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RATIONALE
By Christy Lunde & Amy Robertson
Unit: Portraiture
Grade: Eight
We choose the unit of portraiture because we wanted to find a new approach to
teaching portraiture. From our past experiences we found the subject of portraiture a
very frustrating concept to learn since the focus was usually placed on realism and
proportion. Through out art history there has been a variety of portraiture using new
styles or different ways to approach portraiture. The main focus of the unit will be
incorporating various artists from art history which have questioned the purpose and
means to create portraiture. This idea of the variety throughout art history will become
the focus of our unit.
Various artists will be included through out our unit to reinforce the objectives of
each lesson, such as Frida Kahlo who involves her own physiological feelings and
personal expression in her portraits. Matisse made modern portraits using simplification
and vivid colors. Chuck Close uses the grid as structural component in the compositions
of his paintings and as a tool to create realistic proportions. Andy Warhol is incorporated
to introduce pop art, the simplification of line, color, and value. Picasso will be
introduced to briefly explain cubism, imagination, and abstraction.
We choose junior high because we wanted to focus on something that we could
use in our practicum. We felt that the junior high level could identify with the ideas of
self expression and identity which would capture their interest. The idea of portraiture
could be influential in their level of development since they are currently experimenting
with their own identity and ways of expressing themselves. In the first lesson the
students will create a collage reflecting their own interpretation of self expression. After
looking at different examples such as Frida Kahlo and Robert Rauschenburg the
examples will provide the students with the concept that there is more than one way to
create a collage about self expression.

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The second lesson would be introduced with a brief history of how portraiture
originated and with a discussion on how it is used today. The students will be walked
through the steps to create a portrait with realistic proportions. Even though we are
incorporating variety of different ways in future lesson to avoid the students from
focusing on the realistic, we feel that these skills should be introduced to the students for
future use. The third lesson will introduce pictures of Chuck Close, and the concept of
drawing from a grid to capture proportions. In this lesson and the previous lesson we are
introducing drawing tools that the students can use in their future work. The main
purpose behind the lesson is that everyone has their own drawing style and that realism is
not the only way to represent things.
The third lesson is the lesson which we choose to make a part of our micro
teaching lesson. We felt that this lesson could stand alone as its own lesson, since the
idea of the mural can be used with any subject matter. We choose not to use any images
at the beginning while introducing the lesson in order to play along with the mystery
mission idea. We were hoping that the limited information given to our classmates
would allow them to experiment the elements of art rather than focusing on representing
a human face.
In the fourth lesson Frida Kahlos integrate self portraits will be shown to the
class. Examples of portraits with plain backgrounds, and detailed backgrounds will be
compared and contrasted in a discussion. Students will have a chance to create their own
self portrait with the understanding that their own mood or self expression can be
expressed depending on how they represent the background. The fifth lesson will contain
brief ideas of what pop art was, and how Andy Warhol used dynamic colors, lines and
value in his portraits. In the sixth lesson the students will create their own portrait using
the computer as a tool. The lesson will focus on how the camera affected art and the
original purpose of portraiture. Students will view images of Picasso and will be
encouraged to experiment with abstraction and simplification. Overall, the lessons can
work well together since they provide the students with many examples of how
portraiture can be represented.

Annotated bibliography
Edwards, Betty. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc.
Los Angles, 1989.
This book is an excellent resource for any art teacher. We found this book
valuable because it broke down the major steps of drawing the human head in
realistic proportions. Even though through our unit on portraiture we are trying to
prevent realistic portraiture as being the major focus, it is still very crucial that the
students are introduce to the steps or rules of drawing portraits. This book
provides the secrets in gaining the basic skills in creating portraiture. These skills
are essential for artists to understand before they are able to redefine and explore
the definitions of portraiture.

Greenberg, Jan and Jordan, Sandra. Chuck Close Up Close. A DK INK Book, DK
Publishing, Inc. New York, 1998.
This is a great book examining Chuck Closes work and how he produces his art.
Closes use of the grid and arbitrary use of color when painting his images
became of interest to us while developing our unit. The chapter on What is a
portrait? assisted us in making the association between the variety of ways to
represent portraiture in art history and challenging the student to move beyond
trying to represent a portrait realistically.

