Faces Week 1
Activity 1 – Introduction: The Face as Story
Objective: Understand how faces communicate and begin observing proportion.
Warm-up (10 min):
“Emotion Match”: Show photos of different facial expressions (Grok Cards?).
Students jot down the emotion they see and one reason (eyebrows raised, eyes narrowed, etc.).
Discuss: “What clues helped you decide?”
Mini Lesson (15–20 min):
Introduce the idea that the face has a universal structure (e.g., eyes halfway down, bottom of nose halfway between eyes and chin, etc.). See Loomis Method Video Below.
Briefly show Leonardo da Vinci’s Study of Human Proportions and Alice Neel’s portraits (e.g., Nancy and Olivia).
Discuss: “How are these artists showing structure vs. personality?”
Studio Practice (20–25 min):
Students practice sketching a generic human face with proportion lines.
Encourage several quick tries instead of one perfect drawing.
Closure (5–10 min):
Share one “aha moment.”
Journal prompt: “When do I show my true face—and when do I hide it?”
Activity 2 – Observation and Variation
Objective: Practice noticing unique features while maintaining proportion.
Warm-up (10 min):
“Guess Who?” slide show: 3 faces (celebrity, student photo, painting).
Discuss: “What makes each face recognizable?”
Mini Lesson (10–15 min):
Review proportion briefly.
Introduce variation—no two faces are the same.
Show examples:
Alice Neel portraits — raw, emotional honesty.
Amy Sherald portraits — simplified shapes and tones that emphasize individuality.
Discuss: “Which feels more ‘real’ to you and why?”
Studio Practice (30–35 min):
Using mirrors or printed photos, students sketch their own face using basic proportion lines.
Encourage observation of differences from the “ideal” template (eye distance, face shape, lip size, etc.).
Remind them: no erasing! This is an observation drawing, not a perfection drawing.
Closure (5–10 min):
Write a 3-sentence reflection: “What did I notice about my own face that makes it unique?”
Activity 3 – Emotion and Honesty
Objective: Use line and expression to convey emotion.
Warm-up (5–10 min):
Mirror exercise: Make three different expressions (happy, neutral, nervous).
Discuss: “Which expression felt most natural? Least?”
Mini Lesson (15–20 min):
Talk about how line quality (smooth, jagged, soft, dark) can show emotion.
Show close-up examples:
Käthe Kollwitz — expressive linework and empathy.
Alice Neel — emotional honesty, even discomfort.
Discuss: “How do these artists’ choices communicate emotion or truth?”
Studio Practice (30–35 min):
Students choose one emotion (real or imagined) and draw a self-portrait in contour lines only.
Use continuous line or expressive line drawing (no shading).
Encourage exaggeration of features that communicate the chosen emotion.
Closure (10 min):
Pair share: each partner guesses the other’s emotion.
Whole class: “What’s easier—looking like everyone else or showing what you feel?”