Rethinking Portrait Projects Creative ways to tackle portraiture in secondary art LAUREN ROBLES Visual Art Teacher Chadwick International Songdo, South Korea laurenerobles@gmail.com www.lerobles.com
“I paint self portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.” Frida Kahlo
Through the creation of a series of self-portraits in a variety of media, Grade 6 students will learn that a representation of self can be portrayed realistically, abstractly, or a combination of the two. Realism to Abstraction Observational Self-Portrait (Pencil & Charcoal) Portrait Unit Emotions Self-Portrait (Glue Resist & Pastel) Emphasis Self-Portrait (3D Collage Materials)
Grade 6: Realism to Abstraction Portrait Unit
Grade 6: Realism to Abstraction Portrait Unit
Grade 6: Realism to Abstraction Portrait Unit
Grade 6: Realism to Abstraction Portrait Unit
Grade 6: Realism to Abstraction Portrait Unit
Stories are told for a variety of reasons Grade 8 and for a variety of audiences. Blackout Poetry Drawing (2D Mixed Media) The Artist’s Story ABC Book Illustration (Watercolor and Pen) MYP Unit Future Self-Portrait (Student Choice 2D Materials)
I decided to draw myself in symbolically, when I am in my The date for this portrait is in at least a hundred years, after I’m long dead. If 20s. That is because it is the age of youth and beginning, where you look at the woman with the back to you, you can see that she is standing on I’ll be trying out whatever I a pedestal. It’s my stature, in a park in the far future. I wanted to somehow want to try out throughout my symbolize that I left my mark on the world, that I did something so great that someone decided to make a statue of me. life. For example, I colored my face in green and black, which are colors used in the military to hide their faces when they are in a battle. Starting from when I was young, I’ve had an unusual craving to serve my country in the military. The piercings and tattoos represent the fact that I am not trying to show myself as a typical woman on the street, all girly, but I want to be seen as powerful, strong, and tough. However I cannot hide the fact that one side of me certainly wants to be girly, the long hair, at times. On the bottom of the body, there is more hair, but in different colors. This shows how these ideas lead to something even more amazing, a result developed on amazing, new ideas. Grade 8: The Artist’s Story MYP Unit
This shows my future because the flowers on my head represents the warmer days I would get after I graduate high school. White paint falling down on the top represents how work was a lot. My face looks kind of worried because This drawing is when I am in college, as I always I have no idea what will happen to me in the future. wanted to be a designer. My portrait represents 2015 September 20th, when I am a sophomore. This is my 16th birthday. I used diverse colors to represent my bright future and range of my talents. Grade 8: The Artist’s Story MYP Unit
The date for when this portrait is represented is on January 30, 2015, which is my 15th birthday... I chose this date For the portrait in this art piece, I drew myself who graduated the university and looking because I wanted to be someone new on my 15th birthday. for work. This is because I thought that this future moment would be one of the biggest My hands are slowly opening up as it barely shows my eyes. turning points of my life. I didn’t want to draw the future moment that is later than this Since I am shy and quiet, I wanted to draw myself trying to be moment because I still have no idea what I want to be after the graduation. active and participate as I am getting into a new world. Grade 8: The Artist’s Story MYP Unit
“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.” Paul Caponigro
Perceptions of beauty vary. Grade 9 Organic & Geometric Contrast Drawing (2D Mixed Media) Still Life Explorations (Watercolor and Pen) Portrait Planning & Research (Sketchbook) Perceptions of Beauty MYP Unit Beauty Portrait (Student Choice 2D Materials) Unit Reflection (Sketchbook)
This artwork represents my sitter as an ambitious This artwork represents my sister. The face was based on the pictures I took young man who will strive for her. The background was about the sunset because that is a location that to accomplish his ambition we both like to watch and in the interview she expressed her complicated of becoming a world feelings before her Korean SAT. While there were lots of favorites, I chose famous soccer player who the sunset because it could represent the complicated emotion she felt and plays in the professional made it a successful combination of colors like red, orange, and yellow. football club. His determination and hard work of training himself to be a world famous soccer player and getting himself ready to go to a good college in the US as a senior is an extremely tough job. This path my brother Eugene is running is filled with hardships, and this is represented with the thornbush of roses that entangle his arm, with only one rose as a symbol of hope. My cousin being very energetic and confident, I drew the portrait of her in her hanbok dress, holding out a peace sign...My cousin has an interest in more “coloring book” style, with big and small ink outlines of drawings, like a pop comic. Grade 9: Perception of Beauty MYP Unit
This artwork represents my sister in her favorite place, her room...She thinks a beautiful person has a beautiful mind and This artwork was supposed to represent the real beauty is inside of them. My definition of beauty is lightheartedness and humor of the sitter, because kind of similar but slightly different. A person with innocent I’ve always found him to be hilarious. I feel like I’ve and honest mind is truly beautiful in my opinion. These kinds always been superficial when I define beauty in art, of people make very strong and positive relationships in my and I see beauty in confidence. I feel the sitter is one experience. of the most confident people I know. The pony represents my sister’s visuals, she is cute and small, same as the pony. But it also represents my sister’s childhood. She is too small for school, so her mind is just covered with ponies. Grade 9: Perception of Beauty MYP Unit
The common beauty that most people prefer is the beauty inside, and to express the sitter’s beauty I tried to connect the modern society by showing his strong mind, his outgoing personality, and his love for outdoor activities. Nowadays, people often indulge in technology, prefer to stay comfy at home, and love to live in a modern society, but this sitter is more related to a person who loves nature and more activity...Even though he is related more to old century, he is the kind of person who can confidently stay in modern society and do what he truly wants. The use of black and white symbolizes that he is more of a person who likes to belong to a long period of time -- from past until present. From looking at my artwork, the strength is that I created a chubby and soft texture of the sitter with slight difference of the colors. I believe that this makes the audience recognize lifelike human skin. Grade 9: Perception of Beauty MYP Unit
My portrait’s background represents my sitter’s If I remember correctly, I’ve done a lot of things for optimistic personality and passion towards art my mom for the past 13 years or so, but nothing for in an abstract way. Furthermore, the idea of my dad. I always thought, “I should really get my adding color in only the eyes and lips came dad a tie for his birthday and write him a birthday from my sitter’s thought of real beauty: “you card for once,” but I never ended up doing it. I felt can identity one’s real beauty when you listen bad for him, which is why I decided to draw my dad to their words and look in their eyes.” for the first time. My mom influenced this work a lot. It is because she is the subject of my drawing, and she wanted me to make the picture as she wanted. Sometimes she gave me good advice when I felt off track. By seeing my completed piece now, I can see that I was influenced by my mom’s drawing style. Grade 9: Perception of Beauty MYP Unit
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