Four Creative Approaches to the Self-Portrait

Four Creative Approaches to the Self-Portrait in a K-12 Art Program
Presented by Julia Healy
January 31, 2012

All four of these lessons are applicable to all ages. Kindergartners will, of course, need some assistance with assembly and will do the lesson at a more basic level than middle school or high school students.

It may be possible to integrate other subjects with these lessons and use the vocabulary of science (nostrils, philtrum, skull, iris, pupil, eye socket, etc.) or subjects such as self-esteem or storytelling through illustrative narrative. Adapt them any way you wish. You may even want to combine two of them into one project.

Watercolor Self-Portraits With Meaningful Backgrounds

When you want to have your students do more than just a self-portrait, a meaningful background might be the way to go.

Grades: K-12

Time Frame: 2-4 art periods

Aims/Goals:

To observe and learn about the human face and its characteristics

To tell a story through background clues

To explore watercolor techniques and learn how to use the medium successfully

Standards: 1, 2, & 3

Materials & Tools:

Heavy White Drawing Paper or Watercolor Paper 12 x 18” or larger
Individual Mirrors
Pencils, Erasers
Sharpie Markers (fine point)
Watercolors (I like Crayola 16-pan, NON-Washable watercolors)--Two students can share (With caveats!)
Watercolor brush/brushes
Coffee Cans filled with water almost to the top--Two students can share one can.

Motivation:

Examples of Portraits with Backgrounds such as the Da VInci’s Mona Lisa, Gauguin’s Self-Portrait with Yellow Christ, Grant Wood’s Portrait of Parson Weems and/or Frieda Kahlo’s Self-Portrait with a Bonito

Vocabulary (Will vary with age taught):

foreground, background, composition, story, narrative, proportion, symmetry, expression, eyes, eyelid, eyebrow, forehead, chin, cheek, nose, nostril, philtrim, lips, dimple, cleft, ear, lobs, skull, illusion,neck, shoulder, etc.

Rubrics:

You can use whatever rubrics might apply to your situation. For example, a simple 4-rubric chart works for younger grades. It might look like the following:

To get a 1, you must draw and paint a self-portrait with a background.
To get a 2, you must draw and paint a self-portrait and put in a background that tells a story.
To get a 3, you must draw and paint a self-portrait that has details such as an expression, eyelids and eyelashes, texture, etc.; and put in a background that tells a story.
To get a 4, you must draw and paint a self-portrait with good control that has details such as an expression, eyelids, eyelashes, etc.; put in a background that tells an interesting story and has details such as pattern, textures, and a sense of space.

Art History (if applicable):
See motivation above.

Procedure:

How you proceed will depend on what grade level you are teaching.

Period 1:

Make sure students know what a portrait is and what a self-portrait is. You could give them a quickie smartboard lesson and show a few examples and see if they can guess which are which. Show examples of portraits with backgrounds that tell a story. Create a discussion about what they can tell you just based on what they see in the background. What time of year is it? What time of day? Where does the picture take place? What is going on in it?

Next, explain to the students that they are going to make self-portraits and tell a story (real or imagined) in the background. Go over how one observes oneself in a mirror and do a quick demonstration. Teach them to work lightly (sketch), so they can erase and change their minds as they go. Show them your story idea for the background, and then let them work.

If they finish before the period is up, they can go over their lines with a fine (not ultrafine or extra fine) sharpie marker.

Period 2:

Note: This project may take longer, depending on the time management in your class and students’ attention spans.

Gather the students and tell them that once they have drawn their self-portraits and backgrounds, they should go over all their lines with a fine point sharpie marker. (No shading or coloring in--just lines.) Then demonstrate watercolor technique, being as dramatic as you need to be for your age-group. Make sure students understand how to get good skin color and how not to have fuzzy lips and such (wet on wet begets fur).

Have students paint the entire picture, using good watercolor technique, changing the water when necessary and keeping the paint pads clean.

Reflection/Assessment/Display:
As always, you want to have students self-assess and share their work. Use whatever instrument you normally employ for group and/or self assessment. The make sure the work is seen by the class in some way. Putting the self-portraits on display is, of course, good for sharing the work with the larger school community.