To get to know each other, we are all creating self-portraits in all sorts of different ways. We are trying out charcoal and pencil, collage and paint.

Rugby School Thailand

We began with a self-portrait project which we have shared so all the pupils can get to know each other. Here at Rugby School Thailand, we have made monochrome pencil portraits in year 7 and 8, year 5 and 6 created symbolic portraits inspired by the work of Frida Kahlo, and year 3 and 4 have been challenged to produce a series of portraits after studying the work of Pablo Picasso - some are in the cubist style and some are a little more realistic!

Concordia - Australia

Students were instructed to complete a self-portrait drawing on A3 paper, using any combination of pencil (choice of line or value) and watercolour. Students chose whether to use a simple partial grid system (4x4 square grid covering eyebrows to chin and ear to ear) combined with freehand drawing, or to work directly from a source photograph without a grid for a more expressionistic portrait.

The second part of the project was to extend the drawing by adding a decorative overlay, using Posca paint pens and/or acrylic paint on acetate sheets. Here we looked at the work of Australian portrait artist Del Kathryn Barton, as well as discussing the use of decorative elements as embellishment or disguise, to highlight or hide aspects of work in various cultures (for example, the development of the Western Desert dot style of painting in Papunya in the 60s as a way to conceal secret cultural symbols).