2D Activity: Drawing Self Portraits
10 steps to help pupils
Firstly, remember that these are guidelines only. It is important to emphasise to children that a painted or drawn portrait is often very different from a photographic portrait, and that if you wanted photographic quality pictures you would have taken actual photographs! Drawings and representations by the pupils are far more interesting.
Portraits can take the form of all sorts of styles and it’s not always important for drawings to look ‘realistic’ but it is important to try and capture something about the person. Every face is very different and different people have very different features such as eye shapes, nose sizes, mouth length etc. These
basic tips will help children to understand the basic proportions of a face, and using this method can make the task less daunting. Finally, it is really important to emphasise that children must draw what they CAN see and not what they think they can see! Position children in front of a dry wipe
board (perfect as you can rub out), smart board or large piece of paper (flip chart is best ideally if there is no board). Sitting on the carpet works well for this activity. Before starting to draw, sit with children as a group and spend time discussing what faces look like. Make a checklist of the ‘things that you
find on a face’- eyes, eyebrows, eyelashes, eyelids, eyeballs, nose, nostrils, lips, teeth, ears etc. You can now start to draw on the board or paper (your picture does not need to be perfect but must record all features!). Ask pupils to look at their friends’ faces or feel their own faces at each stage.
