An Exploration of The Self Portrait for Kids

Tuesdays, January 13 – 27 | 4 -5:30 p.m. 

This class will teach students the art of constructing a self-portrait using different mediums in order to explore how each medium can add a different mood and tone to how we express and view
ourselves. Students will be encouraged to not just create from what they see on the surface, but to allow their own inner world to shine through as well.

The first class will start by having students arrange a studio scene using different lighting, costumes, and props. Then, students will submerge themselves in the scene. Using a timer on a phone camera, they will each take a self-portrait. The second class will have students take this same photograph, and now using pre-cut shapes, break their face down into basic shapes and make a self-portrait by collaging these shapes together. We will also go over the proportions of the face. The third class will have students create another self-portrait using a pen and pencil. In this exercise, I will go further into the proportions and shapes of the face, but also, I will go into how lighting and shadows can affect the tone of our self-portrait and help to flesh out our features. The
fourth and final class would be painting a self-portrait. This final class will ask students to again use previous self-portraits as a reference for their painting.

We will discuss how what colors we choose for our self-portrait can also help to express what mood or tone we want to say. The ultimate goal of the 4-week session is to teach students how to develop their own sense of who they are and how they want to be viewed by using a creative outlet to deeper understand themselves.