African Family Portrait 2

African Family Portrait

Unit: Combining Cultures
Grades: 5-8 Proficient
Medium: Drawing
Durations: One Class Period

Objectives
Students will identify and use contour lines to define a complex form (MO).
Students will experiment with special relationships through overlapping
images (MO).
Art Production
1. Anticipatory Set 2. State Objectives 3. Input (art history, instructions) 4. Demo
5. Check for Understanding 6. Guided Practice 7. Independent Practice 8. Closure
1. Have any of you ever been in a family portrait? Was it a fun, awkward, or
awful? Allow students talk about their experiences, then show images of
awkward family photos. Talk about composition, placement of the
figures, including unfortunate placements.
2. Today were going to use family portraits to practice contour drawings
and experiment with the space we get from overlapping.
3. Input: Show examples of family portraits from our culture vs. African
culture and discuss the similarities and differences.
4. Demonstrate contour drawing using one of the African figural sculptures
being used for the project. Discuss what constitutes a contour drawing and
express the importance of strong lines.
5. Check for understanding. Have students write contour at the top of one
of their white pieces of paper. Display an image of an object on the
projector for the students to create a contour drawing of. Walk around the
room as students draw their contour in pencil, ensure that students
understand what a contour line is.
6. Guided practice: Once students have completed the contour drawing,
demonstrate a blind contour drawing. Have the students flip over their
white paper and write blind contour at the top of the page. Explain
peripheral vision. Having students draw as far outside their peripheral
vision as possible to create a blind contour drawing. Once finished, have
students hold their pieces up to their foreheads, so that the class can see
their piece. (Giggles will ensue)
7. Place one African Figural Sculpture on each table. Instruct students to
fold their second sheet of white paper into fourths (hamburger style, then
hamburger style again). Students will draw one figure in each of these
four sections with pencil using contour lines. Once finished with all four
drawings, the pencil lines should be traced in Sharpie marker and the
pencil lines erased.

Materials
Various African Figural Sculptures
8.5x11 White Printer Paper
8.5x11 Orange Construction Paper
Pencil
Fine Point Sharpie Marker
Eraser
Scissors
Glue
Elements of Art
Line, Form
Principles of Design
Unity
Vocabulary
Contour
Blind Contour
Portrait
Composition
Peripheral Vision

Art History/Resources
http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/catego
ry/photos/the-family-portrait/ (Links to
an external site.)
Modifications/Notes
If students have extra time after finishing
their family portraits, have them practice
blind contour drawing. Students can draw
the sculpture at their table, or draw other
people in the classroom.

African Family Portrait 2

8. Independent Practice: Turn on some African inspired music and allow
students to work independently on their contour drawings. Students
should move from table to table as they finish each drawing.
9. When students begin wrapping up their drawings, explain the next step of
the project. Students should cut out their figures leaving a small border
around the marker lines. The figures should then be arranged on the
colored paper (vertical/portrait orientation) to resemble a family portrait
and glued down.
10. Closure When students finish their family portraits, have them place them
on the drawing racks and clean up their space. Tell students what will be
happening in the next class period. If time allows, look at more awkward
family portraits.

Evaluation Criteria
See Rubric