Kettenmann, Andrea. Frida Kahlo. Taschen, Los Angeles, 2002.

This book was definitely the inspiration for our unit on portraiture. Both of us
were interested in finding a new inventive way to teach portraiture rather than
focusing on the realistic approach which we both were taught in school. Frida
Kahlos self portraits are very interesting and expressive paintings. This book
provided excellent examples of her self portraits which in turn we have

incorporated with our attempts at teaching portraiture. The book provides

Kahlos portraits from early in her career to those which become the foundation
of her career. The portraits are fundamental in our unit since they range from
typical traditional portraits to those which incorporate deep psychological
meanings and self expression. The book acted as a jumping off point too which
our ideas of how portraiture can be taught as a form of self expression.
Neel, Alice. Alice Neel Painting Portraits. Scholastic Art Magazine, March 2001,
Vol. 31, No 5.
The article Capturing Souls was of particular interest to us while developing our
unit. Neel believed that each person has an essential core of personality, and this
is what she tried to bring out in her portraits. This is what inspired us to design
lessons that help our students discover and express their essential core. This
allows the students to create work that is a reflection of who they are by making it
relevant and meaningful to them. Our first lesson in particular about the collage,
encourages students to consider who they are during their process of creation.
We were also influenced by Painting a Watercolor Portrait Create a portrait
that expresses the personality of both the model and the artist, a step-by-step
workshop included in the magazine. This is an excellent example to illustrate how
everyone has a unique style and approach to creating art. This gave us the idea of
doing a class project where everyones style can be celebrated and removes the
pressure to compete with ones peers.

Your Mission is
Use the paper provided to create a drawing which replicates the smaller squares on
your table. The smaller squares will be combined together in the end to create a
mural.
Your job as an individual is to en large the smaller square by drawing it on the
large rectangular piece of paper.
Focus on using different techniques incorporating color to reproduce the value,
line, texture, patterns, shapes which you see on the small square. You have 15
minutes to complete your mission otherwise this will self destruct

Your Mission is
Use the paper provided to create a drawing which replicates the smaller squares on
your table. The smaller squares will be combined together in the end to create a
portrait.
Your job as an individual is to en large the smaller square by drawing it on the
large rectangular piece of paper.
Focus on using different techniques incorporating color to reproduce the value,
line, texture you observe from the part of the portrait that you have. You have 15
minutes to complete your mission otherwise this will self destruct

Micro Teaching
Mission
Assignment two tables
Amy portraits
Christy abstract

Still on wall
Critique
What did you learn from this experience?
What did you experience while drawing?
What did you think or feel while drawing?
Explain the reasoning of the two separate instructions. Explain our frustrations.
Does anyone share these frustrations?
Lesson Plans
1 Lesson Christy
2 Lesson Portraiture
Introduce Frida Kahlo give examples of regular portraiture
- what its original purpose was how it is used today
Walk through main steps of proportion
- mirror assignments
Evaluate check for 7 rules implemented
3 Lesson Grid
4 Lesson Foreground Background
Reintroduce Frida Kahlo explain her purpose of self expression,
physiological meaning behind her work
- background adds to the interest
Students will experiment with background which represents them
Evaluate - conversations
5 Lesson Pop Art
Introduce Andy Warhol what pop art was
Use image from magazine or picture from home
- emphasis will be on color, value, line
Evaluate - checklist
6 Lesson - Christy

Grade 8
Subject: Art
Unit: Portraiture
Lesson: Self identity collage
GLOs
Students will employ space, proportion and relationships for image-making.
Students will investigate the use of pattern and emphasis in the creation of compositions
Students will use the vocabulary of art criticism to develop a positive analysis of their
work.
SLOs
Overlapping figures or objects create an illusion of space in two-dimensional works.
Motifs can be designed to convey personal identity as in popular or folk-art images.
Identifying and describing techniques and media is part of learning to talk about art.
Discussing the most appealing, or favorite part of a students own work is part of learning
about art.
Dominant elements and principles or applications of media can be discussed by students
in relationship to the effective solving of their visual problems.
LO: Students will be able to assemble images/materials together to compose a collage
that represents aspects of their lives. They will contribute to a formal critique describing
what their work says about them as individuals.
Assessment of Student Learning:
The evidence needed to determine whether the learning objective has been met will be
based on the students ability to participate in a critique of their collage, being able to
explain how the images they have chosen represent their identity and why they have
chosen to arrange the images in a particular way. They will also be evaluated on their
inventive composition or selection of materials.
Classroom management:
- Talking quietly with a neighbor is allowed during work time but if it becomes too noisy
they will be given one warning and then the privilege will be taken away.
- Only 2 people at a time are allowed to look through the scrap box so it does not get
overcrowded. While waiting, students are expected to continue cutting images from
magazines.
- Magazines will be distributed among the tables in the classroom for easy access.
- Helpers will pass out the paper and the zip lock bags.
Lesson Procedures:
Set: Cue for attention. Attention please, grade 8s. It is expected that the students eyes
will be focused on the teacher ready to listen. The students are told that they will be
beginning a new unit on portraiture. Students will be asked what the word portraiture

