Realistic Self Portraits

5th Grade Self Portraits 

During the first quarter in both Visual Arts and Health the fifth grade classes focus on positive self images.  Our first project included the students creating a profile portrait that was made up of 10 positive characteristics, selected by each student. For our second portrait the students were focusing on drawing realistic self portraits.

For Day 1 of this project the students watched the first 2 and 1/2 minutes of a youtube video that showed the students how the different parts of the face were measured and related to each other. To see the video click on the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WROSZ6803cE

Then using the worksheet below, we learned how to correctly draw the different proportions of the human face.

On Day 2 of our project we practiced making a skin tone that was similar to our own.  The students drew 5 circles on their papers and using different combinations of 2-3 markers they experimented making a skin tone that was similar to their own. Once they have filled their circles with the different marker combos, the students used a small amount of water to blend the different markers together. 

Teacher's Exemplars

Teacher's Exemplars on how to color in and paint the final drafts.

EXAMPLES OF STUDENTS COMPLETED PORTRAITS ARE COMING SOON!

2nd Grade Landscapes

Jug Bay Natural Area in PG County

2nd Grade's Landscapes

We are continuing with our study of the artist Vincent Van Gogh and his many wonderful works of art.  For this project we were looking at examples of some of his many landscapes.  

We learned that landscapes are paintings or drawings of things found in nature; for example trees, hills, fields, and lakes. We also learned that there are 3 sections in a landscape. There is a foreground, a mid-ground, and a background.

The grass in the foreground is larger than anything else in the landscape because it is closer to us.  The wagon and person in the mid-ground are medium sized objects; they are not as close to us as the items in the foreground so they need to be smaller, to show that they are further away.  The items in the background such as the mountains and houses are drawn very small because they are very far away from us, and the way to show that they are far away is to draw the mountains and trees smaller than the people in the mid-ground and the grass in the foreground.  

For our landscape the students looked at 2 pictures from a local natural reserve in Prince George's County called Jug Bay.

They were able to pick which picture they wanted to base their landscape off of.  We first drew out the items in our landscape in pencil. Then using markers we added patterns to the different areas in our landscape (example short lines of dark and light green in the grass areas).

Once all areas were filled with patterns, the students used a small amount of water to blend their markers together to get a painted effect on their landscapes similar to Vincent Van Gogh.
Take a look at the wonderful examples of students' artwork below.

Once completed with their landscapes the students filled out a worksheet that asked them to identify what elements of their landscape were in the foreground, mid-ground, and background of their landscapes.