Grade 4 Relief Self-Portraits

Students used an image transfer to recreate their sketches on a clay slab. They are now adding different kinds of lines and textures to create a relief portrait. Looking good 4BA!

Mixed Media Portraits

4SM are using the elements of art to design and create self-portraits for their final assessment in our portrait unit. They are thinking about how to use the elements and symbols to communicate who they are.

Breaking the Rules! -Modigliani style!

4CB followed our classroom rules perfectly today - but broke the rules of the dimensions of a face -Modigliani

Style! Ask them and they can tell you exactly which rules they broke in class today! Great job 4CB. I can't wait to see you finish these next week! 

Faces: What's the same? What's different?

Grade 4SM completed their self-portraits today, keeping in mind the dimensions of a face (similarities) and looking for what makes them unique (differences). After class, they asked their teacher and TA to guess which portrait belonged to whom... and they guessed almost every one! 

Dimensions of a Face

I love it when I learn from my students, but I also love it when they learn from me! Persuading my grade 4 students that their eyes were in the middle of their head was no easy task! I measured students' faces to prove my point. And then we got to creating.... Here are some of today's masterpieces!

It's A Portrait Party!!!

To introduce our new portrait unit, students were invited to a portrait party. We completed quick, 1-2 minute sketches of friends who modelled extreme expressions! The goal was to observe and have fun! It was amazing to see the progress in less than an hour when students relaxed and really looked closely. 

This series of 5 portraits (and the series below) was drawn in one class by one student. There was amazing progress by everyone! 

It's amazing what believing in yourself can do! Great work Grade 4 artists! I can't wait to see what you create in this unit! 

Grade 4SM students completed their portraits today. This group was especially interested in refining their drawings. The class created emphasis with contrast and with colour, focusing on aspects of their personality and dreams that they wished to highlight.

 

It's a Portrait Party!

As a grand finale to our portrait unit, Grade 4AK students had a portrait party in class today. Students visited tables with many different drawing tools and different kinds of papers and took turns drawing each other posing for 2-4 minute intervals. Each student completed at least 5 different portraits of their friends.

The rules were:
1. Relax and have fun!
2. OBSERVE! Look more at the model. Not the paper!
3. Try to capture the emotion.

The amazing thing about this lesson was that everyone could see their own improvement over such a short time. Great work Grade 4!

 A few reflections:
-I learned that I can draw better when I look at the subject very carefully -just one line at a time.
-I learned that every portrait doesn't have to look exactly the same as the person.
-I learned how quickly I can draw.
-I learned how much fun you can have in art.
-I learned that I am getting better at drawing!

Modigliani Inspired Portraits

Grade 4 compared the proper dimensions of a face with those in Modigliani's portraits. Then, they completed these chalk self-portraits. Some of the characteristics they noted were:

• long faces
• almond eyes high on the head
• pursed lips
• sad, lifeless colours (students decided they wanted to put a splash of colour in their work though! Nice choice, I think!)
• long necks
• narrow shoulders

Self-Portraits: How are we the same? How are we different?

Grade Fours, how are you doing with your self portrait? Let us know Wallwisher!

Below are a few reflections after beginning observational drawings. -GRADE 4 MO

I used to think my mouth was a v.  I feel so proud of my self.

-Sarah

I learned that everyone's eyes are not on the top.

-Hamz

 Today I learned how to make good eyes and I also learned how to draw my nose. I feel good about my portraits.

-Aadya

 I learned how to draw a curious eyebrow. I feel proud of it.

-Trym

 I learned how to draw myself. I feel confident.

-Mohammed

I think my drawing is great. I learned that your eyes are smack! Right in the middle of your face!!!

I want a happy face but since I have not finished my mouth, I almost look sad!

-Laura

An Introduction to Portraits

Grade 4 is working on a unit, Respect Ourselves, Respect the World. In Art class they will be creating portraits to portray how they see themselves. We are beginning the unit by putting on our detective hats and investigating how many different artists express themselves through self-portraits. We have found that through colour, facial expressions, symbols and clothing, we can find out many things about the person.

Students are also practising their drawing. Everyone will improve because we practise! This week, we completed blind-contour drawing and some observational drawings of our facial features to warm up for our self-portraits. Take a look:

Say Cheese (or kimchi!)

Blanka's stare :)

What a great smile!



This student is using her sense of touch to draw. Students are surprised at what they learn about the object through touch!



Her eyes are on the object. Not her paper! Her pencil is moving line a snail :)