Art Lesson Plan: Cultural Self Portraits

Submitted by: Kim Sheek, Montezuma-Cortez High School, Cortez, Colorado
UNIT: Drawing - Portrait
Lesson: Tribal (or Ethnic) Self Portrait
Grade Level: High School (may be adapted to middle school)

See Portrait Gallery from Saline High School

Click images for larger views

Resource:

Kim Philipsen - Danish born Australian artist. Portraits of native people. Show for discussion after the art making experience - connection to contemporary art/artist.

BASIC PROJECT DESCRIPTION

In this portrait project, you will depict yourself as a member of a tribe of which you are not actually a member. You will work from a digital photograph of yourself as well as images that are taken from an actual tribe, such as the Maasai, the Zulus, etc. Research the tribe you wish to identify with. By adding features such as piercings, tattoos, body adornments, hairstyles, etc. that are indicative of that tribe, you will become a “member” in your drawing. Why do you identify with that particular cultural group? What do you admire about these people?

Variation: Research their own ancestry and do a self portrait reflecting their own cultural heritage. Students could even invent their own "tribal look" based on research.

STEPS:

This instructs you step by step on the procedures to follow so you may successfully complete this project.

1) Select images from the Internet that you want to use as reference materials for the additions you are going to make to your self-portrait. On a search engine such as google.com try words like, African Tribal Photographs or Universal Tribal Photographs. Remember when using a search engine, if you don’t find what you want fairly quickly, alter your choice of words in some way and then try again. Print the images that you want to use. You will to use them when drawing your portrait.

2) Decide what type of expression you want to have on your face. You might get an idea by looking again at the images you found either on the net or in a book from the library. It is helpful to look at the expression right before you are photographed so you can envision it on your face. You also need to decide how your face/head need to be positioned before we shot your photograph. Several shots will be taken.

3) Do some small, quick, non-detailed thumbnail sketches of your composite face. This helps you plan it out ahead of time so you will create the best composition. Remember this is a portrait. This means head, neck and some shoulder showing.

4) Once you have completed the previous steps and are ready to start on your final, lightly sketch the entire composition onto your final paper. Make sure that you have the correct proportions. This is a realistic portrait. You may want to grid part of your face to get it just right. The adornments and additions need to be drawn just as accurately. Use great care and observation in this step. If you don’t get it correct here, it will not be correct when it is completed.

5) Lay in all the correct values. There should be complete whites, complete blacks and all the values in between. It should look as close to a photograph when you are done as possible.

6) Complete the written portion of your SMARTEE* sheet. Follow the directions so you get credit for your writing.

7) Complete the rubric and give yourself a letter grade.

MEDIA

materials used: reference materials (National Geographic, Internet, books), digital photographs, Bristol board, Drawing pencils, kneaded erasers

ART TERMS

composite, reference materials, research, value, cultural identity, adornment

R REQUIREMENTS:

Check this often to make sure your project includes ALL of the requirements.

1) Use reference materials from other tribal cultures.
2) Accurate rendering throughout the drawing.
3) Self-portrait and additions work together successfully.
4) The drawing is a portrait only (head, neck and shoulders).
5) There is a complete range of correct values throughout the drawing.
6) There are smooth blended transitions between value changes.
7) Written portion of SMARTEE is completed according to the directions.
8) Rubric is filled out and a written grade is given.

TIME FRAME

Approximately 10 class blocks as well as hours working outside of class.

EVALUATION:

Read the following paragraph and then answer the questions using all the new terminology in such a way that it is clear you understand the meaning of each word. Make sure you actually answer the question that is asked. The student must complete this section. In this section you write directly about your work. You should talk about the strengths and weaknesses; things you could do better; things that are done exceptionally well.

It must be legible, both in terms of the actual writing as well as the intended meaning. Spelling is also important, make sure it is correct. Your answer tells me about your artwork and your understanding of the project. Defend your statements. Just writing phrases such as, “I like it.” is not good enough. Why do you like it? You must also give yourself a written grade. You must use the rubrics provided to help you determine what grade you deserve. In your writing, you must use complete sentences.

NEW TERMS: composite and reference materials

Artists have done self-portraits for hundreds of years. Artists have different reasons for working on self-portraits. One reason may be that if you are an artist, using yourself as the model is easy as well as cheap. You still get the benefit of learning how to draw a human face as well as exploring different expressions.

Some artists depict themselves differently with each portrait. Cindy Sherman, a contemporary photographer, uses costumes (sometimes quite elaborate) and takes pictures of herself in ways she feels women are stereotyped in our society. Her first series of photographs were less shocking than the type of work she currently has been doing.

Self-portraits also are the most challenging for artists. They must look at themselves and see the “naked truth”. If the portrait is meant to be recognizable, the artist can not his/her altar physical features. You must look at yourself and try to disconnect your feelings about whom you are and what you think you look like. Draw what you actually see.

1) Why is it difficult to draw a self-portrait?

2) What is the most outstanding part of your self-portrait? Why?

3) What part are you the least pleased with? Why?

4) How could you improve this drawing?

EVALUATION

Teacher evaluation: Most comments will be noted on the rubric specifically designed for and attached to each project’s individual SMARTEE sheet.

