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Leonardo da Vinci “study for an angel “ Andy Warhol “ silver Marilyn” Pablo Picasso “self portrait”
Silverpoint on paper late 1400’s screenprint 1956 oil on canvas 1907

SELF PO RTR AI T PR OJEC T IB1

CLASS 1
Make a series of quick drawings from observation in your RWB’s, remember to
look in the mirror carefully all the time. These are warming up exercises to get
you familiar with the shapes and forms of your face. Work in pencil. OBSERVE
CAREFULLY. Only one drawing should be front on. Vary the expression and
pose.

HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS

In your RWB make 6 line drawings using a black fine liner. Vary the facial
expressions – try to capture a variety of expressions:-

• What features are important to your character?

• How can you emphasize these without being cartoony?

• 3 of the drawings should be pure line; experiment with thick and thin lines
for emphasis. Look at the line drawings of Honore Daumier or da Vinci for
inspirational linework.

• Remember to give your portrait some body/neck – NO FLOATING FACES!

Attempt to draw 2 more self portraits (large – not in RWB) using pencil, conte,
black pen or brush and pen.
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Frida Khalo “Two Fridas “ Max Beckman “Self Portrait” El Greco “Self Portrait”
Oil on board 1939 Drypoint etching 1901 Oil on board 1595

SELF PO RTR AI T PR OJEC T IB1

CLASS 2
Make sure all homework is in class – discuss and compare work as a group. What makes some drawings
more successful than others? What do you look for in a drawing? How do you improve on what you’ve
done? Be art critics - analyse and discuss the positive and weak points of each other’s work – put forward
your opinion. Look carefully, criticise constructively. Make notes in your RWB of others’ suggestions.

Before the end of the lesson ask another person in the class, or me, to take a digital photographic portrait
shot of you. Look at the screen and make decisions as to how you want the shot – and its composition. This
can either be put next to the observation drawings for comparison or used (blown up to at least A4) to work
from for a later painting. Work out the approximate size of your ‘painting-to-be’ so we can get a stretcher
made.

HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS

• Find at least 2 examples of portraits or self –portraits by 2 artists whose work is of a different style.
• Find 2 examples of portraits that use colour or distortion to suggest the sitter’s mood or personality.
• Find 1 example in which the portrait is abstracted or simplified.
• Find 1 example of a portrait or self – portrait that includes symbolic images that relate to the sitter.
• Find 1 other source of inspiration such as photographic or sculptural portraits or any other media.
(There is a book in the library of great photos of Zambian celebs) that could inspire you or relate to
your work.
• The collected examples should be identified and correctly labeled with the name of the work/ date
made / name of the artist / media used.
• The examples should be clear colour photocopies taking up about half of an A4 page.
• Write a paragraph (filling the rest of the A4 page) discussing why you chose the work – such as
how it expresses or shows the personality or the mood of the sitter or how it relates to your work,
techniques and media used, what you find interesting about it .

SUGGESTED ARTISTS FOR REFERENCE AND INSPIRATION

Van Gogh - Matisse – Ingres - Edvard Munch - Picasso – Modigliani - Elizabeth Frink -
Francois d’Elbee - Frida Khalo Francis Bacon - Honore Daumier – Andy Warhol – Egon
Schiele – Marc Chagall – Shadreck Simukanga – Salvador Dali – Julia Margaret
Cameron – Nan Goldin – Elizabeth Peyton – El Greco - Max Beckman – Lucien Freud –
Henri Rousseau – Oscar Kokoshka – Jean Michel Basquait – Cezanne - Mary Cassat -
David Siqueros – Annie Liebowitz .
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Vincent van Gogh “Self portrait” Elizabeth Peyton “Jarvis” Lucien Freud “Reflection”
Oil on board 1889 Mixed media 1996 Oil on canvas 1985

SELF PO RTR AI T PR OJEC T IB1

CLASS 3
You will all have stretchers now – stretch and prepare your canvases for painting. Record how
you have done this in your RWB, if you haven’t done this before.

PLANNING AND COMPOSITION

• Photocopy your self portrait, cut out and rearrange it or use it as is to work from.
• Try a variety of compositions out in sketch form such as a small figure within a large
background space.
• Try a large cropped closeup of your face with parts going off the borders of the page.
• Try yourself in a room.
•Try yourself with images or symbols that relate to you or your work, or in an imaginary
setting or body.
COLOUR PLANNING
• Do some colour “roughs”using colour pencil or watercolour to work out your colour
scheme.
• Try monochromatic or limited colours.
• Try complimentary or contrasting colours.
• Try out some imaginary colours – emotional.
PLANNING TECHNIQUES
• Explore a variety of ways to apply paint to the canvas. Make up your own.
• Use different sized brushes.
• Blend differently.
• Use rags to apply colour and wipe back (work quickly before drying)
• Use a palette knife, apply paint thickly and scrape back or use sgraffito.
• Use broken colour- pointillism etc.
• Use different textures in your paint, dry and thick, watery, adding sand etc.
• Choose an artist from those you have looked at and single out a piece of work to try
some of the more obvious techniques.
• Make sure you record each experiment thoroughly- colours , mixtures and material
used, application technique etc in your RWB.
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HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS

Single out a piece of work from all of your examples for in depth research. You need to become
an “expert” on this artist. Research their biography, make informed comments about their work,
write at least 2 pages alone on their social/political/historical and geographical context. Time and
culture is important for all artists I also want your opinion – have any of these things in your
opinion really affected the artists work? Which pieces – how? Illustrate with properly labeled and
cited colour images as before.

Henri Rousseau “Myself, Portrait landscape” Ingres “Mme Thiers” Annie Liebowitz “David Cassidy”
Oil on canvas 1890 Graphite on paper 1834 Cibachrome 1974

SELF PO RTR AI T PR OJEC T IB1

CLASS 4
Start your self-portrait canvas.
• Draw your chosen composition onto the canvas lightly with pencil or using a
paintbrush with watered down mid-toned paint.
• Start your paint application informing yourself by using any appropriate or successful
experiments from the last lesson.
• You may work from your mirrored reflection, or your photograph, or drawings,
whatever you feel comfortable with.

HOMEWORK FOR NEXT CLASS (and subsequent lessons while finishing the painting)
Your RWBs should have –
• Planning for your self – portrait.
• Idea development and a record of the processes used and exploration and discovery
during the work.
• Personal evaluation of your progress during making the painting and a final
evaluation at the end.

DON’T FORGET TO TAKE PHOTOS OF YOUR WORK IN PROGRESS TO HELP ILLUSTRATE YOUR RWB NOTES !
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Don’t fall behind in this project. Keep up with homework, bring in all work you need and stay on
the ball! This is an intensive project that requires consistent commitment. The final painting
should be finished within 2 weeks of the date of lesson 4.

Good luck! –
Buzzy Impey. IB Art teacher, International School of Lusaka.
8/11/2007