Teacher's Activity Planning Form for The Human Family Tree #1

MAIN IDEA CONVEYED: Portraits using pastel and watercolor

ACTIVITY TITLE: Portrait of a Person Who Inspires You

ARTISTS: Heidi Hardin

CLASSROOM CONNECTION (OR OTHER MOTIVATION):
"The Human Family Tree/ A Walk Through Paradise", Exhibition of Paintings and Installation by Heidi Hardin
Think about a person you admire and who inspires you (e.g., a family member, neighbor, someone in your community, an historical or contemporary figure). Close your eyes and get a picture of that person in your mind. Remember the qualities, actions or words of this person that gives you more strength, hope, or expands your world.

IMPORTANT WORDS & TERMS:
-Portrait
-Bust
-Inspire
-Expression
-Historical
-Contemporary
-Foreground
-Background

ACTIVITY DIRECTIONS:
- Spread newspapers on tables. Set out paper and pastels for each student.
Teachers: You may want to present the basics of "drawing a portrait" in front of the class, or practice with students and provide copies of reference pages.
1. Decide on how to depict the person you're painting (full body, bust, or head only), as well as the background (indoor, outdoor, or mood from colors).
2. Using oil pastels, lightly draw the basic shapes of your subject.
3. Once satisfied, press more firmly. Draw facial features, paying attention to the subject's expression. Add details and employ a variety of lines with the pastels.
- When finished, have students collect pastels. Set out watercolor set, brush, and container of water at each seat.
4. With watercolors, do a wash to block in color areas of foreground and background.

QUESTIONS (ASKED BY ARTISTS):
1. What does an historical or contemporary portrait tell you about the time, life, and the personality of the subject? 2. How do artists express the character of the person in the portrait? (facial expression, body position, setting, mood, background, etc.) 3. Looking at your finished portrait, what emotions are communicated?

ADDITIONAL ACITIVITIES:
1. Ask students to write a paragraph, page, or poem describing how this person has inspired them in their lives. 2. In the classroom, make a "Portrait Wall" for display. Include student drawings, paintings, family photographs, and reproductions of well-known portraits. 3. Have each student interview an elder in his or her family or community. Present oral histories to the class.

RECOMMENDED READING:
-Brookes, Mona. Drawing with Children.
-Gamble, Kim. You Can Draw: Amazing Faces. DK Publishing, Inc., N.Y., 1997

MATERIALS:
drawing paper (11" x 14" or 8 1/2" x 11"), oil pastels, watercolors, paint brushes, water containers/cups, newspapers, paper towels