Assessment Rubric
Student Name:						Class Period:
Assignment: Tribal Self Portrait						Date Completed:
Circle the number in pencil that best shows how well you feel that you completed that criterion for the assignment.		Excellent	Good	Average	Needs Improvement	Rate Yourself	Teacher’s Rating
Criteria 1 – Collection of reference material - research		10	9 – 8	7	6 or less
Criteria 2 – Composition - reflecting culture - authentic adornment		10	9 – 8	7	6 or less
Criteria 3 – Value rendering - full range of values - approaches realism		10	9 – 8	7	6 or less
Criteria 4 – Effort: took time to develop idea & complete project? (Didn’t rush.) Good use of class time?		10	9 – 8	7	6 or less
Criteria 5 – Craftsmanship – Neat, clean & complete? Skillful use of the art tools & media?		10	9 – 8	7	6 or less
Total: 50 (possible points)	Grade:					Your Total	Teacher Total

Student Comments:

Teacher Comments:

COLORADO VISUAL ARTS STATE STANDARDS

1) STUDENTS RECOGNIZE AND USE THE VISUAL ARTS AS A FORM OF COMMUNICATION.
2) STUDENTS KNOW & APPLY ELEMENTS OF ART, PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN & SENSORY & EXPRESSIVE FEATURES OF VISUAL ARTS.
3) STUDENTS KNOW & APPLY VISUAL ARTS MATERIALS, TOOLS, TECHNIQUES & PROCESSES.
4) STUDENTS RELATE THE VISUAL ARTS TO VARIOUS HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL TRADITIONS.
5)STUDENTS ANALYZE & EVALUATE THE CHARACTERISTICS, MERITS & MEANINGS OF WORKS OF ART

* SMARTEE = Steps - Media - Art Vocabulary - Requirements - Time Frame - Evaluation (student) - Evaluation (teacher).

NOTE: If you feel Tribal Self Portraits will offend, change the title. Kim teaches both Mountain Ute and Navajo Native Americans and the title did not offend them. The idea is for students to find distinguishing costuming, markings, hair, body ornamentation, etc from tribes from around the world that they will use in creating a self-portrait that depicts them in a new way.

The images sent were all done by juniors in her Advanced Placement Art 3 class. In AP Three they work on the Breadth portion of the portfolio.

National Standards

1. Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes	2. Using knowledge of structures and functions	3. Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas	5. Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others
Students apply media, techniques, and processes with sufficient skill, confidence, and sensitivity that their intentions are carried out in their artworks	Students demonstrate the ability to form and defend judgments about the characteristics and structures to accomplish commercial, personal, communal, or other purposes of art	Students reflect on how artworks differ visually, spatially, temporally, and functionally, and describe how these are related to history and culture	Students identify intentions of those creating artworks, explore the implications of various purposes, and justify their analyses of purposes in particular works
Students conceive and create works of visual art that demonstrate an understanding of how the communication of their ideas relates to the media, techniques, and processes they use	Students evaluate the effectiveness of artworks in terms of organizational structures and functions	Students apply subjects, symbols, and ideas in their artworks and use the skills gained to solve problems in daily life	Students describe meanings of artworks by analyzing how specific works are created and how they relate to historical and cultural contexts
	Students create artworks that use organizational principles and functions to solve specific visual arts problems	(Advanced) Students describe the origins of specific images and ideas and explain why they are of value in their artwork and in the work of others
		Students evaluate and defend the validity of sources for content and the manner in which subject matter, symbols, and images are used in the students' works and in significant works by others

Added by Jessica Tackett:

The kids liked the aspect of becoming someone else through adornment.

Hint: Parallel this lesson with the work of Chuck Close. There's a video on him painting and using the grid. I had my kids grid up the digital photo I took and then quadruple the size of the portrait. They researched, learned about an artist, and worked on value technique.

One of my students found this website that has fantastic black and white photos of African tribes: http://www.masters-of-fine-art -photography.com/02/

(There are other very nice photos on Peter Gasser's website too).

Note from Kim:

The idea behind this project was not to create a multi-cultural project. So for those who feel this doesn't adequately address cultural issues, that's great. That was not the intention.

By studying people who looked vastly different from themselves, through tattoos, scarification, body adornment, hair, and even the expressions, etc. it helped my students to see a way to depict themselves in some way they had not conceived of before. I don't think it is that different than the work Cindy Sherman has done. She is using herself to show the role of women. Although her work is not intended to be a self-portrait, she is placing herself in different settings with "props" to communicate an idea. Obviously this project is not as conceptual as that but it makes the kids start to think. That is what I want my kids to do, begin thinking.

This also is not a "grid" project. If students felt that there was a small area they couldn't get quite right, they were allowed to grid it if they chose to do so. Most do not. However, I have been teaching long enough that I am not an "absolute" or "purist" kind of person. I let my students experiment and try "what if I did this" kind of thing. If you, as a teacher, are offended by a student gridding his/her eye, that's okay. Personally I would say lighten up and don't take yourself so seriously. Put yourself back in high school or even your early years of college. Kids are still struggling with their art and especially if it is their desire to create a self-portrait that actually looks like themselves.

If some teachers out there have students that have already mastered realistic drawing at the end of middle school, that is awesome. You are very lucky to have students that skilled when you get them in classes. We do not have art in our school system until kids are in sixth grade. I often get students in 9th grade who have had less than one year of very basic art in their lives. My beginning students still are yearning to just know how to draw something that is fairly representative. I teach anything and everything I can to help my students begin to feel like they love art and are becoming "artists". Art is wonderful and there is no one who should feel excluded from being an artist because we create strict rules that not everyone can adhere to.