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means to them. Briefly introduce the idea that portraiture is not restricted to (can be more
than) a detailed drawing of a persons face. (5 minutes)
Body: Students are told that they will be finding images/photographs/flat materials that
say something about them as a person. They can be related to their interests, their family,
their beliefs, their strengths, their memories/dreams, and anything they choose to include
as long as they can explain why they chose them. Students are told that they will begin
looking for images in magazines provided in the classroom during class. They may also
choose scrap materials from a box in the room. They will be encouraged to go home and
search for more things they may want to include in their work to make it more
interesting. Explain to the students that they will be making a collage (from the French
word coller, meaning to glue) of the images and materials they find. Still life with
Chair Caning by Pablo Picasso (the world of art and real life collide) as an example of
a collage combining drawing with found objects. Picasso experiments with everyday
objects, depth, and words. Show the students work by Kahlo and Rauschenburg.
Questions:
How does Picassos juxtaposition of materials with flat drawings affect the image? What
does it do to the space in the image?
How does Picassos arrangement differ from the way Kahlo arranges the images in her
work? How does Kahlo use color and symbols? Where is the figure in relation to the
background and what meaning does this give the work? Is it expressive or realistic?
How does Rauschenburgs use of color and image differ from Kahlos work? What mood
do the images in Rauschenburg convey as compared those in Kahlos work? How did
these artists achieve these effects? Why is Rauschenburg described as a media artist?
The students will be asked to consider how they will overlap and arrange their images
and how the viewer will interpret the arrangement. It is made clear to students that the
idea is not to simply cut and paste randomly. Students will each be given a sheet of paper
and a zip lock bag to place their cutout images inside. They will spend the remainder of
the class looking for images. (20-25 minutes)
Closure: Students are asked to think about how they would like to arrange their pictures
on their paper when they get home and bring their interesting ideas to class the next day.
They are given the option to include their own drawings and are encouraged to bring
other materials/pictures from home. Students are told they will discuss their finished
collage next art class so if they feel they need extra time to complete it they may want to
work on some of it at home. Clean up.
Materials: magazines, box of collected scrap materials, zip lock bags, paper, images of
Kahlos, Rauschenbergs and Picassos work.
Notes for next class: Finish collage for the first 20 minutes of class. Spend the remainder
of the class critiquing work. Students will be asked to explain why they chose the images
they did and what their intent was for composing their work the way they did. A question
will then be posed to the entire class; Does this composition achieve the desired outcome
of the artist? If so, why? Discuss any symbols the students chose to represent themselves
with and why they are effective. Discuss what linking the images together says about the

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work. In this case, the interconnected images relates to the idea that all the images
together make up a whole, the individual. Use this to talk about why this assignment has
challenged their pre-conceived notions of what portraiture is. Students will always bring
their interests, experiences, talents, etc. into their work so images, especially portraits, are
by no means neutral. This should be considered while making art. Talk about 3D and 2D
space on a flat surface depending on the compositions created by the students and if time
is permitted (this will be expanded upon later in the unit).

