My Evil Twin!

Self portraits can be done in many ways, but sometimes we can get stuck in a rut. This is a project I did with my summer camp students that went so well it will end up in my classroom as well. My friend Rachel, who runs the blog The Helpful Art Teacher, added a writing component to the project which paired well. (I'll share that below)

The process can be done in many ways, but what I did is have students fold their paper in half, do a self portrait on one side, then flip their paper and trace the image against a window. When opened it creates mirrored self portraits.

You could also:

• Use a light box
• Photo copy a line drawn image
• Use carbon paper to transfer an image
• Rub pencils all over the back of the drawing like THIS 

I have students handle one drawing as their "real" selves with as much detail as time will allow. The other drawing is of their "Evil Twin" or their "Inner Personality." I speak personally about how people may perceive me based on how I look and how that may be very different from who I am when friends get to know me. As a teacher I can be very serious at times which hides my odd sense of humor and love of all things Sci-Fi! 

So though I could draw my evil twin, I could also draw myself as a Stormtrooper from Star Wars, or an alien on another planet that still resembles me.

Either way, the image side by side are striking. Rachel had her students do a follow-up writing sample shown below the images.

Person, Place and Problem: My Evil Twin
Writing lesson by Rachel Wintemberg
 
Your story’s main character will be loosely based on you. That means that it will be written in the first person (using the pronoun ‘I’). The character can be older or younger than you, even grown up. They can have a completely different life than you. They may also have a different name than you. But their personality and how they would act in imaginary situations should be based on you. They must be human.
 
Your story must have a setting. It could be anywhere, real or imaginary, past, present or future.
 
Your character must have an evil twin that tries to ruin his or her life by pretending to be them. Be as original and creative as possible. What are some ways an evil twin could potentially cause you problems?
 
The ‘twin’ does not need to be related to the main character. They merely have to look identical to them. They could be an actual twin, a clone, a cyborg, a time traveler, a relative or just a doppelganger. However they must be able to get away with impersonating the main character, at least for a while.
 
How does the main character try to solve their problem? Does anyone believe them? Can they expose the evil twin?
 
Your story must end in a cliffhanger. Think of the season finale of your favorite TV show, where you have to wait until next season to find out how it ends. Keep your readers interested. Does your main character get the happy ending they deserve? Or is all lost? Keep your audience guessing.
 
Be as creative and original as possible. Have fun. If you finish early, try retelling the story from the evil twin’s perspective.