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Portrait Drawing & Painting(9-12)
Portraits introduces intermediate and advanced students to the fundamentals of portrait drawing and painting. They will learn how to render facial proportions using dry and wet media and create portraits of their classmates, themselves, and individuals who are meaningful to them. Students will refine their technical drawing and painting skills while developing their artistic and personal identities. They will think critically about the significance of the human figure in art throughout time, and its role in body image, interpersonal connection, memory, and power.
This course is structured to support students who have taken Foundations of Art and Design or an equivalent prerequisite. The mission of Portraits is to create a safe and affirming environment in which young artists of all ability levels have the opportunity to exercise their creativity, produce meaningful work, and discuss their art and the art of others. All lessons utilize scaffolding and are adapted to meet the needs of diverse learners.
Portraits meets National Standards and MA State Standards for secondary Visual Art (2019).
Students will:
Apply learned technical skills to create portraits in dry and wet media
Develop their artistic and personal identities
Think critically about human representation in art
Students will gain artistic proficiency by evidence of:
Idea generation, process, and strong studio habits
An ability to conceive content inspired by thematic ideas and the work of other artists
Skill in rendering human facial and figural proportions
Development of a personal style
Reflections on strengths and growth areas
Enduring Understandings:
Portraits can depict literal and symbolic representations of human beings
Portraits can communicate aspects of our identities and lived experiences
Portraits have been rendered in a variety of techniques, media, and styles throughout history
Essential Questions:
What counts as a portrait? (E.g., could a "found object" sculpture be considered a portrait?)
Who do portraits represent?
How do representations of the human figure affect our perceptions of ourselves?
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grade 11, 2021, Cambridge Rindge and Latin
Profile Portraits
How do artists capture an individual's unique likeness?
In this project, students practice drawing observational profile portraits of their classmates. They will learn about facial proportions and spend time closely looking at one of their classmates to study their facial features.
Frontal Portraits
How does art create human connection?
Students will exchange another portrait with their classmates by drawing a frontal portrait of them. They will continue practicing observational drawing while thinking about how artistic representations of others can build human connection. Students will look at the work of contemporary artist, Marina Abramoviç, whose work explores empathy, vulnerability, and human connection.
Expressive Portraits
How do portraits express emotion?
Students will apply their knowledge of value and color theory to create an expressive portrait of themselves, a classmate, or an individual who is important to them. They will think about how stylistic choices like color and line can convey moods and emotions in a subject. Students will use color, line, or value to create an expressive portrait in wet or dry media.
