Pencil Portraits 2013-2014

Students went through the same process as last year to create large-scale beautiful portraits of family members or friends in either pencil or charcoal.  They did not use a grid, but instead had to very closely observe all of the features comprising the particular face in their photograph. 
 

Portrait by Rachel F.

  
Once again we started with an oval, then the overall angle of the face and the placement of the middle line, and then basic face proportions.  This year I stressed from the start, using tracing paper and measuring areas of the face on the photograph, using lines and tick marks, and then comparing/enlarging those same measurements on the 18" by 24" paper.  In this way the students could check to see if what they drew was happening mathematically. If not, they made adjustments in order to be more accurate in proportion.  

 
 

After closely observing and measuring and drawing all of the facial features, the 2nd battle was to use values to recreate the subtle lights and darks in the photo in order to make the features appear 3-Dimensional.  





Some of the students also chose to add limited color to their portrait using watercolor or colored pencils.

Portrait by Ana G.

 This is a very difficult project because it requires so much patience, and re-drawing and re-measuring and close observation.  It also means I am doing a lot of step by step demonstrations which is unusual in my classroom.  In the end, students are generally very proud of their work.  To create a realistic drawing of a person is something most of my students want to be able to accomplish, and that is why this project will probably come around every year.  It is a desired skill even if it is not a very creative act. 



Please look at last year's post if you want a more detailed description of the process.  I wanted to highlight some of the portraits from this year.  The photos don't do justice to the subtle and meticulous shading in some of these!

Self Portraits

Portrait by Prue M.

 Moms and Dads

Portrait by Shania

Portrait by Rafal K.

Portrait by Esmeralda L.

Portrait by Melissa S.

Siblings

Portrait by Elena S.

Portrait by Jose C.F.

Portrait by Stefanie J.

Portrait by Maddie M.

 

Portrait by Yaziria

Portrait by Kara T.

Portrait by Olivia S.

Friends

Portrait by Nancy P.

Portrait by Piotr R.

Family Friends

Portrait by Lilly A.

Grandmothers and Grandfathers (most from vintage photos)

Portrait by Gabriel F.

Portrait by Christy T.

Portrait by Alexandra

Cousins

Portrait by Vanessa C.

Monochromatic Paintings

For their first painting, students in Honors Painting approached a still life using only different hues of brown. They had access to two colors of paint plus white, and I asked them to look for all the different values in the still life, and try and capture them in this limited palette. 

 

For many of the students it was their first time using acrylic paint, as well as their first time trying to draw a still life from observation.  Other students have painted many times before. 
First, we talked about creating a strong composition by zooming in and making sure to create interesting negative space shapes.  Ideally, the subject matter (objects) should touch at least two edges of the composition. Students drew their composition on a gessoed toned board, using vine charcoal.



Next, students wiped away the tone of the paper with a rag, to plan out and observe where their highlights and lightest values would be.  This is a common technique used by oil painters, but I wanted the students to try it using acrylic. 

  
Next, students mixed colors for and painted the numerous values they were seeing.  The goal was to end up with AT LEAST 4 different values of paint on each object, and to capture a sense of the relative lights and darks within the composition- as in, this vase is darker overall than this pear.
 








In conjunction with this project, I shared images and videos with the students related to under paintings, and how (especially) oil painters have used under paintings for hundreds of years and beyond to set up a successful painting with contrast, and to save money on the more expensive colored pigments.

Pencil Portraits

Quite some time ago, students in Art One and Art Appreciation brought in an image of a person they love or admire.  I encouraged students to bring in an image of a family member because I knew it would keep them focused and dedicated to recreating the image.  Many students chose family members or friends,  others chose movie stars, politicians and inventors.   

Portrait by Maddeliene Z.

Portrait by Victoria D. of her grandfather.

 Although it is common for students to create gridded portraits as freshman, I wanted them to have the experience of trying to draw something realistically primarily from observation. 

To begin, I asked the students to stand over their large 18" by 24" paper and draw a large oval.  We discussed angles of the head and students made adjustments to their oval.  Next, I demonstrated drawing a different facial feature on each day, and students tackled them one by one through the amazing powers of observation and tenacity.

Portrait by Marissa V.  of her nephew.

Along the way, students practiced drawing facial features in their sketchbook, and used a variety of values to make them appear three-dimensional.

Next, we mapped out the proportions of the human face, and then they looked closely at their reference image, and slowly drew the eyes, nose and mouth.  Finally we added the ears and the shape of the hair. 

Students used tracing paper over their reference image to try and see the shapes of the facial features more clearly.  They also spent a lot of time measuring and comparing distances between features.

At last it was time to observe all of the value changes in the reference image, and add a sense of three-dimensionality to the face. 

Portrait by Oksana S.

Portrait by Ladijah H.

 

Portrait by Sophia E.

 Students closely observed their photograph throughout the process of drawing each feature, trying to capture a likeness to their reference photo.  I was so impressed by the persistence of my students and the caliber of the portraits.   Several students entered their portraits into the Scholastic Art Awards and won gold and silver keys as well as honorable mention.

Portrait by Myers of her grandfather