Write a story about someone trying to paint (or otherwise create) a self-portrait.

Posted in Character on Nov 17, 2023

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✍️ 66 stories

“Up and coming” by S Fevre

Submitted to Contest #225

Adalia looks at her reflection on the laptop screen. Her dark eyes stare back at her, fused with the bear mother on the screensaver. That bear mother brings her strength every time. Her survival skills, her maternal power, her ability to get away from it all and hibernate through the depths of winter. This is her role model, her mentor, her nurturing mother (almae matres).She curls her long thick hair around her index finger and feels the soft strands strengthen as she pulls at them. She then settles her gaze on the cup of dark hot choc...

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“Blank” by Kaito Ikari

Submitted to Contest #225

Oswin’s paintbrush met air. Devoid of the paint marking the palette, he drew a blank. It was his job to paint a portrait of himself, but no matter what he tried, nothing came out. What a strange dilemma. He knew who he was, so why try to put it to light? And yet, he could not think of anything that the canvas could or should hold. “He’s so perfect he can’t even capture himself!” How annoying. A glance showed him his usual posse fawning over him. No matter what he tried to do, they saw him as perfect. It was quite maddening, to sa...

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“A Self Portrait” by Keoki Nunies

Submitted to Contest #225

Warning: nudity Tim paints beautiful brown circles on a white canvas sitting on an easel. The reality is that Tim cannot paint anything to save his life. He is a terrible drawer and painter. At least, this is the story that he has told himself for years. Tim is more of a writer. Dan, Tim’s twin brother, a real-life model poses naked and exposed. His hair is dark brown just like his brother’s. His arms are muscular and not lanky. “Hey, keep still,” said Tim. Dan kept on scratching his nether regions. Dan was supposed to be sitting there like ...

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“Art Imitates Life ” by Olivia Hetu

Submitted to Contest #225

The assignment given to Astrid by her Introduction to Art professor was simple, create a self-portrait by use of any medium. The assignment was worth twenty percent of her final grade. Although Astrid had been provided one week to complete the assignment, she was eager to get started and began immediately. While researching different mediums Astrid found that she was most drawn to the idea of using a pencil to bring to life a black and white photo of herself. The next step was to take a photo of herself, re-arranging her living room, she wa...

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“The Creative Process” by Matt Plyukhin

Submitted to Contest #225

“Next week from today! Friday! 6pm! Don’t be late! We need an hour to set the gallery, another to get the guests to line up outside, and another to kick the asses of anyone who doesn’t bother to show up, ha!” the teacher barked at his pupils. “Alright alright, session’s over tonight, see you at the show next week, artists!” Students began to shuffle out the door. An ensemble of characters wandered around gathering their art supplies from the studio before funneling back into the deep end of downtown. Single moms, exhausted constructio...

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“Echoes of the Canvas” by Dominik Rainer

Submitted to Contest #225

Act One: The Challenge In the heart of a bustling Middle Eastern city, amidst the cacophony of everyday life, there lies a small, almost hidden, artist's studio. It's a sanctuary of creativity, cluttered with canvases of various sizes, some half-finished, others mere sketches. Tubes of paint, brushes of all kinds, and jars filled with murky water are scattered across the room, each telling a story of a moment caught in color and emotion. This is Amir's world, a young artist whose talent is as profound as his introspection. Amir, with his d...

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“Marianne, on the wall” by Lizzie Corrado

Submitted to Contest #225

marianne, on the wall Social Cliques. Every high school has them. Everyone wants to be in one. However, at Kingsley High, Everyone only wanted to be in one clique. The Kingsley girls. The Kingsley girls was the hardest group to get into. and Marianne was the leader of it all. The Kingsley girls were the hardest group to get into. The bar was set high. The requirements were as following: “you gotta be rich girl. We need you to be able to keep up with ALL ...

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“Reflections From Near the Grave” by Doris Booth

Submitted to Contest #225

Reflections From Near the Grave By Dory Ann Elsworth (Pen name) I look into the mirror to trace my likeness onto an imaginary canvas. What does this face tell me? Who have I been all these years, and who am I now? Each line in the reflection follows something lost or something achieved. This crevice—the one between my brow—reminds me of a difficult childhood. Pain and poverty do not care whether skin is white or dark. My fingers follow the lines, before I transfer them to the blank page. One line is f...

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“Reflection” by Angelica M

Submitted to Contest #225

ReflectionIn the dimly lit confines of her small attic studio, brushes dance across the canvas in Yun-jin’s skilled hands. The scent of paint permeates the air as she meticulously crafts her self-portrait, each stroke infused with her dreams and aspirations. The flickering light cast elongated shadows, creating an eerie yet intimate ambiance as she worked.Yun-jin’s slender fingers delicately blend hues, striving to capture not just her likeness but the yearning and desperation hidden within her soul. The portrait is more than a mere painting...

