Demon Face Self Portrait 6: How to Expose Your Inner Demon

Of course you've always wanted to see what your inner demon looks like. Here's how you summon its image.

Thank you to Hive account@sunravelme for the idea to document the process that I use to transform my face in these self portraits. It's really pretty much the same as putting on makeup in the morning :)

First, photocopy your face. I try to make as strange and grotesque an expression as I can. Make 50, why not? When your boss asks why there's drool all over the copy machine, just tell her the exorcist is on the way.

Next, let that face tell you what kind of demon it is. You'll have to look deep in it's 2-dimensional soul. What features of this face will be easy to manipulate? What features will look cool left close to their original form?

Now take an eraser to it & let yourself be creative & open to the strange & unusual. Lighten the already light areas and see if they look like anything. Horns? Tentacles? Warts? Fangs? A crown? Beard? A terminator eye? Really scrub what you decide will be your highlights, you want them as light as possible for colors & shiny spots to really pop against all this dark area.

I like to use a light grey marker to start sketching in shadows and lines to give my new features form. Grey is not too big a commitment & if I do something I don't like, once I'm using black it is easy to correct. I've been meaning to try scales for a while; I really like big ol' ugly boils.

Slap on an outline in black & color in the page around it. Demons don't usually wear white office shirts with bits of lace & pearly buttons... Or do they... Start to add darker lines around your new features & block them in. Don't add too much black, many of the finer details can be added with color & texture next.

Get some crappy markers & go to town! Always wanted a hellish pink sheen? Now's your time! Prefer a more purple pimple? Go for it! Always wanted weird fin things sticking out of the sides of you face? They look GREAT! I usually start with my base color, pink here, then add shadows (which I did in light purple). Then I added a few highlights with a yellow highlighter. Let some of the white bits remain, they'll look like shine & it's easy to overwork your paper doing these.

Coloring may be my favorite part; don't be shy, get weird. Lots of layers help enhance your luciferous luster. In true Demon-Self-Portrait style, I finished my work after the cruel sun went down. So we'll miss a few of the "in-between" progress shots 'cause the light was poor & jump straight to the final product:

I can't wait to see your ugly mugs... in hell lol ;)