Visual Arts & Technologies

Portraiture 

Article by Tanya Ogden, Junior School Teacher of Visual Arts 

In Junior school all year levels started the year with a self-portrait. Many different artists and art movements were introduced.  Students explored and applied a variety of different materials and techniques to create their final design. All students drew an unguided and guided self-portrait in their sketchbook, learning about facial proportions and the correct placement of facial features. 

The prep students learnt how to create a drawing representing themselves. They constructed a self-portrait using 2D shapes and painted radiating coloured outline referring to the colour wheel for the background. They completed the artwork with a patterned border. 

The year 1 students were inspired by Tim Burton. They created a stylised self-portrait using exaggerated features in this style. The students used charcoal and ink to apply tone using monochromatic colour.  

Year 2 students used a variety of materials to create their family self-portrait. They took inspiration from Marc Chagall’s flying figures when creating their family portrait. The students used a continuous line to create the loop inspired design, using tone and or analogous colours in their family’s faces. High contrast colours were used between the faces and background. Students added details to their drawings that tell a story  about their families. 

‘Minecraft’ was the theme for our Year 3 students. They designed a self-portrait that represents an image in pixelated form. Students used grid paper to draw a head to shoulder self-portrait. They created a skin tone chart mixing skin tones using paint and then applied this to an A3 piece of paper. The Year 3s then transferred their design from sketchbook onto an enlarged copy by selecting correct number and colour of squares to create their final design using coloured mosaic squares. 

Year 4 created a stylised abstract self-portrait inspired by the American artist Tom Fedro. Students applied their understanding of facial proportions and stylisation, showing tonal variations within their work using oil pastel. Bold, non-realistic colours were used with a black outline, in a Pop Art style to complete their final artwork.