Back in the day, a good old self-portrait was considered the done artistic thing. But the word ‘selfie’ now has a whole bushel of connotations, most of which are negative. Demonised by the media as a mark of the narcissism of the tech generation, it’s difficult not to wince when a selfie pops up in your newsfeed.
Helene Meldahl‘s Instagram selfies though don’t fit into the traditional selfie mould. Instead of showing her best side and pouting, Helene‘s selfies are taken using a mirror decorated with chalk, acrylic and Posca markers (Ahh, Poscas, how do I love thee, let me count the ways). Selfies at their most creative, these self-portraits show her interacting with her own illustrations doing all manner of things, from playing Peter Pan to wearing a cupcake.
Using the Instagram name @mirrorsme, this self-described ‘born doodler’ has racked up an impressive 120,000 followers. Every good selfie takes a little time, and the pics and illustrations take around 20 mins. Norwegian born, and currently living in D.C. she confesses that the whole thing started out with her leaving messages and drawings on the mirror for her flatmates.
Even if selfies aren’t for you, these quirky, tongue-in-cheek snaps have mastered the genre and are well worth a gander. Art students everywhere take note.
You can see more work by Helene Meldahl on her Instagram account: www.instagram.com/mirrorsme.