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“Self Portrait” by Daniel Kleba

Submitted to Contest #225

Every day I paint a mask. The features shift and change with the tide of my own self-confidence but it’s always my face. The different masks of me, which I wear to avoid scaring my loved ones. I have a mask for strangers, a mask for friends, a mask for acquaintances, and one for family. I have masks for myself, depending on my mood, and sometimes they fight while I’m driving to work. These masks are not lies, merely a fraction of the truth. Every day I paint these fractions and every day I see the same face. It’s not until I show the canvas ...

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“The Perfect Self Portrait” by Chrissy Murray

Submitted to Contest #225

They took Tobias’ brush away. Then it started, this obsession. Unbothered, he continued smearing the paints with anything available, especially his hands. His palms were slowly saturating with colors that could never fully be washed off, no matter how hard he scrubbed. Even at the mere age of ten, he outshined so many of his tutors. Never failing to impress with his untempered skill. A child prodigy they said, amazed by the things he could create. He’d disagree. He wasn’t good at art, he was art, and he embodied it with his entire being. Som...

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“Painting the Name” by Štěpán Kat Cenek

Submitted to Contest #225

“Sorry, sir, but this is an exclusive night for invited art society members only. I have to ask you to leave.“ Arthur's heart stopped. “But I am…” he tried to mumble, but the gallery director did not let him. “I am really sorry, sir, but as I have said, this event is for invited gents and gals, not for people like you.” Arthur couldn't say anything and turned into a rainy street. He checked once more to see if someone would recognize him, but nobody even looked at him. It was not the first night he was not recognized. Ble...

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“Yellow” by Fox Ferguson

Submitted to Contest #225

[Trigger warning: mental health, suicide/self-harm]The brief at the night school class is clear: Paint a self-portrait in monochrome. I choose yellow.It sits there between green and orange on the art teacher’s colour wheel. He spins the paper circle and all the colours briefly blur to white.I choose yellow because it is the colour of happiness and sunshine. The colour of the sunflowers in the Van Gogh painting the teacher showed us. Yellow flowers in a yellow vase on a yellow table against a yellow wall. The colour of butter and comfort. The...

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“I'll be Seeing You” by Sailor Mueller

Submitted to Contest #225

“I’ll be seeing you, In all the old familiar places,”Billie Holiday’s voice crooned through the vinyl.I tore the sheet from my notebook, crumpled it in a ball, and threw it across the room. Putting my hand to my forehead, I leaned in closer to the paper and began to trace the lines again.“I’ll be seeing you, In every lovely summer’s day,”I scanned the photograph in front of me, taking note of each detail: every crease, every angle, and every nuance in the lighting.I do not know how long I sat there for. I do not know how many minutes ticked ...

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“I am my Own Muse” by Quinn Bonds

Submitted to Contest #225

!Author's Notes! Before you read, please note that I am Canadian. I use the British English spelling of words. They are not spelt wrong, they are just a slightly different dialect. I am also a minor and therefore not a professional just yet, so I am very much open to constructive criticism on my story. Thank You! "I am my Own Muse" Quinn R. Bonds Muses are known to be sought out and picked by beauty alone. But the artist will never experience love and an understanding of their anatomy to an intimate level like muse knows. The artist is ...

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Write a story about someone trying to paint (or otherwise create) a self-portrait.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 66 stories

“Up and coming” by S Fevre

“Blank” by Kaito Ikari

“A Self Portrait” by Keoki Nunies

“Art Imitates Life ” by Olivia Hetu

“The Creative Process” by Matt Plyukhin

“Echoes of the Canvas” by Dominik Rainer

“Marianne, on the wall” by Lizzie Corrado

“Reflections From Near the Grave” by Doris Booth

“Reflection” by Angelica M

“Self Portrait” by Daniel Kleba

“The Perfect Self Portrait” by Chrissy Murray

“Painting the Name” by Štěpán Kat Cenek

“Yellow” by Fox Ferguson

“I'll be Seeing You” by Sailor Mueller

“I am my Own Muse” by Quinn Bonds

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with someone buying a cursed — or perhaps blessed —mirror from an antiques store.

Write a story about someone coming across their doppelganger.

Write a story about a character who one day notices that their reflection has taken on a life of its own.

Set your story in a house of mirrors and make the atmosphere increasingly eerie.

Contest #225

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

282

Contest entries

106

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: