Inner Child

Artist: Karin Taylor

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Card: US$5.22
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Inner Child

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Detail
Self Portrait for the Happy Challenge in which you have to rate yourself on a scale from 1-10 (1 being seriously depressed, 10 being the happiest) and then create self-portrait expressing that state. Any artistic medium/technique is allowed.

Hmmm I’m thinking glass half full at the moment, and enjoying all the colours of the rainbow in Inner Child, so i shall rate myself as a reserved 7.0… the painting is a reflection of myself at my most peaceful, daydreaming as I tend to do often….

The painting began as a pencil drawing on cardboard, using chalk pastels and charcoal to lightly fill in the flesh tones, finished off the piece adding to it digitally in Photoshop.
Here it is prior to photoshop.

The portrait looks quite serious, which is translating as sadness, and I can see what everyone’s saying.. but I was happy at the time.

The Challenge is now open for entries. Voting starts in 20 days.

Inner Child belongs to the following groups:

* Painted Ladies *, All Out Emotion, Everyday Women, Friends of RedBubble, Riginals, Who are YOU to Judge? and Woman Appreciation Available for sale as

Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints, Framed Prints and Posters

bdazzled

Stunning work – so much emotion in those eyes – I just love it :o)
Karin Taylor replied

thanx so much, i really appreciate it! :)
doreen01

Penetrating eyes, great expression!!! Great self portrait, Karin!
Karin Taylor replied

thank you Doreen, hugs x
Matt Mawson

nice work, Karin … interesting additions to your style
Karin Taylor replied

thanx Matt..self portraits are so hard to do, i just did the best i could… lots of room for improvement :)
Warren Williams

It’s all about emotion. Excellent work.
Karin Taylor replied

thx so much Warren, really appreciate it :)
Vicki Ferrari

Wow Karin, I like! (of course!) You are just so clever!! Might wander over and have a look see!!
Love your use of colours here… and those butterflies…. but no birdie?!! :) xostretch
Karin Taylor replied

thanx Stretch, it’s so hard to draw yourself!! lol… you could sure enter with a lovely photographic portrait, or one of your drawings you’ve put up recently!! :) x
rubyred

Very nice Karin. The linework butterflies in the background are a really nice graphic touch.
Karin Taylor replied

thank you so much rubyred, I’m so happy you like it. :)
Sarah ORourke

Beautifully done! There is so much expression… especially in those eyes! & the butterflies… i love the butterflies… magical little creatures of metamorphosis they are!
Xxx
Karin Taylor replied

thank you so much Sarah, big hugs xxx
tulay cakir

awesome!!
Karin Taylor replied

Thx very much tulay! :))
MuscularTeeth

looks great KT !
Karin Taylor replied

Thx very MT, hope your cold is a lot improved :)
connieinwi

Beautiful, love how you always seem to get the emotions out of their faces,,, beautiful as always.. :)
Karin Taylor replied

thanx so much connie, thank you for what you said, it means so much :) x
biddumy

Very intense, the mournful eyes and features. Great image!!!
Karin Taylor replied

thank you very much … greatly appreciate your perspective :)
Linda Callaghan

what a challenging task to do Karin and you have done it so well….good to see you are a 7 and no where near the 0….a lovely drawing which I will rate as a 10! love the childlike feel to this one, the butterflies…wispy hair and tones…great work! x
Karin Taylor replied

it really is, because it has to somehow look like me, and it’s so hard to do… i managed to get that something right in the eyes, and shape of the face…and the hair…but i feel i couldn’t impart the fullness of my essence into it…yes, portraits are the most difficult thing of all i reckon Linda…thanx so very much, i’m so glad you like it! ::) x
Trish Woodford

This is such a special piece Karin, the detail in the face is really beautiful and I love the butterflies in her hair :))
Karin Taylor replied

thx so very much Trish, that’s so encouraging!! :) xxx
Midori Furze

Very interesting work, Karin-sama!!
Kind of mixed of many emotions..
You are amazing!!
Karin Taylor replied

thank you so much dear Midori-sama! :)
I am so grateful you had a look and saw the mixed emotions, i must agree, even though i am happy there is still a sadness visible, as mobii suggests below….i should have done me with a huge grin!! lol :) x
mobii

