NURSTEED PRIMARY SCHOOL ART UNIT PLANS

NAME: DATE:

ART TOPIC THEME NAME: Our Faces

SUB HEADING: Portraits
LINK TO CLASS THEME: Fire and Sparkle, or Travelling in Time
(Florence Nightingale (lamps) or Light and Dark)
ART UNIT: Y2/1
MEDIA FOCUS: Drawing
VISUAL ELEMENT FOCUS: Colour/Tone
ARTIST FOCUS: Andy Warhol, Da Vinci, Modigliani

POSSIBLE QCA LINKS: 1A Self Portrait

ABOUT THE UNIT To create a series of portraits of each other with

focus on line, tone, light and dark. Pictures can be of faces lit by fire
i.e. bonfire night or fire of London, or could be faces lit by F.
Nightingales’ lamp, or simply a study in light and dark.

VOCABULARY Light, dark, shading, tone, colour, black, white, grey,

shadow, reflection, portrait, HB.

RESOURCES chalk, charcoal, black sugar paper, chalk pastels, drawing

pencils, ready mix paint.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES NC POS

4b Look at portraits and observe techniques of shading, colour and tone.
1a Make observational drawings of a partner, recording from first hand
observation, and explore ideas.
2b Use light and dark tones to create different effects.
2b Try out tools and techniques and apply to own drawing techniques.

SKILLS TO BE TAUGHT/LEARNING OUTCOMES/ASSESSMENT

• Observe artists work and talk about techniques used.
• Use pencils and chalks with varying pressure to gain different
effects.
• Use vocabulary linked to shading in relation to their work.

POSSIBLE TEACHING ACTIVITIES

• Look at self-portraits, notice light, dark, tone and shadow especially.
• Portrait studies in pairs, focus on ‘what you can actually see’.
• Explore making shades of grey with pencils, chalks, charcoals.
• Make a variety of sketches emphasising dark/light tones.
• Use black sugar paper and a choice of chalks, pastels and crayons.
Draw partner, focusing on the lightest parts of their face, leaving
out the darker shadows and outline of facial features. Try to
achieve different effects, e.g. smoothness, shine.
• Use lamps to create shadows on faces. Try to draw the dark areas.
• Use overhead projector to make silhouettes of profiles.
• Introduce warm colours to edge of faces to show glow of fire/
lamplight etc.
• Collect black and white images of faces.
• Use digital camera to take photos of each other in different lights.
• Make a portrait where one side is black with white features and the
other side is white with black features.
• Link to witch, cat or pumpkin faces for Halloween.

NOTES
Books:
Resources: Our Faces Unit Pack
Portraits folder
Web: http://www.surfnetkids.com/davinci.htm
http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/vinci/
http://www.warhol.org/education/index.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/modigliani/