High School Portrait Unit

The introductory art course for high school is a combination of freshman and sophomore students. The class has a range of artistic abilities, from beginning to middle level.

It is now Term 2, and my class of nine has begun a portrait unit. For a beginning level art student, portraits can seem like a daunting challenge. We have been taking this step by step and so far my students and I have been pleased with the results!

To kick off the unit I had my class sit in separate parts of the room away from each other. They were given two or three small squares each. These squares all had something different on them. The students were to draw what they saw on those pictures onto blank squares that were provided.

On the back of each square there were numbers. When the students had completed their drawing, they were to stick their finished square on the corresponding number to a grid chart I had at the front of the room. Piece by piece their collaborative drawing was put together, until they could see what they had collectively made.

 This activity worked really well and got rid of some of the portrait "anxiety" that my students were expressing.

During the next class period, I had students bring in a photo of themselves. We discussed facial dimensions and proportions. Students were also given a handout with helpful drawing tips and reminders for certain facial features.

The students cut their photo in half however they preferred, and practiced drawing the other half with different shading techniques. They really did a great job and enjoyed completing these as well!

The students are now practicing a full portrait using the grid method. They brought in large photos of someone they admire and will complete the drawing using oil pastels. I will post them when they are finished! Well done high school!