Seems sad K.
Karin Taylor replied

Lol that’s me ona good day!
AnitaInverarity

Sooo beautiful, such soulfulness there. I love how its you but childlike, quite serious and definately lost in a daydream. I love all the little details and effects which can be interpreted in many ways. I see almost like you are looking out from behind shutters which are catching the warm light of a hot hot day and the blues of the ocean (and I wonder if little KT is contemplating going out there to play and chase butterflies).
7 is really good on the scale, I’m going to aim for 7 today. This is ofcourse a 10 out of 10 work and I wish you best best luck with the comp (its def a winner already) xxx
Karin Taylor replied

aw, thank you so much Anita… it is a strange piece….sort of complex, as far as really revealing the happiness..but when i’m at peace in my soul… my face is at rest..you may still see the worry lines, etc…but there is a peace behind my eyes…i did this looking in the mirror, and I agree, somehow I seem much younger than my years, perhaps the spirit or soul is present here, more than the flesh…the things in the background, you’re so right…they are reflections and things i feel comfortable with, like light spectrums, and butterflies … warmth from sun, blue from sea…..and thoughts just meandering around those ideas and concepts….I am an open book and yet still a riddle unto myself and others…a contradiction, but i hope in a good way, biggest hugs….xoxox
Sticky Flower

I love this Karin.It’s so soulful.Your eyes are very compelling.It reminds me somehow of a blueprint.Beautiful strong portrait x
Karin Taylor replied

Hi Flower, well I know you’d know jut how hard it is to get a likeness into a portrait of oneself…it’s so complicated and yet so simple all at the same time…and it depends on how you’re posing as to what comes forth. I was concentrating hard, and i guess that shows in the portrait… maybe next time i should take a photo with me smiling and work from there..but i enjoyed being able to tilt my head and catch shadows and light where they fall on the contours of the face, which gave me more of a feel for the bone structure beneath…it was a really strange experience to do this portrait, that’s for sure, but i enjoyed it very much… big hug 4 you….i love the ‘blueprint’ association very much :) xxx
yanmos

always beautiful works from you!
Karin Taylor replied

Hi yannis…and thank you soooo much!!!!! :)
BlueKnot

So very expressive… such a sweet sadness…
Karin Taylor replied

thank you BlueKnot, i like that…a sweet sadness…well put, much appreciated too :)
Antanas

lovely job
Isa Rodriguez

this one makes me try to imitate that darling face…..... Karin.. I love your work.. but this one makes me giddy happy when I saw it.. you say it is you . awww. so tender.. but , guess what?. you have made a drawing of my granddaughter here.. oh it is so uncanny !.. I am so not biasely in love with her. hugz for this darling.. how you do flesh is beyond me.. all of you painters just blow my mind.
Karin Taylor replied

aw Isa, i see what you’re saying, there is a resemblance there, i am amazed..i faved her, just so i could at the two pics together on the same page as well, and i can see it…she’s very very beautiful my friend, and i’d be that biased too if I were you, you lucky ducky! Ah, the flesh…a combination of reds and yellow ochres…using chalky pastels…then i photographed it, and overlayed with a sepia layer… coming back to it to overlay with other subtle colours, by cutting and pasting extra layers, and burning in the shadows where they were meant to show. The flesh sounds tricky, but it’s the features that are the trickiest of all…you can even buy flesh tinted paints and inks and pastels these days, so the work of painting is made so much more convenient. When you arepainting with acrylics, you would use a good amount of white and take tiny bits of yellow and red paint to work the flesh colour through….adding more as you go…if it gets to rich, you have to cut it back with more white…so we always add colour tints very slowly in tiny amounts…. you should give it a whirl…bet we’d have you up and painting in no time at all Isa ! :) x
Rainy

Lovely work Karin! :)
Karin Taylor replied

thx so very much Rainy!! ::)
CateTownsend

Extreemly stunning, somewhat exposing, brilliant Karin.
Karin Taylor replied

hey Cate, thanx so much, I was wondering about whether you were going to enter … you would do such an excellent job of it i know that for sure, and i think it’s a worthwhile thing to enter, as it’s a very big deal to have this liason with Stephan, Pilgrim mentioned it a while ago…I hope you can!! :) xx
CateTownsend

