Lacking the Beauty: A Junior Self-Portrait Illustration by Drew Russert (2012)

In this illustration, we see a small flower growing through the cracks of a grey, lifeless sidewalk. The image represents a comparison between bullying and self doubt. Whether you find yourself in either situation, you seem to keep your head down low, looking at the ground rather than standing tall and proud. If you were walking on a sidewalk, you'll see just that; a cracked, beat down sidewalk. However, the flower is supposed to represent the hope that remains and the help you can get when dealing with either problem. However, the hope is small because the problems just seem to be bigger, and the flower almost becomes unnoticeable.

Throughout my life, I've felt bullied sometimes, and the drowning of my self- confidence causes me to keep my head down and study the ground. I don't want to be seen and I don't want to see others, as I am embarrassed and lacking confidence to complete my day in the most positive manner. In the picture, the sidewalk is meant to be lacking saturation to represent lifelessness and to complement self-doubt. I used Adobe Illustrator to trace a flower growing out of the cracks of a sidewalk. I thought that the picture perfectly complemented the message I was trying to carry out. The flower is vibrant to represent the joy that is trapped, trying to brighten the mood, but it lacks success. The flower is also pink because people identify colors such as pink and yellow as happy, spirited colors. The grey of the sidewalk, however, engulfs the pink flower, and while the eye catches the pink, it notices more of the grey and unsaturation of the sidewalk.