Androgynous Face

Androgynous Face, Digital Art, 2025

Androgynous Face, Linoleum Print, 1979

Androgynous Face, Pen and Ink, 1978

Left: Androgynous Face, Linoleum Print, 1979

Right: Androgynous Face, Pen and Ink, 1978

Androgynous Face, Digital Art, Green and Blue, 2025

Androgynous Face, Digital Art, Light Blue and Pink, 1979

Androgynous Face, Digital Art, Sky Blue, 2025

Androgynous Face, Digital Art, dark blue, 2025

Androgynous Face, Digital Art, multiple versions, 2025

In 1979 I had very little money - not enough for basics like rent, groceries and transportation, so none left over for good quality art supplies. My mother gave me a linoleum cutting tool set and some linoleum pieces for Christmas, so I decided to try making a linoleum cut of my drawing "Androgynous Face." The paper I had around was construction paper and other paper not intended for printing, so the prints were poor quality and I stashed them in a drawer for storage. Thirty three years later I found the artwork in storage and translated it into digital art using Adobe Illustrator. First I used Illustrator for iPad with the Apple Pencil to create a vector drawing that mimicked the look of the print. Then I used the Pathfinder tool ("minus front") to create a stencil from the face and then stamp it onto different backgrounds.

There is a modern assumption about gender that men have mustaches and women don't. However, this is not accurate. There are women who must shave in order to avoid displaying a visible mustache. In 1979 North America there were a number of women who did not conform to that and they were widely mocked and scorned for that, so ultimately it is very rare to now see a woman who identifies as "she" who is allowing a mustache to develop on her face. This "Androgynous Face" artwork includes the mustache but that's not supposed to help you decide, if you feel you need to, what gender this face represents. However, you can rest assured it is a human face.