Starting with a grid: self-portraits.

Each school year, my intermediate art students look forward to this unique self-portrait assignment. Chuck Close's photorealistic portraits are the inspiration for this assignment. The lesson incorporates technology using digital cameras and an image-manipulation computer program.

Chuck Close 

The lesson is introduced with a brief overview of Chuck Close and his portraits created using his grid technique. There is an online lesson about this artist with a description of his style, technique, and samples of his work including vocabulary words at www.artsconnected.org/artsnetmn/identity/close.html.

Digital Photos

Students begin by taking portrait shots of each other with a digital camera, zooming in on the head from the chin to the top of the skull. Portraits look best if a light is placed to one side of the head to give a distinct shadow on the face. The digital images are then downloaded and transferred to the image manipulation program.

Computer Applications

After downloading their photos, students:

1. Change the image mode to grayscale.

2. Apply a "posterize" effect that simplifies colors and bolds dark lines.

3. Adjust the level of posterization with direction from the teacher. The posterization process distorts the photos and gives the self-portraits a unique, abstracted appearance depending on the level chosen.

4. Print selected image. For middle school or beginning drawing classes the lesson can be simplified with a lower number of grids. For more challenging self-portraits, the number may be increased anywhere from four to ten. After this level, the image becomes too realistic for the assignment.

Drawing the Self-Portrait

Students draw an enlarged version of their printed image on 12 x 18" (30 x 45 cm) watercolor paper, incorporating the entire paper. They then begin to replicate the grid-like sections onto their self-portrait drawing. Each grid is then numbered from one to seven to follow the levels of values found in the grayscale image. Seven levels are an appropriate challenge for advanced students.

Painting

Before beginning their painting, students are introduced to color theory and the monochromatic scale. Students are asked to select a color from the color wheel--specifically red, blue, purple, or green. These hues work best when black and white are added to them to create tints and shades.

It's best to have the students paint a value scale to practice mixing tints and shades. Small squares labeled one to seven can be drawn on a scrap piece of watercolor paper for a monochromatic scale. The chosen color hue may be used in the fifth to sixth numbered scale. If the actual hue is too transparent, a small amount of white or black may be added to create an opaque value. Some students may prefer the transparency that occurs.

To prepare the watercolor paper for painting, a wash may be applied over the drawing with a mixture of the chosen color and water. Now students are ready to begin painting their grids. Students refer to their numbered value scale and begin with the lightest value numbered one on their self-portrait drawing.

The completed self-portrait is a unique, abstracted, somewhat distorted view of the student. Similar to Chuck Close's paintings, the farther away the painting is viewed, the more focused it becomes. The closer the painting is viewed, the more abstract it appears and the grids are more apparent.

NATIONAL STANDARD

Students apply media, techniques, and processes with sufficient skill, confidence, and sensitivity that their intentions are carried out in their artworks.

WEB LINK

www.chuckclose.coe.uh.edu

Debra Lott is Art Department chair at Assumption High School in Louisville, Kentucky. [e-mail]