Picasso Portraits

Students in grades one and two began the term by completing a self-portrait in the style of famous artist Pablo Picasso. Students studied the work of Picasso, who is known for his unique style of drawing and painting faces with bold lines, colours and shapes.

Students began this project by following a directed line drawing of a face in the style of Picasso. Students followed step by step instructions to add facial features and hair using a black oil pastel on white paper. Once the basic drawing was done, students added colour to their portrait using coloured oil pastels and watercolour paints. Students were once again excited to apply a technique known as 'oil pastel resist', where the oil pastel resists the watercolour paint on the page, creating an interesting effect.

Once dry, students cut their portrait out and were asked to mount it onto a coloured piece of paper for a background. Students were encouraged to use their knowledge of colour theory such as complementary colours when selecting a background colour. A fantastic effort by all!