​Everyone learns differently. As art educators, we strive to reach all our students at their individual levels of ability. We know that many paths can lead to success, and we can offer several ways to get to the  goals we set. For this exploration I wanted to focus on 2 main ideas.
 
1: Classical portraiture, something students tend to fear. I hoped to offer them many approaches so that they would find one that worked well for themselves.
2: Ways to create expressive and personal works of art. A portrait, in-and-of-itself, is not necessarily "art." Portraits can sometimes just be a commissioned document of an individual, not really "art."
 
To show students that they can improve, I focused on 3 ways they could improve their work.
1. Using a resource like a mirror.
2. Using biology and classical resources to gain knowledge.
3. The grid method for portraits using their own self-generated images. 

​All three methods were preceded with a drawing without any kind of instruction as a base-line image. (First image of 4) After each drawing students would critique their own work explaining what improved, to what degree, and what more they needed to learn.
 
For the grid image resource, I introduced the grid concept to students by giving each a 1 x 1 in. square and having them re-draw it to a 6 x 6 in square. I did not tell them what the final image was until we assembled it to reveal our school's name sake, Mr. Vernon Malone. This showed them the power of the technique and how a complex image could be broken into simple, more manageable bits. 

​With that done we went to the library to take expressive "selfies" with their cell phones and iPads.  I provided props students could use, and I reviewed some of the symbolism for each. If there were other connections they were able to make, that was encouraged. These images were uploaded to their Google accounts and printed.
 
To close the unit I gave an assessment that was both to help me understand what approach seemed to work best for them individually; to see what one-on-one help they felt was valuable. The second half of the assessment was to recreate the facial proportions from our resources. This was the portion that connected our art project to biology and history (Renaissance). Every day I reinforced the idea that they needed to draw what they saw, not what they thought they saw. Student often fall into the trap of drawing a football-shape where the eye should be without seeing the angles and curves of the unique eye they are drawing, or to notice one eye is often different than the other.
 
One tip most found helpful when gridding was to work up-side-down, as they do in the book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain." This forces student to slow down, and to notice the specific differences in facial features.
 
Below are samples from 2 students. In the examples I am posting here you can see one student really excelled in their work, doing very well with the grid method. The other struggled with the grid, so I told them to ignore the grid from time to time and focus on the proportional aspect of our exercise that they did grasp well. Both I feel were successful, but the flexibility to help students meet challenges at their own pace and ability is crucial. Some of the resources I used are from the book, "The Art Student's Workbook" from Firehouse Publications.

​Something else delightful happened too... I have a colleague at my school audit my class as we explored our portrait unit. She took time from her preparation period to attend my class for several days and create a self portrait from her favorite photo. Though I have had quite a few teachers muse that they would like to take my class when they see the work of my students, she is the first to ever do so in my 30 years teaching.

Below are some videos that may be helpful if you attempt a grid portrait unit. Feel free to explore more of my channel there on Youtube. The bottom video is helpful is you have access to "T-Squares."

​Art should reflect it's maker. Art should be unique and expressive. We know this to be true, but it's hard to get a class to make unique works of art and still meet curriculum needs. Some opt for the cookie-cutter project and leave individualism to professional artists. Many, like myself, opt for open-ended projects that allow for unique interpretations.
 
However, as students become more familiar with media and procedures, I allow them more latitude to explore. My concern though is how to document progress and work on an individual basis and make sure everyone is digging deep. With that in mind, I created several worksheets to help track my student's progress. As I walk around I have a one-on-one conversation with students to see what they are doing, offer advice, or tips. I see my role as a resource and I tell them that. When you face a challenge, ask a peer, or ask the "professional."
 
Rather than providing answers, I sometimes ask questions that lead them to answers, or ask the class, or a student I know has dealt with that issue. As they work they have their documentation open. It's a page from "The Advanced Student's Workbook." I check off where I feel they are... 10% complete, 50%, 75%, etc. If I return a day or two later and the percentage has not changed, we have a discussion. Is it laziness? Have they re-started? Are they stuck? This tracking has been very helpful in assessing a grade.
 
They also use a universal rubric I developed with a colleague and have altered over the years. In it they have to justify how they have exceeded expectations should they feel they deserve above 90%, or admit how they might have missed the mark in some areas.

​Grades should not be arbitrary. When a project is complete, we review sketches, possible false-starts, the research they had to complete before beginning their work, etc. Because all of these reference pages are bound under one cover, grading becomes much easier for these very diverse and personal projects. You can see from my photos here that the grades are as diverse as the work.
 
Below is a video walk-through of the book I am using. It comes in a teacher's edition as well. Both can be found HERE, and on Amazon or at Nasco. 

​Paul Klee (pronounced Paul Clay) is a famous artist from the early 20th century who pioneered some very interesting printing techniques including the linear monoprint. Students began by exploring the technique by creating blind portraits. This is where you look at your subject but not your hands as you draw. They result in delightfully odd images that look like cartoons in some respects. It was these images we transferred with Paul's technique.

We rolled slow drying printing ink on the back of the drawings, then re-traced them to transfer the image to a new paper. The "trick" though was to color the image BEFORE transferring the black lines last. Below is a sample of a Paul Klee artwork and one of our student works.