Imagine looking at a picture of yourself. But instead of a regular photo, it's your face floating in space. That's what portrait surrealism is all about—taking your ordinary portrait and transforming it into something fantastical or surreal. You get to see yourself in a completely new way.
If you want to try making surrealism portraits or looking for some inspirations, this article is for you. We will explain further about what surrealism in portraits is, how to make it, and give you some ideas for you to try.
In this article
Part 1. What Is Surrealism Art Portrait?
Before we learn about surrealist art portraits, we need to understand what surrealism is. Surrealism is an artistic movement that emerged in the early 20th century, led by poets and artists such as André Breton, Max Ernst, and Joan Miró. At its core, surrealism seeks to tap into dreams, fantasies, and the irrational to create artworks that defy logical explanations.
Then, surreal portraits take this concept a step further by focusing specifically on the human form to convey complex emotions and inner turmoil. So, surreal portraits are a subgenre of surrealist art that focuses on depicting human figures, often with an emphasis on the face and upper body, in fantastical, dreamlike, or bizarre contexts that challenge its viewer's perception.
In photography, surrealist photographers often employ techniques such as photomontage and digital manipulation to create portrait surrealism. They may distort perspectives, combine disparate elements, or manipulate lighting and composition to evoke a sense of the uncanny and the otherworldly.
Part 2. How to Make A Surreal Portrait
To make a surreal portrait, you'll first need a solid base: a good portrait photo that reflects your vision, several stock photos to serve as elements within your composition, and editing software. Now, we will break down what you need to do to make surreal photography portraits with ease.
1. Find a concept
Begin by brainstorming ideas for your surreal portrait. Think about what themes, emotions, or messages you want to convey through your artwork. Sometimes inspiration can come from your own personal experiences or browsing sites like Pinterest. You can sketch out your ideas or create a mood board to visualize your concept. This step helps to clarify your vision and guide you through the process.
2. Take a good portrait
Next, take a good portrait that will serve as the foundation for your surreal composition. If it’s hard to get one, you can get help from AI to generate a good photo for your surreal portrait. It can save time and provide you with creative options that might be challenging to achieve manually.
One of the AI tools that can give you the best portrait result is FaceHub. FaceHub has an AI Portrait feature that capable of turning your boring photo into different styles provided by the platform. Here’s how:
Step 1: Head directly to FaceHub AI Portrait website. Click “Generate Portrait Now” to proceed.
100% safe & secureStep 2: To make the portrait look dreamy and feel otherwordly, we can use FaceHub’s Nature template since it offers a range of natural elements like flowers, leaves, and landscapes to incorporate into your portrait. Select “Nature” from the available templates and click “Try Now.”
Step 3: On the following page, you can upload your own photo, and FaceHub's AI technology will then analyze your chosen photo and transform it into the selected style. You can also try using one of the available face samples. After that, click “Generate.”
Step 4: After a few seconds, FaceHub AI Portrait will finish generating your photo. Review the result and download the one that suits your vision. You can also click Generate again if none of the results satisfy you.
3. Edit and incorporate surreal elements
Next, use any editing software or tool to blend and manipulate the portrait with various elements together. Experiment with techniques such as layering, masking, and blending modes to integrate the surreal elements into your portrait photo.
Since we already have a good base portrait, we can focus on adding surreal elements that can complement the subject. For this tutorial, we are going to use Canva to add a bubble over the subject’s head.
4. Fine-tune and refine
Once you've integrated the surreal elements, take the time to fine-tune and refine your composition. Adjust colors, tones, and textures to achieve the desired mood and atmosphere. Don't be afraid to experiment until you're satisfied with the final result. You can also use this portrait to make a surreal self portrait painting.
Part 3. Surreal Portrait Ideas for Your Inspiration
Are you still struggling or lacking ideas on where to begin creating your surreal art portrait? Don’t fret. You don’t have to start with something grand or complex; inspiration can often be found in the simplest things!
You can think of everyday objects as your starting point. Allow your mind to wander freely and explore the depths of your imagination without restraint. Here are some of the simple surreal portrait ideas you can try:
1. Taking inspiration from science fiction to create an otherworldly portrait
Drawing inspiration from science fiction can ignite the creativity needed for a surrealistic portrait. The juxtaposition of the futuristic astronaut helmet with the natural, earthly setting in this portrait by Alex Shuper creates a striking contrast, evoking themes of exploration, isolation, and the blending of disparate worlds. The muted, foggy background enhances the dreamlike quality of the image, making it feel otherworldly and contemplative.
To achieve a similar surreal portraiture, focus on combining elements that typically do not coexist, such as modern technology with natural landscapes. Pay attention to lighting and color tones to maintain a cohesive and ethereal atmosphere.
2. Making use of double exposure
Be creative with double exposure composition. In this picture, for example, a portrait of a woman is overlaid with an architectural element. The woman, wearing sunglasses and a stylish top, is superimposed with an image of a modern building, resulting in an intriguing fusion of human form and structural design. A simple photo manipulation like this is perfect for simple surreal self-portrait ideas.
3. Placing the head in an unexpected setting
This portrait by DESIGNECOLOGIST features a woman’s head on a plate. The subject's head is carefully positioned through a circular cutout in the plate, with hair naturally spread around it. Wooden utensils are placed on either side to enhance the illusion. A bold, striped background adds contrast and makes the subject stand out.
Conclusion
Through this article, we've learned about the essence of surrealism, explored practical steps to create surreal portraits, and sparked ideas to ignite your imagination. If you find making a surreal art portrait a bit hard, tools like FaceHub AI Portrait can simplify the process and help you start with your creation.
What you need to do now is start creating. Who knows what fantastical creations you'll bring to life?
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