YEAR 8

PORTRAITS GUIDE
 EYES
• THE PUPIL SHOULD BE THE DARKEST
AREA OF THE FACE
• THE IRIS MAY BE LIGHTER
• THE SURFACE OF THE EYE IS WET SO
WILL REFLECT THE LIGHT
• LOOK FOR SHADOWS AROUND THE
EYE – YOUR EYE IS SET INTO YOUR
HEAD WITHIN A SOCKET
 HOW TO DO……
• Tips on the LIPS
• Know your NOSE
• Care for the HAIR
• Look at those EYES
• SKIN ????? (a merit for the
best phrase)
Blending Primary Colours
(and RESERVING white)
 Lesson Objectives
• Use a mirror to observe
the detail of your lips.
• Using the primary
colours – blend them
together to create the
tones on your eyes, nose
and lips on the other half
of your drawing
• Remember your eyes &
lips may be darker than
your face – this depends
on your skin tone.
• Are you skilled with skin?
• Blend for cleansed skin?
• Win with your skin.
• Skin makes you grin.
• Put a wash on/Wash your skin for the
perfect tone
LIGHT AND SHADE ON THE LIPS
 LESSON OBJECTIVES
• EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT
MATERIALS ON YOUR PORTRAIT
• BEGIN YOUR FINAL PIECE WORKING
ON DARKEST AREAS FIRST
 Lesson objective
Understand your lips!
• Lips are very muscular and ‘curvy’
• The upper lip often appears darker as it is
in shadow because it curves inwards
• The lower lip catches the light so it may
look lighter and there is a shadow below
• Generally there is no strong outline
• Task: make an image of YOUR lips using
collage (you could pose with a spoon in
your mouth) Draw carefully first!
YEAR 8 PORTRAITS

HAIR
 LESSON OBJECTIVES
• TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO SHADE IN
THE HAIR
• TO RE CAP ON THE TONES AND
CONTOURS OF THE FACE
• TO LOOK AT THE WORK OF AN ARTIST
HAIR

• HAIR SHOULD BE
DARKER THAN
YOUR SKIN TONE
UNLESS YOU HAVE
VERY BLONDE HAIR
HAIR

• LOOK CLOSELY AT
WHERE LIGHT AND
SHADE FALLS ON
THE HAIR THIS WILL
GIVE IT VOLUME
HAIR
USE YOUR PENCIL IN
DIFFERENT WAYS
AND USE
CONTRASTING
COLOURS TO
CREATE TEXTURE IN
YOUR HAIR DRAWING
 HAIR
• We would like to make our portraits more
personal so be experimental with the hair
• Your could:
• PAINT
• COLLAGE WITH MAGAZINES
• DRAW
• COLLAGE WITH YOUR OWN PAPER
YOU HAVE MADE
 Lesson objective
Close up of your eye
• Your EYE AREA has many shapes and
textures (wet and shiny, ‘hairy’, etc.)
• You need to use TONE to show
3D/roundness otherwise it looks flat
• Ensure that the pupil and iris are ROUND
 Lesson objective
KNOW YOUR NOSE!
• Unless seen from the side (profile) the
nose has few obvious ‘edges’ so you need
to observe/draw the shadows it creates
• Think ‘areas of tone’ not ‘lines’
• Include highlights and deep tones
(especially if you see into the nostrils)
• Task: using primary colours only find 3
noses to copy from magazines or painted
portraits. Present and annotate
Rebeka - 'I painted my self-portrait just after my
return from Bangladesh, my personal migration.'
 Lesson Objective

View young artists like yourselves

• Interesting self portraits are made by
artists in all times, all cultures and of all
ages

• Their common link is that they can tell us

something about that artist
Ambia – ‘I am the Ice Queen’
 Lesson Objective
• Finish the face and hair
• Rub out all grid lines
• Paint in a very subtle background which
goes with your portrait (discuss with me)
• Begin printing
• REMEMBER ALL THE DETAILS OF HOW
TO PRODUCE A GOOD PRINT
 Lesson Objective
Read my face!
• Facial expression can tell us about you
• We could also include text as part of the
self portrait