To start off their
portraiture unit, fifth and sixth grade artists used pencil to draw their faces
from observation. Students picked an emotion and considered which parts of
their faces are important for showing how they feel. They also paid close attention
to the expressive qualities of the medium. Students’
drawings not only show their appearance, but also represent their personalities and emotions.
How can we show our inner selves through self portraits?
How does the material that we use change our drawing?
 |
| Self-Portrait in Ink, Grade 5 |
 |
| Self-Portrait in Pencil, Grade 5
When they
first tried to draw their faces with pencil, students were asked “ What parts
of your face are important for showing how we feel?” “What parts change? and how
do they change?” Students also considered which kinds of lines and shapes can be
used to represent those feelings. (This lesson was taken from the book “Observation
Drawing with Children” from Nancy Smith and the Drawing Study Group.)
 |
After drawing with pencil, artists used vine charcoal to draw their faces from observation. They learned to squint their eyes and notice the darks and lights on their faces. Students also experimented with smudging and using the side of their charcoal to see what kinds of marks charcoal can create.
 |
| Self-Portrait in Charcoal, Grade 5 |
 |
| Self-Portrait in Charcoal, Grade 6 |
The last medium was ink. Students explored building up washes and/or just using a bold line to draw the outlines of their faces in ink.
 |
| Self-Portrait in Ink, Grade 5 |
 |
| Ms. Ferreyros and Amelia with her self-portrait |
No comments:
Post a Comment