Her self-portrait displays Kylie in all her vulnerability.

She expects her work will be criticised and judged.

"As artists, we basically bare all to people. People stand there and they criticise and judge us in the galleries," she said.

"It's a nude work [her entry] and I am baring all in the sense I am in the nude. However, I am not baring all where I am standing, just going here I am.

"I am still vulnerable and holding back."

The Archibald Prize is awarded annually to the best portrait, "preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia".

This open competition is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW.

Kylie has not done sittings before and therefore decided her entry would be a self-portrait.

She did a lot of sketches and looked online for the exact pose she wanted.

The pose had to suit the story she wanted to tell.

It took her a few attempts to get the pose she wanted.

"I tried with my head up and my head down and with my head at different angles," the Ulladulla resident said.

"However, I thought the most interesting angle that would start a lot more talk would be to have my head down."

She will publicly be allowed to announce if her work is one of the finalists on September 17.

Kylie won't be disappointed if her work is not one of the finalists.

"My goal was not to win or to be a finalist. My goal was to enter the Archibald and it was my childhood dream. Now I have and I achieved my goal," she said.

The talented artist said next year she may venture out and paint a famous face.

Kylie says she is willing to learn her craft and just tries to stick to her own style.

"Every painting can turn out different," she said.

She likes to experiment with tones and colours and now has been painting between six to seven years.

The local resident was getting lessons at Milton's House of Jules with Julie Sydenham and just focusing on her drawings - she always loved to draw.

Julie challenged Kylie to paint a painting and enter it into a local exhibition.

"I said 'Julie I have never painted," Kylie said, recalling the start of her painting career.

Kylie took up the challenge and her entry was awarded second place - close to seven years ago.

"I have always loved portraits ever since I was a little girl," she said.

"I learned I could paint and have been painting, painting and painting ever since."

She had one local exhibition, as part of Artfest, some years ago.

Painting gives her lots of happiness and fulfilment.

She loves giving her paintings away to people, particularly if the portrait has special meaning for the recipient.

"It just makes me very happy," she said.