Year 5 - Art and design
Investigate facial expressions in portraits
Photography and painting: facial expressions in portraiture
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils will learn the art of portraiture in greater depth. They will learn how artists create expressions, mood and feeling in their portraits using facial features, colour, lighting and props.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to identify and describe different facial expressions in portraits and their emotional impact.
Key Notes
- Facial expressions convey emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, and surprise.
- Artists use facial features to depict different expressions in portraits.
- Portraits can evoke an emotional response from the viewer.
Vocabulary To Learn
- portrait: a painting, drawing or photograph of a person, with an emphasis on the face, personality and attributes of the sitter
- feature: a part of the face like eyes, mouth, or nose
- realistic: a representation of something that is accurate and true to life
- exaggeration: a representation of something that is more extreme or dramatic than it is usually
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Only strong emotions can be seen as facial expressions.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Facial expressions convey emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, and surprise. Artists use facial features to depict different expressions in portraits.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'portrait'
a painting, drawing or photograph of a person, with an emphasis on the face, personality and attributes of the sitter.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Only strong emotions can be seen as facial expressions. Correction: Facial expressions can sometimes be subtle or mixed, making them challenging to identify accurately.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Analyse a facial expression through drawing Study Guide
- Digital photography: creating a series of facial expression photographs Study Guide
- Drawing: use tone and colour for facial expressions Study Guide
- Painting: finalising a facial expression painting Study Guide
- Painting: the foundations of a facial expression Study Guide
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