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Lesson Plan Image

Step by Step Portraits

Students will learn about facial proportions and create a portrait of a classmate.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Our bodies have a symmetrical look to them. Faces exhibit facial bilateral symmetry, typically defined as fluctuating asymmetry, meaning there are small, random deviations away from perfect bilateral symmetry. Have students explore this and other concepts of symmetry that refer to the face such as systematic, directional asymmetry and aurofacial asymmetry.

  • Step 2

    Discuss some of the facial proportions artists use when creating portraits. For example, the eyes are approximately halfway down the head, the space between the eyes is approximately the width of an eye, and the corners of the mouth line up with the pupils of the eyes. Ask students to form pairs. Have them sit across from each other and observe the symmetry and proportions of their faces. Then have them take turns sketching a portrait of their partner.

  • Step 3

    Have students present their portraits and discuss the process of creating proportional facial features. What surprised them about the process? What changes would they make to the portraits they drew, if any?

Standards

ARTS: Explore and invent art-making techniques and approaches. 

MATH: Create models that demonstrate math concepts and attend to precision.

Adaptations

Have students look in a mirror and create a self-portrait. They can embellish their portrait by adding words that describe themselves. 

Ask students to explore portraits painted by famous artists and discuss some of their characteristics. Suggestions include "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci (have them note his use of sfumato, a technique that involves blending colors and tones without discernible transitions or lines, which creates an almost ethereal appearance), "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Johannes Vermeer (have them note the contrast between the subject and her surroundings, drawing attention to her face and the eponymous pearl earring), "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird" by Frida Kahlo (have them note the vibrant colors and iconic images that signify her Mexican heritage), or any  of Picasso's asymmetrical portraits.