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Lesson 2 Self Portraits
Unit: Portraiture
Date:

Grade: Eight
Time: 40 minutes

General Learning Outcome: Students will employ space, proportion, and relationships
for image making.
Specific Learning Outcome: Students will analyze proportion by using a basic unit of a
pencil as a measuring tool
Evaluation: Students will be evaluated for completing one self portrait drawing in their
sketchbook with a checklist of the 7 rules or measurements for portraiture discussed in
class.
Materials: pencil, erasers, sketchbook, mirrors
Procedure:
Introduction: (5 minutes)
Questions:
i.e.
What is importance of portraits?
i.e.
In todays society in what forms are portraits found? (Examples: mug
shots, family photographs, yearbook pictures, advertising, and drivers
license)
i.e.
What role did they play in the past?
Discuss the origins of portraiture
- the role of portraits through out history to explain their significance in art making
- portraits were used as a form of record making, examples consist of Kings and
Queens were recorded by having their portraits painted
- land claims were recorded while owners had their portraits painted in front of
their land to claim ownership
- Explain that before photography someone was hired to make portraits and it could
become an artists full time job if the representation of the person they were drawing was
successful.
- Introduce the idea that creating realistic portraits does not come natural to all people and
that not all portraits have to be realistic to be interesting
- Move into the body of the lesson by introducing the guidelines creating a realistic
portrait
Body: (30 minutes)
Walk through the major measurements to create a realistic portrait.

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The first step, (after all of the students have their sketchbook opened) will be to
draw a large oval which takes up _ of the page.
Introduce the first rule by writing it on the blackboard.
Students will write the rules in their sketchbooks as a guideline for future
portraits.
As the students are introduced to each rule they should examine their partner or
someone sitting next to them to witness how the rule works.
As the students are drawing each of the steps on the example in the sketchbook
follow along by drawing one on the board for them to make reference to

Rules consist of:

- The eyes should be in the middle of the head, and draw a central axis
- The nose is 1/3 from the chin in comparison to the eyes, the mouth is 1/3 from the
nose and chin
- The distance between the eyes equals the width of one eye
- The edges of the lips should be in line with the pupils, the inside corners of the
eyes will match the edge of your nose
- The top of the ears should match the eyes, the bottom of the ears should align
with the bottom of the nose
- Feel how wide your neck is in comparison with your jaw and ears, it should be
almost as wide.
After they are finished the head which consists of the example measurements:
Students will work with mirrors to practice making their own self portraits using the set
guidelines of portraiture. (remaining 20 minutes)
Conclusion: (5 minutes)
Create a mini discussion at the end of class allowing the students to share their struggles
or experiences they felt during the class while practicing their new measurements on their
own self portraits.
Questions:
i.e.
How did your awareness of the measurements affect the way you looked
at your own face?
i.e.
How did it affect the way you were able to recreate the proportions?
i.e.
Did the guidelines help your portraits proportion or realism?
i.e.
Do you think that the guidelines restrict an artists creativity?
Sponge activities: students are given the option of completing another practice drawing
of themselves or of someone at their table.
Notes for next class:
Students are given the option to work on creating more self portraits in their sketchbook
for homework.
For class next week (Lesson 4) students will come prepared with a least two different self
portraits in their sketchbooks.

Grade 8
Subject: Art
Unit: Portraiture
Lesson 3: Portraits express the personality of the artist
GLOs:
Students will create compositions in two dimensions.
Students will experiment with the transformation of space in compositions.
Students will investigate the use of pattern and emphasis in the creation of compositions.
SLOs:
Space can be altered or distorted for special effects in two-dimensional works
(manipulation of 2D space)
-use of color to create illusions
-use of grid systems to distort shapes and space
LO: Students will be able to transfer an image from a small scale to a large scale using a
grid as a tool. Students will illustrate their understanding of abstraction by experimenting
with color, line, shading and texture. (Note: previous lessons have covered techniques
like pointillism, hatching, shading and patterning)
Assessment of Student Learning:
The evidence needed to determine whether the learning objective has been met is the
visual product created by the student. If the student has accurately transferred the lines
they see from one scale to the next then the student grasps the concept of using the grid as
a drawing tool. Students will also be evaluated on their experimental and creative use of
color, line, and texture to abstract their image.
Classroom Management:
- Talking quietly with a neighbor is allowed during work time but if it becomes too noisy
they will be given one warning and then the privilege will be taken away.
- Helpers will distribute materials
Lesson Procedure:
Set: Cue for attention. Students are told that everyone has their own unique drawing style
and they are going to do a group picture to help them see how different everyone is.
Make sure students understand it is not a competition to see who can draw better because
there is no such thing as better, just different ways of drawing an object or figure. Show
students the five images (same subject different results) produced from the scholastic art
workshop in the Scholastic Art magazine Alice Neel Painting Portraits, March 2001 to
illustrate this point.
Body: Show the students examples of Chuck Close.

