PORTRAITS OF FRIENDS OR CHARACTERS:
Students will consider the personalities of their friends as they attempt to convey those traits in a painting. A poem is also assigned with this lesson plan; you may wish to use acrostic name poems for younger grades, or simply to have a brainstorming session where students will list character traits of the person who they are drawing. For a back-to-school theme with this activity, have students interview a classmate, writing up the interview questions and answers of course, and then having them sit for each other in a portrait exercise. To connect the same lesson plan to language arts, students can do a portrait of a character for a novel you are reading; make sure they list possible character traits to define their characters before beginning their drawings or paintings.
(K-12)
COMPLEMENTARY COLOR PORTRAITS:
Only two colors are used in this portraiture art lesson, and they must be complementary colors. Pattern is also introduced, but it's the drama of the complementary colors that makes the artwork here so appealing. Create a classroom or hallway display with the finished portraits. (K-5)
SHADOW PORTRAITS:
These portraits turn out beautifully, and are fairly easy to create. Students will work together (in pairs works great) to trace silhouettes, then cut them out onto repeating patterns of white and black construction paper for drama. Early elementary teachers can do the tracing if you want to try this lesson plan with younger grades, and then display the silhouettes on a get-to-know-you bulletin board. (K-8)
ALL ABOUT ME EGYPTIAN STYLE:
It's fairly straightforward to look at ancient Egyptian art and describe its characteristics; make sure you include several examples for students to analyze. They will create their own portraits, Egyptian-style in this set of five art and social studies lesson plans. They accompany a unit on Ancient Egypt wonderfully; terms are included. Make sure you include your students' work in an Open House or History Fair display. (2-6)
SELF-PORTRAIT SHIELDS:
Students will look at how ancient Greeks used shields to define who they were (consider the shield descriptions of each of the major warriors in The Iliad), and then create symbols and representations for what is important in their own lives in this creative and unique self-portrait lesson plan - great for a back-to-school and Open House Night project. (2-7)
PAINT A PORTRAIT OF YOUR FAMILY:
Students will consider the reasons behind the popular portraiture method of painting families, examining a few works of art. They will analyze the technique and approach (casual, formal, etc.) and then imagine that they were commissioned to paint portraits of their own families. What kinds of criteria will guide them? You may wish to have them list and develop their criteria first. (3-8)
CUT PAPER SELF-PORTRAITS:
Starting with clear paper and mirrors, where students sketch what they see in the mirrors, then cutting and quickly moving to a more expressionist self-portrait. Students will thoroughly enjoy the freedom involved in creating these self-portraits - a great Open House Night project. (3-12)
CREATE A SELF-PORTRAIT BOX:
What types of objects best describe oneself? That will be a question addressed in this art lesson plan, where students will use different objects to display a meaningful "Me" box; the artful assembly and arrangement of those objects, of course, also counts. (3-12)
PAINT A PORTRAIT:
[Link2] [Link3]
How do artists choose to present themselves to the world? What are their attitudes, and what are they trying to say about themselves? These questions will be analyzed as middle school students investigate three different artists, and then express themselves in their own self-portraits. Use the 2nd link above to access the correct link to the Self-ish Subjects Exhibit, while the 3rd link will offer further studies in portraiture, from the Smithsonian. (5-7)
PORTRAIT DETECTIVES:
[Link2] [Link3]
How can students analyze a portrait? Start with close observation of all the details, create a list of possible purposes for the painting, look at the unique features, and try to put it all into a cultural perspective. This lesson plan is recommended for grades 1-4; it seems perhaps more applicable to grades 4-8, or gifted early elementary students as they must analyze, detail, and interpret in writing the portrait details. Rubrics and terms are included in a total of 5 lesson plans, covering Identifying and Understanding Portraits, Using Questions to Analyze Portraits, Culture and Portraits, and Creating a Portrait. (3-9)
DRAW A SELF-PORTRAIT:
Tips are offered for students to take a good look at how their unique physical properties are arranged - for instance, where are their eyes actually located on the face (rather than where we assume we should put them)? They will also include additional objects that tell something more of the story of who they are and what is important to them. (4-12)
PERSONALIZED LICENSE PLATES:
I love this lesson plan, particularly at the beginning of the school year, where students will have a chance to individualize and design their own personal "license plates", telling the world who they are and what they're all about. (5-12)
PORTRAIT TRIPTYCHS:
I have actually tried this lesson plan with students and it turned out beautifully, with much enthusiasm on the parts of the students. Students will create self-portraits on three different, connected panels, in realist, impressionist, and abstract styles. The focus on the different styles allows the students not only to be introduced to those art techniques, periods, and interpretations, but also to translate who they are within the freedom and guidelines of those styles, in three different ways. A link for Artcyclopedia is included to research different artists within those styles for background research, examples, and inspiration. (4-12)
ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAITS:
Link this art lesson plan to your reading selections, introducing the elements of setting and character and how they relate to each other. Students will create photographic portraits that include environmental expressions and elements; consider having them interview classmates and then create a photo-environmental portrait of this person. Display them all for an Open House project for middle to high school. Alternatively, have students pose as characters in novels, featuring an appropriate setting to surround that character with clues and elements that allow interpretation of that character's actions within the story. (7-12)
POINTILLIST PORTRAITS:
Find instructions here to use digital cameras, carbon paper, markers, and watercolors to create your own pointillist portraits. You may wish to take a look at Seurat's pointillist works first to get an idea of the style. (6-12)
DIGITAL SELF-PORTRAITS:
[Link2]
Andy Warhol is one of the more famous modern examples of manipulating photos to create unique portraits. In this lesson plan, students will download a digital photo and then manipulate it to express something unique about themselves. Doing a panel of four or more multiple portraits will increase the drama of the finished art. (7-12)
WIRE SELF-PORTRAITS:
[Link2]
I love these self-portraits, and hope to try one of my own. Students will use wire (try hardware stores) and pliers to craft a metal self-portrait; you may wish to check the kinetic sculptures of Alexander Calder for inspiration - he reportedly kept pliers in his pocket and a ready supply of wire to make sculptures wherever he went - even dinner parties (I wish I could have attended one!). You can access an online exhibit of Calder's works from the National Gallery of Art at the 2nd link above. (7-12)
SELF-PORTRAITS IN ART & WRITING:
This lesson plan begins with an inquiry into why artists create self-portraits, or why writers pen autobiographies, letters, and journals. Works are taken from major artists; students will analyze the works by carefully taking a look at each artist in an excellent, interactive and guided tour. The artist's letters and journals are also examined, and students will respond to questions. These series of investigations lead students to understand the art of self-inquiry and representation, and they will then proceed to replicate the artist's styles in a set of student worksheet exercises, including written responses to works - an outstanding tour not only through the masters, but an inquiry into human nature and ourselves as well. (7-12)
ARCIMBOLDO SELF-PORTRAITS:
[Link2]
We covered self-portraits previously, but I just found this one on Judy Decker's art site and had to include it. Guiseppe Arcimboldo painted during the 16th century, with wildly imaginative and strangely beautiful portraits. Use the 2nd link above for his Autumn portrait. Your high school students can imitate this style with their own self-portraits, including items that are important to them. Criteria for assessment are included. (9-12)
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