Social Studies/Visual Art Lesson

Title of Lesson: Proportions of the Face

Fractions: Halves, fourths, and eighths

Math Concepts/Vocabulary:

Whole, one-half, one-fourth, one-eighth, one-fifth

Estimation
Horizontal
Vertical
Symmetrical
Center

Art Concepts/Vocabulary:
Sketch
Portrait
Materials Needed:

Pencils
Drawing paper
Scratch paper for sketching
Optional: ruler, paint, crayons, chalk, and oil pastels

Procedure:
Discuss with the students the math concepts/vocabulary they are going to learn
or practice in this lesson (see concepts/vocabulary on page one).
Note to the teacher: Did you know that the face is a perfect math lesson? The face,
which starts at the top of the head and not at the forehead, is vertically symmetrical,

and can be easily divided into the fraction family of one-half, one-fourth, and oneeighth.
Pass out the scratch and drawing papers. Have the students draw a large oval
on the drawing paper
o Lightly sketch a vertical line down the middle of the oval at its line of
symmetry (center).
o Measure or estimate half the distance between the top and the bottom
of the oval and lightly sketch a horizontal line across the oval half way
between the top and the bottom of the oval. (This is called the eye line.)
o Estimate how wide an eye should be and mark it in the middle of the
eye line. Divide the space on the line to the left and to the right of those
marks in half. The eyes will be drawn there to the left and to the right of
the center space.
o From this point forward, the oval will be referred to as the head.
o The eye. The eye is about one-fifth the width of the head. In the second
segment from the left and the second segment from the right, draw the
two eyes, including the iris, pupils, and eyelids. The pupils of the eyes
sit on the eye line.
o The nose. Estimate to find the half-way point between the eye line and
the bottom of the chin. This is one-fourth the way up the vertical line of
symmetry. Sketch a horizontal line here. This line marks the bottom of
the nose and is called the nose line. Draw the nose onto the oval so
that the widest part of the nose is as wide as the space between the eyes
and rests on the nose line centered on the vertical line of symmetry.
o The lips. Estimate to find the half-way point between the nose line and
the bottom of the chin. Lightly sketch a horizontal line here. This line
marks the bottom of the lower lip and it is one-eighth the way up the
line of symmetry. Draw the lips so that the bottom lip rests on the
horizontal line. The mouth should be as wide as the distance between
the two pupils of the eyes.
o The ears. The ear begins at the eye line on the side of the head. Draw
the ear by curving a line up and slightly away from the head. Bring the
line down to just below the nose line. Curve the line up to the nose line
to create the earlobe. Draw both ears the same way. .

o The eyebrows. Beginning above the left side of right eye, draw a curved
line that arcs to the right and stops at outer of edge of the eye. Do the
reverse for the left eye. Sketch in the eyebrow to the desired thickness.
o The hair. Drawing the hair is the most difficult part for students to
understand. On most heads, the hair covers the top one-fourth of the
head and comes down the side of the head so that there are sideburns
in front of the ears. If the object of the portrait has long hair, it is
possible that the hair will cover the ears entirely. Many pencil strokes
flowing in the direction of the strands of hair give the hair a realistic
look.
o The neck. Beginning just below the ear on either side of the head, draw
a gently curving line down away from the head.
While the measurements and proportions are still fresh in the students minds,
repeat the lesson with the students estimating the measurements and
proportions so that the guidelines are not in the picture.
Add color to the face with chalks, crayon, or paints

Sponsored by a generous grant from the Bonner Family Foundation