Makes me want to have a go, and that’s a great thing to inspire others to work.
Karin Taylor replied

...go on Cate, come n give it a try…they took the Challenge down, and it doesn’t start now til tomorrow and even then you still have heaps of time, as i don’t thinkvoting starts for 20 days after the challenge reopens tomoz :) x
izzybeth

Ahhhh… Karin as soon as I saw this on the image feed I knew it was yours. It has your stamp all over, and yet it is unique to most of your work. I like the way you have “lightly” filtered in the the “fabric-like” pattern over the face of the darling face.
Karin Taylor replied

it’s funny to me that my work can be recognised, it’s what i always wanted izzybeth, my brother had a very distinctive style before i was painting much, and it was something i felt i wanted to aspire to.it’s really nice when i hear that sort of thing!...thank you so much for your beautiful comments :) xx
Isa Rodriguez

Karin..you made me so hapy.. thanks for that comment back.. lol.. what a special world RB is !.. lol, I am a dancer and I really am so excited to see this.. and it made me cry too.. he he.. okay , I love your description on the colors.. Thalia and I , this weekend played with water colors. omg. they are hard to work with . I have never touched paint really except when a kid.. and now that I have thalia.. so we went to town on my home siding.. and painted flowers and rainbows and other cutie stuff.. this siding runs along my driveway.. and I live so humbly.. and she gave it an enchantment.. gosh , lol.. on the details for those eyes..and cheeks and hair .. okay . im just letting you know how much it means sto me.. I better leave some space here for others. heeeeee. hugz

oh, and I am glad you saw the resemblance. i thought I might be just a tad on the biased and saw something that maybe no one else could see. so thanks bunches.
Karin Taylor replied

aaaw, Isa! you’re so welcome…it is a special place, I’d have to agree and you’re a sweetheart. How much fun did you have painting on the weekend!!! So carefree and lost in the moment…what beautiful memories you are creating…and enchantment, well i just love that word…because when you are young, all gardens are enchanted…anywhere there is a tuft of grass…it could be a fairy dwelling…..lol….big hugs… xoxox
izzybeth

And it is a self portrait as well! Favorite…
Janis Zroback

Beautiful work Karin…there is a lot of emotion portrayed here…though you said peacefulness, because of her frowning intensity, I see some sadness and worry…I love the style of it…the butterflies give the feeling that the sadness, if that is what it is, is fleeting…the translutent bars highlight the mouth and eyes, which tell so much of one’s story…
Karin Taylor replied

i guess it’s cos i was drawing myself in the mirror, and when i concentrate i look like this…who knew! lol… now we know what i look like when I’m drawing – but underneath the look of concentration there is a peace i promise… i have been a worrier all life long…looks as tho it will forever be etched into my face :) thank you for your beautiful response to my portrait janis, i so appreciate your thoughts and hearing what you see…it means a lot to me :) xx
ROUBLE RUST

*Stunning work Karin xx Very emotional and beautiful xx
Karin Taylor replied

aw, thank you so much RUST>.. i’m so glad you liked it ;)
Jo Hoden "C'...

Love it, so behind Karin, me on a wifi connection for a mo xxxxxxx
Karin Taylor replied

thx heaps Jo, yeah I sure do miss you …haven’t seen you for eons it seems…so i’m sending you a big hug xoxoxo
nishagandhi

great expression!!
Karin Taylor replied

thx so very much nishagandhi!! :)
valzart

wooOOT! Lol! you must look ecstatic when your 10 sweetheART absolutely enchanting portraiture …a Karin par excellence ;} happy hippy hugglez
Karin Taylor replied

lol, well i hope i look happier when i’m a 10….hehe… i seem to be coming across quite sad here…. but I am pretty happy…think it’s the look of concentration, as i was not only the painter/artist, but the sitter…doing this as i looked into the mirror…next time, perhaps i’ll work from a photographed image of myself instead….and that way, i can smile for the camera! :) lol

thanx so much Val!!! xoxoxo
LeilaniMelayna

Such a sweet & innocent portrait, dear Karin! Gorgeou,s, especially when viewed larger, splendid contrast & details!

