8th Grade Portraits with a Twist

Instead of doing a straight self-portrait, I had my 8th graders use mirrors to sketch themselves on 9" x 11" paper.  Then, students projected their smaller drawings onto larger paper (18" x 24").  I find that when they need to enlarge drawings, using the projector is the best way unless given a grid, at least at this stage in their development.

Students then had to incorporate at least 4 pieces of tissue paper into a collage on their portrait and were given free reign to add paint, texture through printmaking, collage with newspaper and construction paper, and whatever they did, they needed to ink over the original portrait so their line drawing would show through.  The results are impressive and really shows individual personalities.  Giving my students a variety of media to choose from enabled them to make their portraits more expressive and unique.