Introduction to Portrait Drawing and Painting for SS 3

Class: SS 3
Term: First Term
Week: 2
Age: 16 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: Painting and Decoration
Previous Lesson:
Topic: PORTRAITURE DRAWING AND PAINTING
Subject Matter: Introduction to portraiture; Meaning/ definition; Proportions in babies, adults and children; Transfer of passport photo unto a large area

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils/students should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Define portraiture.
• Identify the proportional differences in the faces of babies, children, and adults.
• Explain the steps involved in transferring a passport photo onto a larger drawing surface.

Affective Domain

• Appreciate the importance of accurate proportions in portrait drawing.
• Show interest in learning various techniques for creating portraits.

Psychomotor Domain

• Draw basic facial features according to appropriate proportions for different age groups.
• Demonstrate the initial steps of transferring a passport photo onto a larger area.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 Revised 9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• A suitable Fine Art textbook for Senior Secondary School 3
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Chart showing facial proportions of babies, children, and adults.
• Various passport photographs.
• Drawing papers (A3 or larger).
• Pencils (HB, 2B, 4B).
• Erasers.
• Rulers.
• Grid paper or transparent grid sheets.
• Examples of finished portrait drawings/paintings.

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is essential for students to develop foundational skills in figurative art, specifically portraiture. Understanding facial proportions and transfer techniques enables students to create realistic and expressive human representations. These skills are fundamental for further studies in fine art, graphic design, and related creative fields.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Students should have basic knowledge of drawing techniques, shading, and an understanding of general art terms.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

PORTRAITURE DRAWING AND PAINTING

Introduction to Portraiture

Portraiture is a form of art where the artist creates a representation of a person, an animal, or a group. It focuses on capturing the likeness, personality, and mood of the subject. While it often includes the face, it can also depict the full body or a partial figure.

Meaning and Definition of Portraiture

Portraiture is the art of making portraits. A portrait is an artistic representation of a person, typically focusing on the face and its expression, with the aim of displaying the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. It can be created using various media such as drawing, painting, sculpture, or photography.

Proportions in Portraiture

Understanding proportions is key to drawing realistic portraits. The human face changes significantly in proportion from infancy to adulthood.

Proportions in Babies

Babies have distinct facial proportions:

1. The head is relatively large compared to the body.
2. The eyes are positioned lower on the head, often below the halfway line.
3. The forehead is prominent and large.
4. The chin and jawline are small and rounded.
5. Features are generally soft and rounded.

Proportions in Children

As children grow, their facial proportions begin to shift towards adult features, but still retain some unique characteristics:

1. The head is still relatively large but less so than a baby’s.
2. The eyes are still slightly lower than an adult’s, but higher than a baby’s.
3. The forehead remains significant.
4. The jawline and chin become more defined but are not as strong as an adult’s.
5. Features are generally softer and rounder than adult features.

Proportions in Adults

Adult facial proportions follow a more standardised set of guidelines in art:

1. The head is typically divided into halves horizontally, with the eyes falling on the halfway line.
2. The space between the eyes is generally equal to the width of one eye.
3. The nose usually falls halfway between the eye line and the chin.
4. The mouth is typically positioned halfway between the nose and the chin.
5. The ears are often aligned with the eye line and the base of the nose.
6. The width of the face at the eyes is usually five eye-widths across.

Transfer of Passport Photo onto a Large Area

Transferring a small image like a passport photo onto a larger drawing surface accurately is a common technique in portraiture. The grid method is a popular and effective way to achieve this:

1. Prepare the Photo: Draw a grid of equal squares over the passport photograph using a ruler and a fine-tipped pen or pencil.
2. Prepare the Drawing Surface: Draw a corresponding grid on your larger drawing paper. Ensure the ratio of the squares on the paper to the squares on the photo is consistent (e.g., if the photo squares are 1cm, the paper squares could be 2cm for a 2x enlargement).
3. Transfer Point by Point: Observe the lines and shapes within each square on the passport photo. Carefully draw these lines and shapes into the corresponding squares on your larger drawing paper.
4. Connect the Lines: Once all the details are transferred, gently erase the grid lines on your drawing paper.
5. Refine the Drawing: Begin to refine the transferred outline, adding details, shading, and corrections to achieve a more accurate and expressive portrait.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Question and Answer, Explanation, Observation, Practical Activity

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engaging/Questioning

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the students and asks them if they know what a portrait is. The teacher shows examples of different portraits (drawings, paintings, photos) and introduces the topic of portraiture drawing and painting.

