Self Portrait, inspirational pieces, and questions

My inspirational pieces were 

1. Vincent Van Gogh's "Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat and Artist's Smock"

-Oil on Cardboard, 40.8 x 32.7 cm, Van Gogh Museum, 1887

2. Anselm Feuerbach- Self-Portrait

-Oil on canvas, 62 x 50 cm, Alte Nationalgalerie, 1873

3. Karl Bryullov Self-Portrait

-Oil on Canvas, 64.1 x 54 cm, The State Tretyakov Gallery, 1848

Photograph I used of myself to create my self-portrait.

1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces?
I chose the three inspirational pieces because they were all so nicely done.  The detail they used was fantastic.
2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?
I chose to go with a regular pencil because I wanted a sketch looking self portrait.
3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?
I realized that its much harder than it looks to create a good self portrait.  Mine really doesn't look anything like me because of my talent as an artist, but this was a good experience to try.
4. How does this piece represent you?
It does physically represent me at all, but it represents my effort to work towards making a portrait of myself.
5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?
I tried using emphasis, but my ability as a drawer didn't allow as much emphasis as I would have liked on my face.  I also differentiated between light and dark throughout my work.
6. Did you enjoy working on this project?
Yes, I did.  I now know the difficulty of creating an above average self-portrait and it was comical/a learning experience to work on this.
7. What do you think of your final artwork?
It was a nice try, but I wish it could have came out a little better.  Maybe I will let a good artist do a portrait of me next.