Abstract Portraits

As a spin off from our large collaborative mural paintings, 3rd grade students created abstract portraits inspired by Pablo Picasso, specifically his cubist paintings.  We discussed the differences between realistic and abstract portraits while noting the parts of an eye, nose, and mouth that tell our brains we are looking at a face (pupil, iris, nostril, lips, etc). Using a sketching guild we drew four portrait sketches before picking our favorite for the final painting. Once black lines were painted, students filled in shapes with pre-mixed colors. Once dry, each portrait was given fine details and additions using oil pastels. In total, this was around a 4 day project.