Project Title: Unconventional Beauty

I have produced range of A2 portraits communicating the concept of unconventional beauty, through distortion and representation of unattractive portraiture as well as appearances pre and post plastic surgery. I aimed to capture the beauty existing in contemporary ugliness.

I found working with oil paints and charcoal allowed me to achieve realism, demonstrating an abstract concept in a more traditional style.

Upon producing responses inspired by artists Gillian Lambert and Martin Higgs, I began experimenting with 3-D elements, using materials such as bandages and stitching onto portraits using string to emulate the realities of cosmetic procedures. My abstract use of brighter colours within my work are inspired by the striking backgrounds often seen in editorial magazines featuring beauty models; emphasising my portrayal of unappealing features in a beautified manner.