Chocolate, Strawberry or Vanilla?: A Junior Self-Portrait Illustration by Haley Jones (2012)

For my Self Portrait Illustration I chose to create an image of an ice cream cone in an ice cream shop trying to decide which ice cream it should get. Though this picture seems fun and silly, it portrays a deeper meaning. Now that I am a junior in high school, college and adulthood are soon to come. I am given so many options of what I want to do and where I want to go with my life. I don't know which option is right for me and which will lead me to the life I want to live. Every day I live with the fear that I will make the wrong decision. In this illustration the ice cream cone represents me being indecisive and confused about what ice cream to choose; the ice cream represents the options I have before me.

To create this image, I used Adobe Illustrator. At first, I had challenges getting used to this program because it was new to me, but eventually I got the hang of it. Making layers and having to lock and unlock them was difficult for me to remember. It also took me some time to learn how to use the gradient tool but when I finally learned how to incorporate color it went smoothly. This tool enhanced my artwork by giving the ice cream value and texture, making it look more realistic. I used a variety of shapes and colors to keep my image balanced and visually interesting.