Portraits 

Teaching Team Members: Tanvi Kulkarni 

Age or Grade Level: 5th - 8th  grade

Duration: 1.5 hours for 3 days

Visual Arts Content / Standards

6.1.2.5.1- Demonstrate the characteristics of the tools, materials, and techniques of various two-and-three dimensional media for intentional effects in original artworks.

Overview of Project

In this project, students create a three-dimensional structure of a human face, explore facial features and proportions, and address abstractions using cardboard and colored paper in the creation of a portrait of family or friends. 

“Big Ideas”/ Essential Question(s)

  • What is a portrait or/ what does a portrait tell?

  • What is the relationship between abstraction and realism? 

  • What are art and craft? Or how are art and craft related?

Student Outcome Objectives

 Students will:

  1. Explore proportions in the facial structure by measuring the distance between the  eyes, nose, ears and other facial structures. 

  2. Move portraiture from 2D to 3D form

  3. Craft a mask considering content, feature proportions, color through a handbuilt and painted mediam

Prior Knowledge

Students will need basic drawing and cutting skills.

Lesson Preparation Timeline

Saturday, Dec 28, 2020 - Cut boards for masks into 4 pieces ( 24 pieces total ) 

Examples of Artwork

contemporary-portrait.com/gallery.html 

artnet.com/artists/chuck-close/self-portrait-a-fQPIdxPeuXbDU73uPua7Mg2

Additional Resources

The Salvidor Dali Salad by Red Grooms https://collections.artsmia.org/art/7629/dali-salad-ii-red-grooms

https://img.fireden.net/ic/image/1517/12/1517120281109.jpg

Raja Ravi Varma https://www.mid-day.com/articles/gita-uplekar-the-girl-in-glow-of-hope-painting-dies-at-the-age-of-102/19860166

Assessment

How did abstraction help to understand the human facial structure?

How did three-dimensional paper form help to understand light and shadow?

 Materials

Cereal box board - 12 X 18 inches 

Acrylic/ oil pastel colors 

Brushes

Glue

Drawing paper

Drawing utensils

Erasers

Scissors 

Matt knives and self-healing matte or cardboard to cut on

Learning Activities and Timing

Day 1  ( total: one and a half hour )

  1. 10 min:  Greet students, and introductions: Discussion about portraiture which will include questions like, have they done portraits before? What do they notice in portraits? Talk about proportions, Show the references of portraits:https://boards.fireden.net/ic/thread/3291354, https://collections.artsmia.org/art/7629/dali-salad-ii-red-grooms.  See if there are any immediate questions. 

  2. 15 min: Introduce the project to the students: Demo of drawing portrait. Help them with proportions 

  3. 1 hour: Work Time: Drawing portrait on the board.

  4. 10 min: Clean up

Day 2 ( total: 2 hours)

  1. 10 min: Revise what we did in the last session. Share portraits drawings in the classroom.

  2. 15 min: Introduction the portrait painting: Demo of portrait painting. Discus about the light source.  https://www.mid-day.com/articles/gita-uplekar-the-girl-in-glow-of-hope-painting-dies-at-the-age-of-102/19860166

  3. 1 hour:  painting 

  4. 5 min: Clean up

Day 3 ( total:  1 hour )    

  1. 15 min: Revise the process and share of painted portraits in the classroom. 

  2. 10 min: Demo of cutting painted portrait to make it three-dimensional.

  3. 15 min: Cut portraits and glue them by overlapping the cut section.

  4. 15 min: Arrange all the portraits together and install them on the wall/ surface. 

  5.  Reflection: How did you measure facial proportions? What is a craft and what is art for you in this process? What did you enjoy the most and why? 

  6. 5 min: Clean up - Install all the portraits on the wall.

•Adapted from the http://www.cesnorthwest.org/essential_questions.htm Northwest Coalition of Essential Schools