Pupils’ Activity: Students respond to questions and observe the examples shown by the teacher.

Learning Point: Introduction to portraiture

Step 2: Meaning and Definition of Portraiture

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Definition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains the meaning and definition of portraiture, highlighting that it is an artistic representation of a person, focusing on their face and expression. The teacher uses simple language and provides clear examples.

Pupils’ Activity: Students listen attentively and ask questions for clarification.

Learning Point: Meaning of portraiture

Step 3: Proportions in Babies

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays a chart or image of a baby’s face. The teacher explains and demonstrates the unique proportions of a baby’s head and facial features, such as the large forehead and lower eye placement, using simple sketches on the board.

Pupils’ Activity: Students observe the chart and teacher’s demonstration, noting the key proportional differences.

Learning Point: Baby facial proportions

Step 4: Proportions in Children

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Comparison

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays a chart or image of a child’s face and explains how the proportions begin to change from that of a baby, moving towards adult features. The teacher compares the child’s proportions to those of a baby, pointing out the subtle shifts.

Pupils’ Activity: Students observe and compare the child’s facial proportions with those of a baby, identifying the transitional changes.

Learning Point: Child facial proportions

Step 5: Proportions in Adults

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Instruction

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays a chart or image of an adult’s face and explains the standard artistic proportions (e.g., eyes at the halfway mark, nose halfway between eyes and chin). The teacher guides students to make quick sketches of an adult face, focusing on these proportions.

Pupils’ Activity: Students observe the adult facial proportions and attempt to sketch basic adult faces, applying the guidelines.

Learning Point: Adult facial proportions

Step 6: Transfer of Passport Photo onto a Large Area

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Practical Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates the grid method for transferring a passport photo onto a larger drawing paper. The teacher shows how to draw grids on both the photo and the paper, and how to transfer details square by square.

Pupils’ Activity: Students observe the demonstration carefully and ask questions about the transfer process.

Learning Point: Photo transfer techniques

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What is portraiture?
2. Mention two proportional differences between a baby’s face and an adult’s face.
3. Briefly explain one method of transferring a small photo onto a larger drawing surface.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Portraiture understanding

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils/students to copy the essential Board Summary notes on portraiture, proportions, and photo transfer into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils/students copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Recording lesson content

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Summarising/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher briefly summarises the key points of the lesson, reinforcing the importance of understanding proportions and the usefulness of transfer techniques in portraiture. The teacher encourages students to practice these skills.

Pupils’ Activity: Students listen and reflect on the lesson’s main ideas.

Learning Point: Portraiture skills reinforced

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework/Project

Instruction: Students are to practice the concepts learned in class.

1. Using the grid method, transfer a passport photograph of a family member or friend onto an A3 drawing paper.
2. Begin to sketch the facial features accurately based on the transferred outline.
3. Observe and sketch the proportional differences between a baby, a child, and an adult from photographs or observation.

Lesson Keywords

• Portraiture – The art of making portraits.
• Portrait – An artistic representation of a person, focusing on the face and expression.
• Proportion – The relative size of parts of a whole.
• Facial Features – Parts of the face such as eyes, nose, mouth, ears.
• Grid Method – A technique for transferring and scaling images using a grid.

Differentiation

For weaker learners, provide pre-gridded drawing paper and simpler passport photos to transfer. Offer more one-on-one guidance during the sketching of proportions. For faster learners, encourage them to experiment with different angles of faces or to add simple shading to their transferred drawings. They can also research different portrait artists and their techniques.

Suggested Lesson Videos

For further understanding, search on YouTube for:

• “Introduction to portrait drawing SS3”
• “Facial proportions for drawing adults, children, and babies”
• “Grid method for transferring images art”

Teacher Guide for Using This Lesson Plan

Before the lesson, ensure you have a variety of visual aids, including charts or large printed images showing facial proportions for different age groups, and several clear passport photographs. Prepare drawing materials for demonstration and student practice. Begin by engaging students with examples of portraits to spark their interest. Clearly explain the definition of portraiture and then meticulously demonstrate the proportional differences in babies, children, and adults, using the visual aids. For the photo transfer section, a step-by-step demonstration of the grid method is crucial. Allow students to practice sketching proportions and the initial steps of the grid transfer under your guidance. Circulate to provide immediate feedback and correct common errors in proportion or grid setup. Students should copy the Board Summary notes after the main teaching points have been covered and evaluated. Encourage continuous practice as portraiture is a skill that improves with repetition and observation.