Self Portrait
Mark Vallen 1972
Pencil on paper 8 x 11

Here's what the artist said
about this sketch:

"I created this drawing as an eighteen year old art student attending community college art courses, a year prior to my entering Otis Parsons Art Institute in Los Angeles. I created my self portrait by referring to a photograph that had been taken of me.

The artwork was created with a carpenter's pencil, which is flat to prevent it from rolling off a table. I choose a carpenter's pencil because it possesses a soft, flat, and very wide lead, which enabled me to achieve various textures, sharpness of lines, and tonalities."