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| Self portraits of the same student from before and after the "Expressive Selfie Portrait" unit |
The ubiquitous self portrait unit may be the most universally dreaded time of the school year for art students. They stare at themselves in a mirror for days or weeks on end, struggling to draw their features correctly. This is especially difficult in middle and high school when their raging hormones, sporadic growth spurts, and ever-changing self image are impossible to predict or keep up with.
Then there is the development of our current teenage "selfie culture". Our students often seem to buy into the newer cultural norm of taking selfies for every occasion. These days there seems to be no bad time to take a selfie (or ten)!
Keeping this in mind, I have developed a self portrait unit that is more user-friendly to both students and teachers: the Expressive Selfie Portrait! All artwork shown was created by my 7th grade students.
Lesson Objective:
I
will be able to sketch and then render in gray scale a
self portrait that visually expresses meaning or feeling through facial
expression, angle, use of props, environment etc. This self portrait will be
based on a selfie I take for homework that clearly and intentionally shows/expresses an emotion.
So
that I
have
a better understanding of both how to draw the face using correct proportions
and how to use a full grayscale in the context of a portrait drawing
(incorporating your knowledge from a previous grayscale lesson)
I
will know I’ve got it right when I have produced a pencil-drawn self
portrait that displays good craftsmanship and a full range of tones from black
through white.
Pre-Measure:
Students should take one class period to draw a self portrait as accurately as possible in pencil. The teacher will retain this pre-measure for a concrete demonstration of growth achieved. The students love to see the big "reveal" at the end of the project!
Art Criticism:
Lead a describe, compare and contrast session with self-portraits from famous artists to choose from in very different styles. I like modifying educator Jorge Leive's version from his peopleartpeople culture and education blog.
Vocabulary:
Self Portrait- a portrait of an artist produced or
created by that artist.
Expressive- effectively
conveying thought or feeling
Homework:
Take
a no-filter
selfie that very clearly conveys a feeling/emotion through facial expression, angle, use of
props, environment, etc. It
must show your face- no blocking your features with props or your hands.
Try to make sure there is good contrast in the photo, as it will make
for a much more interesting project. You will be using this image of
yourself for the entire
unit as the
basis for your self portrait assignment. Send it to the teacher via email before (time) on (date) or print out a black & white, full-page, high-resolution copy for use in class.
* You can't expect quality results without thorough instruction! Show your students examples of selfies/pictures with good lighting showing clear emotions, both highlights and deep shadows, using the picture plane, taking background into account, etc.
Instruction: (approximately 15 class periods)
While instructional time varies by class depending on their needs, this is my approximate schedule based on daily, 50-minute periods:
1 class: pre-measure
1 class: Art Criticism: self portraits
1 class: Project introduction and homework (preferably a Friday so that they have a few days)
NOTE: in teaching the proportions, always start by breaking these complex structures down into simple shapes. Showing them how the shapes come together to create a more complicated form eases a lot of student (and teacher) frustration.
1-2 classes: Head proportions and shape
1 class: eyes- place emphasis on the underlying skeletal & muscular structure helps them a LOT
1 class: nose
1 class: mouth
1 class: ears, neck & shoulders
1 class: hair
3-5 classes: Independent working time with individualized teacher instruction, give how-to handouts to all students so that struggling students can catch up without having to wait for the teacher.
NOTE: the printed selfie should be visible at all times for the student to reference. In addition, all handouts should be present and easily accessible for quick reference.
Evaluation:
At the end of every lesson I give students a reflective self-evaluation. This sheet includes a tiered checklist of expected behaviors and project requirements as well as a component where they write a few sentences about what they could have done differently with the project and what I as a teacher could do to improve the project for the next time I teach it.
In addition to the self-evaluation, I do a "reveal" day, where they see their pre-measure self-portrait and their expressive self portrait side-by-side. If the class as a whole has done a really good job or showed enormous dedication this day can be made into a mini-reveal party. I also have students reflect in writing on the process of getting from one skill set to the other and I encourage them to take selfies with their expressive selfie portrait!Resources:
Over the years I've created a lot of my own resources that touch on at least two of Howard Gardener's multiple intelligences. When you demonstrate and talk them through the process you can reach even more students during demonstration. Below are a few of the hand-outs I've developed for my students!
What have you done to make a really tough or dreaded lesson more user-friendly?
Comment on my blog to share your tips and tricks!
Comment on my blog to share your tips and tricks!
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