Procedure:

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Students will pair up. They will take turns interviewing each other and come up with

two agreements for the painting of the portraits. Each student will have a contract (receipt) at

the end of the interview, with price and specifications.

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Each student in the pair will pose for the other during the sketching stage. Then the

artists will paint the portrait, following the agreed upon specifications of colors, dress,

background, etc.

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The subject can bring a special object(s) to include in the portrait (jewelry, toy, book,

model, equipment). If time is limited for each sitting, students could take a photo of their

subject with a Polaroid and work from it. This eliminates any embarrassment that face-to-

face painting may trigger, although the immedicacy of the live model is lost.

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The finished painting needs a mat or frame. Sheldon Peck offered faux-wood grain

frames painted on the canvas. More elaborate frames included molded gilt plaster and oval

frames. Either the artist or the subject may be in charge of the framing (and its budget).

Publication and Closure: The finished portraits are hung up with identifying labels. The artist of

each can make a short statement on how s/he made the painting, and the subject of each can role

play by making a short statement of where the portrait is going in his/her house, and what it means

to him/her/the family.

Assessment: The painting will be complete, with the subject's face and torso, clothing details, and

background. The agreement between artist and sitter will be in writing and show price and condi-

tions of production.

Illinois State Board of Education Goals and Standards addressed:

Visual Arts:

Early Elementary: 25.A.1d: Identify the elements of line, shape, space, color, and texture; the

principles of repetition and pattern; and the expressive qualities of mood, emotion, and pictorial

representation.

27.A.1a: Identify the distinctive roles of artists and audiences.

Middle School: 27.A.3a: Identify and describe careers and jobs in the arts and how they contribute

to the world of work. (also compare roles of portrait painters through history until today)