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Students are asked to focus on how Close uses random colors in each grid section to
develop his work.
Students are shown an example picture with a grid drawn overtop of it (not a portrait).
Students are told they will each be given a square from a different picture.
Each student will have a different part of the picture, which they will reproduce onto a
larger piece of paper.
Using an overhead projector/chalk board demonstrate how to enlarge the scale of the
original picture when drawing it onto their paper (an exercise in seeing where the lines lie
within the confines of the grid sections).
Show students the image of Matisse The Woman with the Hat. Tell students that once
they have finished transferring the image they have been given to their paper they may
experiment with adding color and texture to their drawing.
The class will be divided into sections. Each group will be given a different secret
mission.
One group is directly told they will be drawing features of a portrait the other group will
be told to focus on the lines they see in their square.
The groups are told to keep their mission a secret so they do not influence each other.
This will affect the way they approach the project.
Students will work for the remainder of the class on their image.
Closure: Near the end of class each image the students have drawn will be assembled
together to form the original image of the portrait. Students will work cooperatively
piecing together the original image first to give them an idea of where their drawing goes.
Students will examine the different approaches their classmates took while completing
the assignment. Because everyone had a small amount of information to draw from the
project is open to interpretation making the work become more expressive and more
interesting. Students will be asked what the experience was like. The different missions
will be revealed to the class. Discuss that drawing is not always about depicting perfect
realistic images. Discuss the concept of abstraction in relation to the project. Refer
directly to one panel of the work asking the class what mission they thought that
particular student was given. This will open a discussion comparing the results produced
from the feature group and the line group. The line drawings will be more about line,
color, and form, important elements of abstraction (point out examples from the students
work illustrating these). Images are not duplicated exactly as they appear but are reduced
to their essential qualities. Critique questions will be asked to get students to reflect on
their work. What areas seem to recede into space? What areas appear to advance toward
the viewer? Why? (Cool colors recede, warm colors advance) What lines show
movement? How did this student approach the assignment, compared to this student?
What drawing techniques did they chose to include?
Materials: paint, pastels, sponges, brushes, paper, overhead, images by Matisse and
Chuck Close, portrait with a grid.
Note: (Alternative to this lesson)

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Give each student an image of a portrait. They will grid both the image and a larger sheet
of paper. Students will cut along the grid lines and rearrange the original picture as they
choose, however, they must maintain the original shape (and grid form) of the image.
They will then proceed to copy what they see in each square section (from the original,
jumbled up image) to the paper with the larger scale, paying close attention to the shape
of each line. This becomes an exercise in seeing rather than making the assumption that
all eyes are round (without variation) and drawing according to that assumption. This
lesson may be used if students need extra practice and are not ready to move onto
abstraction (based on performance of the students in lesson 2).

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LESSON 4 Foreground/Background
Unit: Portraiture
Date:

Grade: Eight
Time: 40 minutes

General Learning Outcome:

Students will employ space, proportion and relations for image making
Students will use the vocabulary of art criticism to develop a positive analysis of their
work.
Specific Learning Outcome:
Students will experiment with the amount of detail in the background of their picture to
create spatial depth.
Students will defend the most appealing or favorite part their own work which allows
them to learn to talk about their own art.
Evaluation: The students will be evaluated on their ability to talk about their own art
throughout the class in causal discussion with the teacher as they are working on their
picture.
After the picture is completed it can be handed in to mark.
The student will be evaluated on a unique way to represent the background, and if they
found a way to incorporate the background into the foreground.
Materials: pencil, eraser, magazine pictures, paper, sketchbooks, slides, pencil crayons,
pens, and pastels
Artist: Frida Kahlo slides needed
Procedure:
Introduction: (10 minutes)
- Show slides of Frida Kahlos self portraits making reference to the detailed expressive
foreground and background (assuming students already know the terms of background
and foreground)
- Discuss ideas of psychological or inner feelings which the artist is trying to express
i.e.
What do you think the artist was feeling inside by looking at the
background she represented?
- Compare and contrast the detailed background and how blends into the foreground in
comparison to the traditional style of portraits.
i.e.
How does the traditional portrait with a plain background differ from
Fridas second portrait?
- Ask which students prefer, and which looks more interesting.
i.e.
Which portrait is more interesting?
What does the more interesting portrait have?
Is it because of their use of color, line, shapes, realism?

