Self Curriculum Integration:
Biology, Health/PE, Health Occupations

 Concepts 
NC Course of Study Objectives: 21st Century Skills:
  • Self Portraits
  • 6.03 C.1, C.3
  • Drawing the Human Face
  • 1.04 B.1, B.4
  • Drawing realistically
  • 2.04 B.2
  • Contrast
  • 3.02 B.3

    I didn't know most of these names... Did you? What message does this portrait convey?



     Skills 

    • Drawing accurate facial proportions

    • Drawing accurate body proportions

    • Computer file management



     Artists 

    • Jan Vermeer - 1632-1675 - the Netherlands
      - for reference: the first permanent settlements in North Carolina were started around 1650.
      - a painter of the 'Dutch Golden Age', famous for the way he used light and color to make warm, friendly pictures of everyday life in Holland at that time.

      The Milkmaid Girl with a Red Hat Head of a Girl in a Turban

    • Van Gogh - 1853-1890 - Dutch, but lived in France
      - for reference: the U.S. Civil War was 1861-1865
      - One of the most famous 'Impressionist' painters
      - used brushstrokes to create motion in his paintings
      - cut off his ear after an argument with Paul Gaugin

      Self portrait Starry Night - classic impressionist style painting Self portrait after he cut his ear off

    • Andy Warhol - 1928-1987 - United States
      - for reference: the Vietnam War was from 1959-1975
      - a leader of the POP Art movement in the 1960's and 70's
      - painted Campbell's soup cans, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis

      Portrait of Marilyn Monroe Self portrait



     Words We'll Use 

    • 2-Dimensional: Artwork created on a piece of paper or other flat surface.

    • 3-Dimensional: Anything that is not flat, that takes up space, that uses the x,y, and z axis.

    • Contrast: The amount of difference between the values - the lights and darks - in a photo or artwork.

    • Creative Thinking: Able to see and make things in a new or different way.

    • Expression: Conveying ideas, feelings or meanings through art (visual, written, music, dance, etc).

    • Facial expression: Conveying ideas, feelings or meanings by flexing different muscles in the face.

    • Hatching: Using closely spaced lines to create shadows or shapes in a drawing.

    • Image: A picture of something. Can be visible or in the mind.

    • Modeling: Making objects look very 3-dimensional in a drawing.

    • Photography: Producing images by using chemicals that are sensitive to light. The chemicals can be in film, on paper, or on other materials.

    • Portrait: Artwork that shows the face or figure of a person.

    • Profile: A view of something from the side.

    • Self-Portrait: A portrait the artist makes of him/herself - or - any artwork the artist creates to tell the audience about him/herself

    • Silhouette: A view of something that shows the shape but no interior details - often done in black.

    • Still Life: An arrangement of inanimate objects.

    • Stippling: Using dots to create shadows or shapes in a drawing.




     Projects 
    • Photography - Making a Portrait

    • Pastels - High-Contrast Self Portraits

    • "I'd rather be..." - live your dreams through photo-manipulation in Photoshop

    • Collage - cut and glue pieces out of magazine photos to create a picture representing you and your interests



     Keeping Busy 

    • Practice drawings of eyes, nose, mouth, using shadows to make them realistic

    • Practice drawing faces using correct facial proportions

    • Practice drawings - Find a phot of a face, and look at it upside down while you draw it



     Enrichment 

    • Video: The Human Face

    • World Music - Greek video of faces



     Homework/Makeup Work 

    • Draw 3 simple portraits (20 minutes each) of friends, family members, or people in your neighborhood. Think about the things that make each face unique - what makes each face special and different from others?

    • Values in painting Cut out a picture of an active person or animal. Trace the outline on a sheet of paper. Then draw lines parallel to the outline, getting further apart as they go toward the edge of the paper. Paint the spaces with a progressive value scale, starting with a light value and working towards black. This will create a feeling of vibration in your painting.

    • Make a poster illustrating any of the concepts, words, or artists from this unit.

    • Facial expressions Cut out 10 pictures of faces from magazines. Each face should show a clear, distinct emotion, such as: anger, love, surprize, fear, disgust, sadness, boredom, happiness, etc.
      Tape or glue each picture to a piece of paper. Label each picture with its emotion.

    • Facial features Cut out 3 pictures of noses (as big as possible) from magazines, newspapers, or off the Internet. Paste them neatly on a piece of paper. Below each picture use hatching, stippling or other modeling techniques to draw each nose. Draw light and shadow to make your drawings create the illusion of 3-dimensions as much as possible.
      - On another sheet, do the same for 3 mouths.
      - On another sheet, do the same for 3 eyes.

    • Make a self-portrait collage Cut out pictures from magazines of things you like - your hobbies, your style, your favorite foods, etc. Place them on a sheet of 11 x 17 paper in a composition that represents you and is attractive and interesting. Glue them down neatly.

    • Look at the surveys at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/index_surveys.shtml. Write a short description of one you did, and the results you got.