National Gallery of Canada
A Cultural Portrait
Explore heritage and identity through an examination of art and a related project. The featured art, related to the African diaspora, includes several types of art created by different artists. Pupils consider their own backgrounds and...
J. Paul Getty Trust
Portraits That Capture Character
One of the great things about technology is that it lets youngsters visit museums that may be many miles away. With this resource, middle and high schoolers can visit the portrait galleries at J. Paul Getty Museum, located in Los...
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Careers and Self-Portraits
Students explore careers they may have in their future. They create a paper collage self-portrait of themselves as adults dressed for work. They write an autobiography describing the education and training required for their chosen career.
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Portraits of the Artist
Young scholars reflect on the different roles they have for themselves in a journal entry. After reading an article, they discover information on the life of Rembrandt. In groups, they examine the roles of Rembrandt in his...
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Relief-Print Portraits
Pupils use Elizabeth's Catlett's Sharecropper for inspiration to create relief-print portraits. After a lecture/demo, students attempt a portrait painting of one of their peers.
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Tribal (or Ethnic) Self Portrait
Young scholars create self-portraits in which they represent themselves as a member of a tribe.
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Self-Portrait Unit - Lesson #1
Fourth graders create self-portraits using artistic elements found in Hispanic culture and, specifically, the art of Frida Kahlo. The lesson can be adapted for any culture/country and requires an outside person with cultural knowledge.
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Mixed-Media Self-Portrait with Symbols
Students watch segments of a video to explore portraits. They create a self portrait using mixed-media.
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Portrait Drawing Using a Model - Activity 1
Students create a realistic portrait using a live model and charcoal in this introductory art lesson plan on portrait drawing. A video and resource links are included to aid in instructional strategies.
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Heroes Portrait
Eighth graders investigate art appreciation and Renaissance portraits through time. They create a portrait.
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James Wyeth: Capturing Dance
Students draw portraits of a dancer. In this visual-arts lesson plan, students study the work of James Wyeth online. They then watch a dance performance and sketch 10 - 15 pieces depicting dancers. Five of these sketches will be selected...
Museum of the American Revolution
George vs. George
It's George versus George in the battle for the American colonies. An interesting activity compares the leadership of George Washington and King George III during the American Revolution. Scholars read text, compare portraits, and...
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Subway Drawings
Pupils create oil pastel paintings where they cover the whole paper with oil pastels and outline and smear with black. In this oil pastels lesson plan, students first study the Subway Drawings done by Keith Haring.
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Clay Portrait Project
Students discuss facial proportions and mix colors similar to flesh tones. In this art lesson plan, students draw and paint a portrait and then translate this image into a 3D form using clay.
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Portraits of Courage
Seventh graders define courage and illustrate it in a portrait art medium. In this courage and art activity, 7th graders discuss courage and identify a person who represents its meaning. Students then bring in a visual image of...
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Negative vs. Positive Thoughts
Seventh graders see themselves and how they think they are seen, which can be sometimes quite different. Self-esteem portrait allows the student to say how they think others see them, how they see themselves, and how others do indeed see...
National Sailing Hall of Fame
Sailboat Design Requirements
Sailboat design requires more than a half-circle and triangle sketch. After viewing a slideshow presentation that outlines the requirements for sailboat design, learners draw a design, perform the needed...
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Sound Portraits
Students observe a variety of sounds which can be heard within their schoolyard habitat by sitting quietly by themselves for five minutes, listening, and then recording the sounds around them by drawing them.
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Who Am I? A Look at Portraits
Students examine a variety of portraits and distinguish them from other art forms. They examine and analyze what visual clues reveal about the people in portraits and create their own portraits.
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Self-Portraits
Young scholars use a software drawing program to produce self portraits. They draw using the available tools and matching their features such as eye color and shape. They print the portraits for a classroom display.
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Identity Boxes
Students create a "portrait" box that contains symbolic representations of their own identity. In this Lucas Samaras and Joseph Cornell art lesson, students discover ways that these two artists used symbols and objects to represent...
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Portrait Painting in the style of Georges Rouault
Students paint portraits in the style of Rouault.
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Facial Tattoos or Face Painting
Students use a grid-like method to create a life-size self-portrait from a 3X5 black and white photo. They explore the different customs and rituals surrounding face painting from ancient through modern civilizations. Students create a...
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Visual Arts- 3D Self-Sculpture
Students construct three dimensional self-portraits. In this visual arts lesson plan, students use clay to create a self-portrait. Students make the clay and discuss their self-portrait.