Painting & mixed media: Portraits
This unit offers pupils opportunities to develop skills in creating interesting portrait drawings using words, experimenting with materials and techniques, and constructing self-portraits that represent aspects of themselves. This comprehensive unit enhances their understanding and application of art vocabulary and encourages thoughtful decisions in their artwork composition. Use this unit hub to inform your medium-term plan and to navigate to related resources.
- Subjects >
- Art and design >
- Upper key stage 2 >
- Year 5 >
-
Painting and mixed media: Portraits
Unit outcomes
Pupils who are secure will be able to:
- Outline a portrait drawing with words, varying the size, shape and placement of words to create interest.
- Try a variety of materials and compositions for the backgrounds of their drawings.
- Communicate to their partner what kind of photo portrait they want.
- Show that they are making decisions about the position of a drawing on their background, trying multiple ideas.
- Create a successful print.
- Use some Art vocabulary to talk about and compare portraits.
- Identify key facts using a website as a reference.
- Explain their opinion of an artwork.
- Experiment with materials and techniques when adapting their photo portraits.
- Create a self-portrait that aims to represent something about them.
- Show they have considered the effect created by their choice of materials and composition in their final piece.
Suggested prior learning
Painting and mixed media: Light and dark
Get startedLessons
Lesson 1: Poem portrait
- To explore how a drawing can be developed.
Lesson 2: Developing drawings
- To combine materials for effect.
Lesson 3: Self-portraits
- To identify the features of self-portraits.
Lesson 4: Changing faces
- To develop ideas towards an outcome by experimenting with materials and techniques.
Lesson 5: Mixed-media portraits
- To apply knowledge and skills to create a mixed media self-portrait.
Key skills
Key knowledge
Related content
Resources
Unit resources
Cross-curricular opportunities
English: Handwriting and presentation
Computing