portrait | Jennifer Tracy

Facebook with a J

March 6, 2010 at 2:21 pm (ink on paper)
Tags: art, artist, ashmen, baby, drawing, face, Facebook, friends, hair, half, hands, ink, J, Jay, jen, life, line, men, paper, pen, people, portrait, project, social network, women

I affectionately present the first half of the J’s. The drawings below are my Facebook friends whose first names fall between J-Je.

Second half of the J’s coming soon.

Click to enlarge images.

Facebook friends A, B, C, D, E-I.

3 Comments

Eee I Eee I Oh

February 25, 2010 at 5:58 pm (Facebook, ink on paper)
Tags: alphabet, art, artist, ashmen, comment, document, drawing, drawings, e, experiment, f, face, Facebook, feedback, friends, g, h, i, ink, jen, life, men, paper, person, personal, portrait, social networking, women

So far, I have drawn and tagged 114 of my Facebook friends. Posted below are my friends E through I.

I am quite surprised by the overwhelmingly positive way my Facebook portraits have been received. It is not that I didn’t realize people liked being drawn, but it is important to remember I have not asked permission to draw them. The responses have been encouraging, complementary, and over all very excited. The most frequent comment is people asking me to jump ahead to their letter.

A small sampling of the comments made on the images:

“Hey stranger Internet friend. Thank for drawing me.” -Adam

“Wow! I really like this idea, can I do it?” -Jess

“Thats about right.” -Brendan

“Thanks. I am wasted holding a shot with a paper crown on. :)” -Cassandra

“Wow, you should go to Disney World and be that person who sits under the umbrella and draws people 🙂 Very nicely done! Hope you are well.” -Courtney

“Jennifer you drew this?? I LOVE IT!!! OMG!” -David

“omg i love my picture!!! haha it’s so cute!!” -Heather

“well look at that” -Gary

The only negative feedback received wasn’t feedback at all. Two people have untagged themselves. They did not tell me why or comment on the photos.

At least four people have made my drawing their profile picture. Part of the point of this project is that once an image is posted on the internet, it is impossible to control or monitor what happens to it. I am doing what I can to keep track of the life of these images, but it is ultimately futile.

I’ve received quite a few friend requests from strangers since posting the drawings. One woman sent a note with her requesting stating she saw my portraits and hopes to be included when I get to the “L”s. Of course she will be.

Click to enlarge image.

Facebook friends A, B, C, and D.

1 Comment

Dee Dun

February 20, 2010 at 4:16 pm (Facebook, ink on paper)
Tags: art, artist, ashmen, dan, dave, debbie, drawing, Facebook, faces, friends, ink, interaction, internet, jen, life, men, networking, paper, people, portrait, social, square, the letter d, women

The D’s are done. Every “D” Facebook friend I have is drawn below.

I’ve decided not to Facebook comment on the drawings, not wishing to influence the reception of the works in any way. This has grown harder as I post more drawings. As these portraits are more about how people respond to them than how they look, with the E’s I will post a few memorable comments from my Facebook contacts.

I expected the responses of others to be interesting. An unexpected result of creating these works is my own emotional reaction. The majority of my Facebook friends are people I have not seen in years: old coworkers, elementary school classmates, friends of the family, ex lovers, distant relatives, high school acquaintances, and SCAD alumni. There are many friends I’ve let drift away that maybe I should have held on to. Looking through the photographs of these people feels intimate. I know them better after drawing them. Tagging is the hardest part, as it is essentially sending the practical stranger an e-mail with my name on it.

A project that was initially an in depth look at privacy in the age of social networking has brought me to wonder about the nature of a Facebook relationship. As banal as an internet only friendship may be, it is all I have with a lot of people I know. These portaits have brought them closer to me, but has made me no closer to them.

Click to enlarge image.

Facebook friends A, B, and C.

3 Comments

A Sea of C’s

February 10, 2010 at 7:29 pm (Facebook, ink on paper)
Tags: art, artist, ashmen, C, draw, drawing, Facebook, friends, individuals, ink, jen, life, line, name, paper, pen, people, portrait, social media, social networking

There were too many “C” names to fit them all on the 8″x8″ sheets I’ve been using. I drew the last six “C” people on a 5″x5″ piece of cotton paper. The last six portraits are not bigger than the previous portraits. They are simply on a smaller surface.

My Facebook friends whose first names begin with the letter “C”:

Click to enlarge images.

Facebook friends A & B.

1 Comment

The B List

February 10, 2010 at 12:28 am (Facebook)
Tags: art, artist, ashmen, b, black, create, draw, drawing, Facebook, friend, ink, jen, life, line, made, media, men, paper, portrait, social networking, women

Below is a hand drawn portrait of every Facebook friend of mine whose name begins with the letter “B.”

Click to enlarge image.

The A List.

2 Comments

Facebook Friends “A”

February 7, 2010 at 2:21 am (Facebook)
Tags: A, art, beards, black, face, Facebook, family, friends, glasses, hats, ink, life, men, paper, pen, people, portrait, social networking, strangers, white, women

The internet is a big place. Social networking is a phenomenon. Everyone has a Facebook page. Friends, family, and strangers upload photos of each other with no regard for the individual’s rights to privacy. Once you post a picture on the internet, it is no longer yours. It is everyone’s.

Photos posted on Facebook can and will be used for every possible purpose: from keeping one from getting a desired job to prosecuting under aged drinkers to stalking. You do not know who is looking at your Facebook page right now. The internet is not private.

Please do not get me wrong. I am not opposed to social networking or having my photo posted online. I love twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, and Facebook. It’s just, I know I have no control over any image I upload to a website. I understand the dangers involved in posting information on the internet. I do not like these dangers, but I am aware of and accept them.

I am not sure every person posting pictures and comments on Facebook understands the implications. There is no privacy; there is no control. That is the main theme to my next body of work.

I am going to draw every “friend” I have on Facebook. Many of these people I haven’t seen in years. Some I’ve never met. While I am doing my best to draw flattering portraits, I have not asked permission to draw these people.

The drawings will be made strictly from photographs I have found on Facebook. Every drawing will be tagged initially. Should the subjects of the drawing choose to untag themselves, that is their right. The point is, I drew them. Without the subject’s knowledge, I spent time looking at his/her photographs. Then, I thoroughly analyzed and drew his/her face. All while he/she was off living life. An image posted simply to entertain was used in a way never intended. That photo is now a part of my art. It is now mine.

Enough jabber. Here is every Facebook friend I have whose name begins with the letter “A”.