Self-Portraiture and IdentityActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning works for self-portraiture and identity because students need to physically and visually connect symbols to their own experiences. Moving between sketching, discussion, and construction builds memory and meaning as they layer personal history into their artwork.
Learning Objectives
- 1Analyze how specific objects and symbols in artworks represent personal history and identity.
- 2Explain the connection between visual elements in a self-portrait and the artist's intended message about their personality.
- 3Create a mixed-media self-portrait that effectively incorporates symbolic representations of personal identity.
- 4Evaluate the effectiveness of an artist's choices in controlling viewer perception of personality in portraiture.
- 5Compare and contrast how different artists use symbolism to convey identity in their self-portraits.
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Thumbnail Sketching: Identity Symbols
Students brainstorm 10 personal symbols tied to history or interests, then sketch quick thumbnails arranging them with their face. Pairs swap sketches for feedback on composition. Refine one into a detailed plan.
Prepare & details
Analyze how the objects we surround ourselves with define who we are.
Facilitation Tip: During Thumbnail Sketching: Identity Symbols, have students work in pairs to explain their symbol choices before sharing with the whole class.
Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging
Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet
Artist Analysis Carousel: Portrait Choices
Display prints of self-portraits by Kahlo, Sherman, and others around the room. Small groups rotate, noting one choice per artist for colour, symbols, or pose, then share findings whole class.
Prepare & details
Explain in what ways a self-portrait can be a form of visual autobiography.
Facilitation Tip: While building Mixed-Media Layering: Build Your Portrait, circulate with guiding questions like, 'What feeling does this object add to your portrait?'.
Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging
Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet
Mixed-Media Layering: Build Your Portrait
Start with a pencil face study on sturdy paper. Add layers: collage symbols, paint textures, ink details. Test media interactions on scraps first, then apply to portrait.
Prepare & details
Evaluate what choices an artist makes to control how the viewer perceives their personality.
Facilitation Tip: At the Gallery Critique Walk: Peer Evaluation, provide sentence stems on cards to support constructive feedback, such as 'I see...' and 'The effect of this choice is...'.
Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging
Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet
Gallery Critique Walk: Peer Evaluation
Mount portraits anonymously. Students circulate with sticky notes, writing one strength in symbolism and one suggestion. Debrief in circle to connect feedback to key questions.
Prepare & details
Analyze how the objects we surround ourselves with define who we are.
Facilitation Tip: For Artist Analysis Carousel: Portrait Choices, assign each group a specific element to focus on, such as color or composition, to deepen their analysis.
Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging
Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet
Teaching This Topic
Teachers should encourage students to treat their self-portraits as visual autobiographies, not just likenesses. Use guided questions to move students from listing objects to explaining why those objects matter. Avoid rushing to completion; instead, emphasize the reflective process behind each material choice. Research shows that students who verbalize their symbolism before making art produce more meaningful and cohesive compositions.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining how symbols represent their identity and using mixed-media techniques to convey layered meanings. They should articulate choices clearly during critiques and defend their artistic decisions with evidence from their process.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Thumbnail Sketching: Identity Symbols, watch for students drawing only realistic facial features.
What to Teach Instead
Redirect them by asking, 'What object could represent a part of your story even if it’s not a face?' Have them list three non-facial symbols before sketching.
Common MisconceptionDuring Mixed-Media Layering: Build Your Portrait, watch for students using symbols without clear personal connections.
What to Teach Instead
Ask them to write a brief explanation next to each symbol. If it’s unclear, challenge them to find an object that feels more authentic to their identity.
Common MisconceptionDuring Gallery Critique Walk: Peer Evaluation, watch for critiques focusing only on technique, not meaning.
What to Teach Instead
Provide sentence stems like, 'The symbol of _____ makes me think _____ about the artist’s identity because _____.' Require responses to include personal interpretation, not just observation.
Assessment Ideas
After Thumbnail Sketching: Identity Symbols, have students present their sketches in small groups. Each listener asks, 'What does this symbol represent for you?' and 'How does this connect to your personal history?' Students give one specific suggestion for strengthening the symbolic connection.
After Artist Analysis Carousel: Portrait Choices, students write the title of one artwork they studied and list two specific artistic choices (e.g., color, object placement, medium) the artist made to convey personality. They then write one sentence explaining the effect of those choices.
During Mixed-Media Layering: Build Your Portrait, circulate with a checklist. Ask students to point to one object or symbol in their developing self-portrait and verbally explain its meaning and connection to their identity. Note completion and clarity of explanation.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge: Ask students to create a second layer of symbols that represent a future version of themselves.
- Scaffolding: Provide a word bank of identity-related terms (e.g., heritage, passion, fear) to support symbol selection during sketching.
- Deeper exploration: Have students research an artist who used self-portraiture to explore identity, then create a short written reflection on how their own work connects to that artist’s approach.
Key Vocabulary
| Symbolism | The use of objects or images to represent abstract ideas or qualities, such as personal history or identity. |
| Mixed Media | Artwork created using a combination of different artistic materials, such as paint, collage, drawing, and found objects. |
| Visual Autobiography | A self-portrait or series of artworks that tells the story of an individual's life, experiences, and identity through visual means. |
| Composition | The arrangement of visual elements within an artwork, used by artists to guide the viewer's eye and convey meaning. |
| Iconography | The study of the subject matter and symbolism in visual art, often relating to cultural or historical meanings. |
Suggested Methodologies
More in The Architecture of the Face
Proportion and Structural Drawing
An investigation into the mathematical relationships of facial features and the use of construction lines to build form.
2 methodologies
Observational Drawing: Facial Features
Focusing on detailed observation and rendering of individual features (eyes, nose, mouth) from live models or photographs.
2 methodologies
Expressionism and Emotional Mark-Making
Using the works of the German Expressionists to understand how line quality and color can convey internal emotional states.
2 methodologies
Capturing Mood through Color Palette
Experimenting with warm, cool, complementary, and analogous color schemes to evoke specific emotions in portraiture.
2 methodologies
Symbolism in Portraiture
Investigating how artists use objects, backgrounds, and gestures to embed deeper meanings and narratives within portraits.
2 methodologies
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