heavy contour lines, and stark highlights using red, blue, yellow, and black to echo the vibrancy and immediacy of pop art. The radiating black lines behind me symbolize both energy and spotlight, aligning with Lichtenstein’s dramatic visual language.
Reflection:
Even though the original painting was lost, this digital version preserves the essence of the project. It reminds me how impactful working within another artist’s framework can be for discovering your own creative voice — learning structure before breaking it. This project was an early exploration into identity, influence, and stylization, themes that continue to show up in my later design and illustration work.
Even though the original painting was lost, this digital version preserves the essence of the project. It reminds me how impactful working within another artist’s framework can be for discovering your own creative voice — learning structure before breaking it. This project was an early exploration into identity, influence, and stylization, themes that continue to show up in my later design and illustration work.
Tools: Adobe Illustrator | Adobe Photoshop