Art and Design · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Expressive Portraits: Lucian Freud

Active learning works well with this topic because Freud’s expressive portraits demand hands-on engagement with texture, line, and emotion. Students build direct understanding by touching, drawing, and discussing rather than just looking. This approach helps Year 2 learners connect visual choices to personal feelings in a way that still images or verbal explanations cannot.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Art and Design - Drawing and Portraits

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Small Groups

Observation Stations: Freud Portrait Close-Ups

Print enlarged details of Freud's portraits at four stations: eyes, mouth, skin texture, whole face. Students spend 5 minutes per station sketching what they see and noting emotions. Rotate groups and share one observation before switching.

Look at Lucian Freud's portraits , how do the people in them look like they are feeling?

Facilitation Tip

During Observation Stations, position students in pairs so they can verbally support each other in describing Freud’s brushwork before attempting their own marks.

What to look for

Students draw a simple face expressing one emotion (e.g., happy, sad, surprised). On the back, they write one sentence explaining which line or texture choice they made to show that feeling.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Mirror Emotions: Self-Portrait Challenge

Students pair up and take turns posing strong emotions like excitement while partners draw using big, bold lines. Switch roles after 5 minutes, then add rough textures with crayons. Display and discuss matches to real feelings.

What do you notice about the way Freud painted faces? Are they smooth or rough?

Facilitation Tip

Before starting Mirror Emotions, model holding eye contact and exaggerating facial expressions slowly to help students notice subtle muscle shifts.

What to look for

Show students two different Freud portraits. Ask: 'Look closely at the eyes and mouth in these portraits. What do you notice about the lines Freud used here? How do these lines help us understand how the person might be feeling?'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 35 min · Whole Class

Whole Class Charades to Canvas

Act out emotions in front of class; teacher models Freud-style drawing on board. Students copy in sketchbooks with thick markers, focusing on face distortions. Vote on best emotion matches at end.

Can you draw a face with big, bold lines to show a strong feeling like surprise or excitement?

Facilitation Tip

For Whole Class Charades to Canvas, limit each pose or emotion to 10 seconds so students focus on quick, expressive mark-making rather than perfect lines.

What to look for

Provide students with a worksheet showing close-ups of different facial features from Freud's paintings. Ask them to circle the areas where the texture looks rough and underline the areas where the lines seem bold.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Individual

Texture Rubbings: Face Layers

Collect textured materials like bark or fabric. Students rub over paper to create skin effects, then draw expressive faces on top. Layer with bold outlines to mimic Freud's depth.

Look at Lucian Freud's portraits , how do the people in them look like they are feeling?

Facilitation Tip

Use Texture Rubbings: Face Layers to trace over rough and smooth surfaces first, so students feel the difference before applying it to portraits.

What to look for

Students draw a simple face expressing one emotion (e.g., happy, sad, surprised). On the back, they write one sentence explaining which line or texture choice they made to show that feeling.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Research shows that children learn to interpret emotion in art through guided observation and practice with expressive tools. Avoid giving step-by-step instructions for drawing faces, as this can lead to overly neat, photo-like results. Instead, model using bold, uneven lines and encourage students to trust their instincts about texture and mood. Keep sessions short and focused on one expressive element at a time to avoid overwhelm.

Successful learning looks like students confidently using rough marks, varied textures, and close observation to capture emotion in faces. They should explain how their mark-making choices reflect the mood of the subject. By the end of the lessons, students will compare their own portraits to Freud’s, identifying similarities in expressive technique.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Observation Stations, watch for students smoothing out their marks to make them look neat like a photo.

  Remind students to press hard with their pencils or brushes to keep rough, uneven lines. Show them how to compare their marks directly to Freud’s work at the station, asking: 'Where can you make your lines as uneven as his?' Have them trace over their own rough areas to reinforce the technique.

• During Mirror Emotions, watch for students relying solely on exaggerated expressions like big smiles or frowns to show emotion.

  Guide students to notice smaller details, like the shape of the eyebrows or the tension around the mouth. Ask them to hold each expression for 5 seconds while their partner sketches only that feature. Use prompts like: 'How does your eyebrow feel when you’re thinking hard?' to draw attention to subtlety.

• During Whole Class Charades to Canvas, watch for students drawing all faces the same way, even when portraying different emotions.

  After each round, display the drawings side by side and ask: 'How did the eyes change when we acted out surprise versus sadness?' Encourage students to point out personal differences, like one person’s wider eyes versus another’s narrowed gaze, to celebrate varied interpretations.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share