small and medium objects gathered from outside your home (leaves, rocks, plants, twigs, etc.)
two pieces of paper in different colors
pencil
scissors
camera (optional)
Academic Vocabulary and Pre-Art Activities:
VOCABULARY portrait: A portrait is a work of art that shows a face.
texture:As we know from previous lessons, texture is the way something feels to the touch. Textures may be bumpy, smooth, rough, squishy, rocky, fluffy, etc.
shapes and forms:Shapes are flat like a circle or a heart. Forms are three-dimensional like a sphere or a cube.
organic forms:Organic forms objects from nature that have an unpredictable or uneven shape that is three-dimensional, so not flat.
THINK and DO Activity: You will need to take a nature walk for this activity in order to gather some organic forms. You might take this walk in your neighborhood or in your yard.
Please make sure you have adult supervision for this walk. And don't forget to take a bag or tray with you to collect objects.
Think about the size, form and texture of the objects.
How might the size, form and texture of the objects you choose contribute to creating meaning as eyes, a nose, hair, etc.?
Make Art:
Step #1:
Take a nature walk outdoors.
Collect a variety of objects that have different sizes, textures and forms. When you return from your walk, lay out your collection so you can see what you have.
Step #2: Create the shape of a face and a background.
#1 - Get your materials ready.
#2 - Draw a large oval for the shape of the face.
#3 - Cut the oval out.
#4 - Place the oval on the background paper.
Step #3: Experiment!
Use different outdoor objects with different sizes, forms and textures to create portraits, pictures of peoples' faces.
They may be imaginary people or people you know.
Try making many faces.
You might even make your own face which is called a self-portrait.
Be sure to document your creations with a camera.
What personality does this face have? Why do you think that?
How did I use my materials to create a face?
You may also experiment with the side view of the portrait which is called the profile. Do you notice that you only see one eye in this view?
Follow-up Questions:
What was your favorite portrait you created and why?