Smiles Leilani
Karin Taylor replied

thank you so much Leilani, i think it’s better in the larger view too, i really appreciate your kind words of encouragement :) xxxx
TaniaLosada

As beautiful and inspiring as usual… but I cannot imagine you with such a little sad face :)
Karin Taylor replied

i think it looks a little less sad in the larger view…the smaller it is the sadder it looks for some reason Tania, i think part of the reason, is that I “sat” for the portrait as I drew it, rather than photographing myself with a big smile… and working from myself as the live model…you can sorta see all the concentration which i think is translating into what seems to be sadness…but underneath i was really quite happy and peaceful, hugs xoxo
LeilaniMelayna

You are so very welcome, dear Karin! Thanks for your encouragement, as well always.

Smiles Leilani
kjgordon

deep in thought is better than total depression…......7 is okay but lets bring it up to a 10…..
Renate Dartois

Oh wow this is amazing Karin the depth of emotion in this child’s face I can hardly take my eyes of it-like always your art Rocks.
Renate Dartois

I just read what you said this is a self portrait I usually do that before I comment that is really amazing to look back as you saw yourself at that age.
Mui-Ling Teh

Well done Karin! I don’t know if I’m going to take part in this challenge; I couldn;t think of a creative way of displaying my mood with the layout they set out, but you have done something different here. congratulations!
C J Lewis

Gorgeous work Karin … love it … very expressive eyes. Good luck in the challenge :)
TaniaLosada

I understand.. and glad to know you are happy :)
Helen Chierego

Karin, lovely self-portrait. It has the same look of concentration and self-examination that is seen in portraits created from the mirror. That’s exactly what I like about it!
Ebbers

Lovely, Karin. I sense that your inner child has a lot on her mind. This could be a bit like visual journalling. Expressing yourself visually, assigning colors to words and using just those colors to draw with. If, say, blue means sad and you use mostly blue in your drawing, then you’re mostly sad for the day.

This drawing reminds me of therapy, I suppose! :-)
Lorraine Creagh

Just a touch differnt from your usual work. Love it. Her eyes, so much emotion.
MoonSpiral

I don’t know, she (or you) looks a little sadder than a 7, maybe a 5. This is really beautiful and heartfelt Karin. I hope it makes it into the movie!!!!
Karin Taylor replied

hey thank you Tammy, i think a lot of mirror portraits have the very serious look, due to the concentration of drawing yourself live in the mirror, perhaps next time, i’ll use a photograph with me smiling and capture a happier vibe, hugs. xoxo
catherine walker

wow..karin..she’s a little beauty..this is so lovely and so well done..exquisite and delightful!
Shanina Conway

Wonderful expression Karin…so intense and a quiet sadness…and though you’ve picked 7 I have to agree more like a 5;)
barnsis

Ohhh, on a scale of 1 – 10 this one is a 15, Such deep feeling in that face.
Keith Richardson

What beautiful large eyes – one could drown in them. Congratulations Karin, this is inspired!
Bunny Clarke

Lovely and moody work. Splendid creation.
Tania Rose

this is an extraordinary piece, Karin. Really and truly…
lacitrouille

I love how you’ve captured the essence of chilhood: the rounded cheeks, tender mouth and vulnerability. Hauntingly beautiful. :)
frozenfa

i’ve been looking at this and “as i am”, and how i wish i can draw a portrait like you!! these two are absolutely lovely, Karin!! the skin tone, the dimension.. i especially love your nose here.. hehe.. i too thought your eyes looks a lil sad here, especially when looking at the piece before photoshop.. eheh.. makes me wish i know you as a kid, we can play and have fun together! i’ve always played by myself as a kid.. hehe..

but really, i love your self portraits, Karin!! i wish i can draw myself like you, but i can’t do realistic human drawings.. ^ _ ^” will you be uploading the version before photoshop? i really love that!! X)
Emmahleee

Wow I cant stop staring at this picture..
its beautiful, stunning..
Rosalie Scanlon

Beautiful work Karin, her face has so much expression.
Pip Gerard

again… how on earth did I miss this!!??
It’s just wonderful Karin. How are you going to decide which one to enter?
you’re an absolute star. xoxo
Scott d'Almeida

lovely,
Joel Aston

Wonderful work Karin, very powerful