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Body: (25 minutes)
- The students will begin the class by getting out their drawings from their
sketchbook of their own self portraits which were completed in Lesson 2.
- They will use one of these drawings as the basis for this assignment. Since they
already have their self portrait drawn; they can use this same piece of paper to
create an interesting background
- The main focus will be for the students to create their own interesting background
depending on what they are feeling inside that day
- When creating the background allow students to generate ideas from their collage
from lesson 1 or from the pictures from a magazine.
- The students are to draw their images on the background and have the option of
incorporating the background into the foreground
- After the students have completed their drawing in pencil they are given the
option to incorporate color
Conclusion: (5 minutes)
Mini Critique: Discuss which part of the portrait becomes the most interesting
background or foreground?
Allow students to explain why they choose the background and how it becomes a form of
expression.
Questions to ask students:
- What were you feeling inside when you choose your background?
- Are the feelings visible through the detailed background?
- What are feelings made visible? How are they made visible (through color, line,
etc)
- Do the background images make the portrait more interesting?
- Does the background detail provide information or reflect your self portrait?
Sponge activity:
Students can create a small collage in their sketchbook which represents them and
their identity.
Notes for next class:
Ask students to bring a picture of someone famous that they would like to draw. It can
be a photograph or a picture from a magazine.

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Lesson 5 Pop Art
Unit: Portraiture
Date:

Grade: Eight
Time: 40 minutes

General Learning Outcome:

Students will experiment with value, light, atmosphere and color selection to reflect
mood in composition.
Students will experiment with the transformation of space in compositions
Specific Learning Outcome:
Students will display the mood in composition can be affected by the selection of various
color schemes such as intense, aggressive schemes or harmonious, pastel schemes.
Students will experiment with value or color to emphasize negative space or positive
space.
Evaluation: Students will be evaluate with a checklist of requirements such as their
experimentation and use of line, use of color, use of value (dark and lights)
Materials: paper, pastels, chalk, eraser, slides of Andy Warhol
Artist: Andy Warhol
Procedure:
Introduction: (10 minutes)
Ask students if they have heard of Andy Warhol.
Show slides of Warhols portraits and other pop art images.
- Discuss a brief history of pop art and its relationship with mass media, famous people
etc. as well as Warhols influence from commercial advertisement and how it relates to
advertisement today
- Art used the illusion of reality was used in the renaissance such as 3D perspective
- Warhol was interested in the idea of the illusions of reality in movies, photographs and
films.
i.e.
Do actors or actresses in movies appear realistic just like you and me?
Are they supposed to represent perfection?
Do you want to be like them because they are famous?
- Discuss how Warhol felt that art was for everybody. State his quote regarding how
Rich people drink coke, just like you and me.
i.e.
What is Warhol saying about famous people when he makes this
comment?
- Discuss the elements used in Warhols paintings contour lines, complementary colors,
how color affects mood, simplification of image assuming that students have covered
all of those topics before this point
i.e.
What kind of color combinations does Warhol use in his portraits?
How does the color choice affect the presence or appearance of the
portrait? Does it make it stand out?

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i.e.

How does Warhol use line? Is it thick or thin? Does it make the image
pop out more?

Body: (25 minutes)

