Year 7 - Portraiture and Clay Work Unit

( if you miss the lesson for any reason you should still complete both classwork and homework)

Lesson 1

Classwork : Watch the Portrait Proportions Worksheet Guidance video below. Then produce a copy of the Portrait Proportions Worksheet. This will enable you to show an accurate understanding of the proportions of the human head and also show you can present the information in an accurate and precise way.

Remember the video demonstration shows that students do not need to copy the three skull drawings and skull written work.

The most common mistakes pupils make and loose marks are,
1. Not spending enough time doing an accurate heading and adding colour neatly
2. Not writing in pen and using guidelines
3. Getting the proportions of the head 'on the wrong lines'
4.Producing a sketch rather than an accurate 'line drawing'

Homework : Complete the Portrait Proportions Worksheet. Below are examples of completed worksheets so that students can judge the relevant standard of their work.

Lesson 2

Classwork : Students will also be given a sheet of pictures of eyes, noses, mouths and ears (students with access to a printer may alternatively wish to collect their own pictures).

Watch the Drawing Facial Features Demonstration video. Split the next page in your sketchbook into four (as described in the video) and produce a highly detailed drawing of an eye. You are only drawing an eye this week.

Homework : Complete the eye drawing.

Also for those of you wanting to achieve an 11 or even a 12 out of 10, this is how.

Lesson 3

Classwork : Students watch the ‘Portrait Pottery Sculpture 1’ video below. There is a discussion about working with clay, including classroom expectations and health & safety considerations.

The aim of this lesson is to model the basic shape of the head and start the eyes.

Homework : Students watch the Mouth Drawing Demonstration video below. They then produce a highly detailed drawing of a mouth (below the eye drawing from last lesson). This drawing might be taken to the next level if the artist was to add the fine marks and creases to the lips.

Lesson 4

Classwork : Students watch the ‘Portrait Pottery Sculpture 2’ video below.

The aim of this lesson is complete modelling the eyes and start the nose, mouth, cheeks, chin and eyebrows. These features will take most student two lessons to complete.

Homework : Students should already have drawn the eye and mouth on one page. On the next page in your sketchbook again the page split into four (but this time I suggest you use it in a portrait/upright format). This weeks work is to produce a highly detailed drawing of a nose (in front view) from a photograph and present these next to one another in your book. Students may want to watch the ‘Drawing Facial Features Demonstration Video’ from Lesson 2 again from the 9 mins 30 secs point.

This is also a good link for the nose drawing.

Lesson 5

Classwork : Students aim to complete modelling the facial features such as the nose, mouth, cheeks, chin and eyebrows. it may be advisable for some students to re-watch the ‘Portrait Pottery Sculpture 2’ from Lesson 4.

Homework : Students produce a highly detailed drawing of a ear (below the nose drawing from last lesson). This drawing might be taken to the next level if the artist was to add the fine marks and creases to the lips. Students may want to watch the ‘Drawing Facial Features Demonstration Video’ again from Lesson 2 from the 11 mins 25 secs point.

Lesson 6

Classwork : Students watch the ‘Portrait Pottery Sculpture 3’ video below.

The aim of this lesson is complete modelling the clay sculpture, including the hair, ears and other facial details. This may take many students a future lesson to complete..

Homework : No homework.

Lesson 7

Classwork : This is a DIRT lesson when students aim to complete or improve modelling the clay sculpture, including the hair, ears and other facial details. It may be advisable for some students to re-watch the ‘Portrait Pottery Sculpture 3’ from Lesson 6.

Students who complete the clay work can improve their facial features drawings, or continue to copy the Lucian Freud’s ‘Girl with a Leaf’ or Albrecht Dürer’s ‘Walrus’ drawing.

Homework : No homework this week. Book will be collected for marking.

Lesson 8

Classwork : Students stick in the photograph taken of themselves. Use a double page (boys who are right-hand will want to stick the photo on the left-hand page, and boys who are left-hand may want to stick the photo on the right-hand page).

Students watch the ‘Portrait Gridded Enlargement 1’ video below. They then draw out the grid on the photograph and then the ‘double size’ grid on the opposite page in your sketchbook. Student will need to be extremely accurate in their measurements. Some student may choose to start the enlargement outline (work lightly!) as shown in the homework task.

Homework : Students draw the outline of their photograph in the grid produced for the last lesson. At this stage no tone/shading should be added, but students should ensure they draw accurately what you see (and its position) in each box. The level of detail expected can be seen in the example below. Work lightly because you will make errors that will need to be adjusted.

Homework : Complete the outline of your photograph.

Deadline : The deadline will always be your next Art lesson unless stated otherwise on MILK.

Lesson 9

Classwork : Students complete the self-portrait gridded enlargement shaded drawing over the next two week .

In this lesson it is suggested that students start by adding detail to the eyes, and then add shading/tone to the nose, and mouth. The face, neck and ears using a stump or a cotton wool bud, then also add detail and shading to the hair.

Below is how a good example should look when it is presented in sketchbooks, and also ‘Gridded Enlargement Guidance’ information’ showing different standards of work.

Homework : Students complete adding detail to the eyes, the nose, and mouth. Students then start the face, neck and ears using a stump or a cotton wool bud.

Lesson 10

Classwork : In this lesson students add detail and shading to the hair and clothing. The also re-visit the ‘Gridded Enlargement Guidance’ information’ shown in Lesson 9.

Homework : Students complete self-portrait gridded enlargement shaded drawing