Self Portraits

First I took pictures of each student next to a window facing the camera straight on

Then print and cut in half between the two front teeth and up the middle of the nose

Then use a glue stick to attach one side to a piece of drawing paper

Then use the side of a silver oil pastel to cover the back of the other side as dark as possible

Then line up the pieces perfectly and tape the top to the drawing paper 

Use a pencil to trace the side with the oil pastel to make a print

Lift the paper and peel it off to use as your drawing reference. Trace the oil pastel with pencil to darken the lines….don't forget to do that step because the oil pastel print is very light 

Now using your reference find the shadows and lightly color the shadows with your pencil. They will be on the side of the eye, under or around the nose, cheeks,under bottom lip, neck, and ears. I remind them not to draw lines in between teeth they just make curved lines at the bottom and top of the teeth. NO LINES in between teeth or up the side of the nose.

Then use your finger or a tissue to smooth out the shadows. If a highlight gets covered use an eraser to add highlights. 

Use a black (preferably prisma color ) pencil and draw a line across the top of the eye, the pupil, and the sides of the iris if visible. Easy on the eyelashes…

Then add black pencil to the corners of the mouth, and nostril if visible

Now darken the dark parts of the hair paying close attention to highlights and shadows

Cut the head and shoulders out 

Glue on abstract background

We used tempera paint in squirt bottles and  drew shapes, lines, and dots 

Scrape with a scraper pressing very hard

Trace with sharpie and zen tangle the white edges

Here is some student work from fourth and fifth graders