- As homework in the previous lesson:
Students are provided with the choice of drawing a picture from a magazine, or from a
picture brought from home using the pop art style.
- Instruct the students to make a few notes in their sketchbook of color combinations,
choice of line and how they will affect then mood of the drawing.
- Provide the students with the opportunity to make a few warm up sketches of the picture
in their sketchbook before drawing with pencil on their sheet of paper
- Remind the students that they are only to draw the picture of the person from the neck
and above: and that the less detail the better!
- Students will be draw out the portrait in pencil focusing on simplifying the feature of
the image
- Remind the students of the ideas from Lesson 3 (grid lesson) where they can represent
the picture by drawing the shapes and values rather than attempting to re create a perfect
realistic eye.
- The students will also focus on the quality of the line and the simplification of value in
their portrait
- After the students have the image drawn on their paper, they will complete their portrait
by incorporating contrasting or vibrant color schemes.
Conclusion (5 minutes)
After lining up the finished portraits along the blackboard or bulletin board a brief
discussion will be held to wrap up the lesson.
Questions:
i.e.
Which images pop out the most?
i.e.
Why do they pop? Is it because of the color contrast? Line variety? Value
changes?
i.e.
How is the relationship with the foreground and background different
from the previous lesson on Frida Kahlo?
i.e.
What does the color do to affect the mood that the portrait gives off?
Notes for next class:
The students are asked to bring in an image of themselves for next class which will be
scanned and altered on the computer.

Grade 8
Subject: Art/Computer
Unit: Portraiture
Lesson 6: Learning about cubism (2 classes)
GLOs:
Students will employ space, proportion and relationships for image-making.
Students will experiment with the transformation of space in compositions.
Students will communicate through multimedia
Students will demonstrate a basic understanding of the operating skills required in a
variety of technologies.
SLOs
Overlapping figures or objects create an illusion of space in two-dimensional works.
Space can be altered or distorted for special effects in two-dimensional works
-open and closed forms/space in compositions
-the extension of the figure into space
LO: Students will be able to use a scanner, manipulate a photographic image of their face
on a computer and produce a work of art that employs elements of cubism.
Assessment of Student learning:
The evidence needed to determine whether the learning objective has been met is the
visual product created by the student. If the student has made an effort to break up the
original image of their face and combine it with flat shapes, lines, and patterns.
Classroom Management:
- Talking quietly with a neighbor is allowed during work time but if it becomes too noisy
they will be given one warning and then the privilege will be taken away.
Lesson Procedure:
Set: Note prior to this lesson students will be asked to bring in a photograph of their face.
Cue for attention. Brief review of portraiture lessons. Compare original conceptions of
what portraiture is with new understanding of portraiture. Show students cubist work
done by Georges Braque and Picasso. Have students discuss what images they see in the
artists work and what they have done with the images. How have these artists used line
to break up space in the picture? Do the lines make open or closed forms? What does
overlapping do to the picture?
Following the discussion, the students are told they will be going down to the
computer lab. Three students who usually cause the most problems in the lab are asked to
state the rules about the computer lab to the entire class for review.
1. Monitors are shut off while the teacher is talking.
2. No other programs other than the ones they are instructed to use will be
opened.

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3. Do not touch the computer or any other equipment until told to do so.
It is made clear that any student does not follow these rules will be removed from their
computer and will do the project on paper at a table in the lab.
Transition to the computer lab. (About 10 minutes)
Body: Students will log into the computers and wait for instructions. They will be asked
to open the paint program (they are already familiar with how to use this program).
Students will have the opportunity to put into practice the mini lesson they had on how to
use a scanner. The students are told that they will be called one by one to scan their
photograph into the computer. While the rest of the students are waiting, they will begin
arranging shapes, lines, text and clipart that they will incorporate the photograph of their
face into, just as Picasso has done. (Work period for about 20 minutes)
Closure: In the last ten minutes of class, students will save their work and get ready to go
back to class. They will continue with this assignment next class.
Materials: Images of Picasso and Braque, photographs students have brought from home,
computer lab and access to scanner. If students forget to bring a picture a digital camera
will be readily available as an alternative.
Notes for next class: Finish working in the lab. Students will print their images and talk
about their work with a partner who is also finished using a list of critique questions
provided for them. These will be discussed as a group at the end of the second class.
What do you like best about the work? What do you find most interesting and why?
What areas of the painting recede/advance, and how is this achieved? Color?
Overlapping?
How is line used in the work? Are both open and closed forms used in the image? How
do these change the space in the picture?
What shapes are combined in the work?
What other elements are incorporated into the composition? Text? Clip-art? How do they
affect the picture?
As a class, the term cubism will be discussed. As a wrap-up for the unit there will be a
discussion about the historical purpose for portraiture. The invention of photography in
1837 changed the way artists use portraiture. It was not longer used to historically record
the people of the time and so artists began experimenting with different ways of
portraying human faces just as they have done over the past few weeks.