131--Moving Eyeballs Portrait Lesson Plan

Moving Eyeball Portraits--Grades 2 (with help) and up

A variation on the well-worn self-portrait lesson. I developed this after I did a haunted house for my elementary school many years ago in which I made a painting of the principal and had her eyes move to scare the children.

Aims:
•To learn about the self-portrait genre
•To learn how to make a self-portrait
•To teach children that a portrait can be interactive

Materials and Tools:
sheet of oak tag or bristol board
length of oak tag 8” longer than the width of the self-portrait
piece of oak tag about 4” high and same length as width of portrait
pencil, eraser
sharpie marker
watercolor
watercolor brush
water can
masking tape
pointed scissors
Optional: colored pencils and small mirrors
Procedure:
You’ll want to explain the difference between portraits and self-portraits. It would be a good idea to have several examples of each to show your students. Next, explain that they are going to be creating self-portraits that will do something funny, but don’t tell them ahead of time. Let it be a surprise!
First, depending on the age of the student, you’ll want to make sure that the portrait is large enough to have the eyeballs cut out. Next explain the difference between what they might think a head looks like and what it actually looks like. If you have mirrors available, distribute them at this point. The head is not round, it is oval or egg-shaped. Your neck is not a lollipop stick; it is thicker. Eyes do not grow out of the top of one’s head; they’re just a tad above the middle. They are almond-shaped and you usually don’t see the whole of the iris; part of it is normally hidden. Be sure to put in eyelids and eyebrows, too. The nose is not a hook or a pig nose; use the steps I showed in class (parentheses, snake, shade in ends of snake, two light lights to create bridge of nose). When doing the lips, it’s easy to teach kids to draw the line where they meet when closed, which is usually wavy followed by a mountain range on top and a boat underneath. Remember to explain that everyone’s mountains, boats, snakes, etc. are different and it is important to observe what theirs looks like.
Have them add ears, hair and other details. The background can also be personalized with a place they love or something they love doing or friends, pets, etc.
Next they should go over their lines with sharpies. Then they can paint the portrait. Skin colors are mixed on the palette part of the paint box, which is the open lid. First, “wake the colors up” by making a puddle in each paint pad. Then take orange and put it on the palette. Add some clean water. Then add a bit or brown, little by little until the color seems right. For darker skin, keep adding brown. The color will dry lighter on your paper, so plan accordingly. Avoid caterpillar lips and the like by not painting over another color until it is absolutely dry. I demonstrate what not to do and kids get the point quite quickly. Watercolor goes into paper like apple juice into a white shag carpet and if you add grape juice it will all mix around together.
When dry, you can go over with more watercolor or add another media like colored pencils.
Next cut out the almond shape of the eyeballs. Place the 4” piece of oak tag on the back of the picture, just above the empty sockets. Tape on top and bottom to form a pocket. Next, slide in the long piece of oak tag and center it with 4” on each side sticking out. Draw the irises in, not as circles, but as parentheses. Add the pupil. Pull out and finish the circles of the eyes and color in. When dry, slide back in and move back and forth and up and down to create funny looks.


Reflection:
Share the work. Guess who the portraits are of, etc.

Follow-up:
Student could do moving eyeball portraits of animals, family members, school personnel, etc.