Does anyone have a fun way to teach portraits and facial proportion to
elementary kids. My explaination takes 1-2 class periods and is about as
exciting as a root canal.
Well:
A. Cut out all the extra talk - this means your extra explanation.
Remember Mies,"Less is more."
B. Demonstrate at an easel as you draw and draw two portraits.
C. First, draw features the way students tend to draw them - eyes on the
forehead, lines all the way around the nose, ears up at the top of the head
etc. This makes them laugh and they realize that they really do draw this
stupidly.
D. Draw one of the kids in class (pick someone with distinctive features,
spiky hair, glasses etc. so you can't help but get a good likeness).
E Draw the portaits simultaneously. Draw the goofy eyes, then draw them
correctly on the other head. It seems to register better with students
when they see examples of the wrong way to draw. Later, when they attempt
the work, if they start doing it the wrong way, they tend to self-correct.
Godd Luck!
