130-Self-Portraits-Grades Pre-K & Up, Lesson Plan

Self-portraits are the kind of art lesson that should be done every year. If you are a classroom teacher, have your students make a self-portrait at the beginning of the year (and save it!) and one at the very end of the year (which will be soooo much better!). Another idea which is a little more work is to save a self-portrait every year and give the portraits to graduating students. There is no better way to see artistic growth.

Aims: To begin (or continue) to observe the human face
To explore paint mixing and application

Materials & Tools:
drawing/painting/watercolor paper
pencil, eraser
sharpie marker
mirror
watercolors*
soft brushes
water can

* You may prefer to use tempera for this project

Procedure:
With small children I talk about what’s on a face and generate a lively discussion while drawing an example on a whiteboard or large pad. This age may not be ready to use tempera paint in a portrait, so you may want to let them use crayons, craypas or sharpie markers with watercolors instead. (Older kids could also use these materials.) Markers look messy and scratchy, so don’t use them for portraits.
With older students we go over the face in more detail, with mirrors in hand. Some ideas I bring out are:
Your head is not round like a ball
Your neck is not like a popsicle stick
Your eyes are not at the top of your head
Your eyes are just above the middle
Your eyes are not round; they are more almond shaped
You don’t usually see all of your round iris at once
You have eyelids, so draw them
Add your eyebrows, too
Your nose is not a hook
Make parentheses, a snake, shade the ends of the snake and add two lines to show that your nose is 3D
Your ears do not stick out and they are probably lower down than you think
Your mouth has a wavy line that is made when you close it
You have “two mountains” on top of that line
You have a “boat” underneath it

Add a background that has meaning if you wish. (Your pets, your friends, a place you love, a fantasy place, a background from a favorite book, etc.) When drawing, I encourage sketching lightly so students can make changes. Next they can darken their lines if they want to.
Painting:
Paint the skin first. To mix skin I have students make orange and water on the tray, combine them and add brown as necessary. You have to do this gradually until you get the right color. Watercolors will dry lighter. (Acrylic will dry darker).

Painting is a layering process. Work on the background or hair while the skin is drying. Change the water often and keep your paints and brushes clean. Wash off your lid as needed.

Reflection:
Share the work by displaying if possible. Maybe make a sign: Guess Who We Are!