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GRADES 3–5 · Expressions · Simple Portraits

Show a Thinking Face: Use Fewer Lines

Name ____________________ Date __________

WHAT YOU WILL MAKE

Create a detailed first study and a simplified version with five to ten main marks, focusing on show a thinking face. Use the subject steps as practice before making this final pair or set.

Shared feature reference for Expressions — Shared feature reference. It may not show this task’s exact pose, accessory, or style. Use the teacher’s matching reference too.

Draw it step by step

Gaze and head angle can suggest thought. Translate the observed feature into a clear, simplified drawing. Keep its identifying shape while reducing detail.

Look at the reference and choose three important curves, angles, or shapes. Make a tiny plan using only those.
Draw a simple neutral face.
Try a sideways gaze, a slight head tilt, or a small brow change.
Keep one version subtle and ask a partner what it suggests; more than one interpretation is possible.
Make a second version with fewer marks. Remove texture and small shadows; keep the outline changes that communicate the form.

Watch out → Try this

Common drawing problem: Adding small details before the main shapes and placement are clear.

Repair: Return to the first subject step: Draw a simple neutral face. Compare the biggest shapes before refining.

Check your work: Which visible clue supports the viewer’s interpretation? Can someone identify the feature in the simpler version? Explain which marks you kept.

Materials: pencil, eraser, paper, and a mirror or teacher-approved reference. Optional black drawing pen; no painting required.

Show a Thinking Face: Use Fewer Lines · Practice page

Name ____________________ Make light trials first. Divide a box further if your task needs extra versions.

1 · Observe and plan

2 · First drawing

3 · Change one choice

4 · Independent application

My evidence: Which visible clue supports the viewer’s interpretation? Can someone identify the feature in the simpler version? Explain which marks you kept.

I changed __________________ because I noticed __________________.

My next practice goal: __________________________________________________

Teach this handout · 30–45 minutes

Prepare: Provide a mirror or clear teacher-approved feature reference. Explain that students are practicing decisions, not copying every detail of the illustration.

Demonstrate: Demonstrate the subject sequence: Draw a simple neutral face. Try a sideways gaze, a slight head tilt, or a small brow change. Keep one version subtle and ask a partner what it suggests; more than one interpretation is possible. Then show how the final style step changes the drawing.

5 minutes noticing, 5 demonstrating, 15–25 drawing and revising, 5 sharing. Collect the practice page and a specific explanation of one change. Evaluate the target skill and revision—not attractiveness or speed.

Grade	Support and challenge
3	Use a large feature study and one observed change. Supply page divisions and model the first landmark. Two trials are enough before application.
4	Complete the listed sequence. Compare two versions and label the contour, proportion, or overlap that changed.
5	Use an unfamiliar reference or second viewpoint after mastering the first. Explain which choices should stay consistent when simplifying or exaggerating.

Offer adapted grips, larger spaces, extra time, or a spoken reflection. Use fictional characters for deliberate distortion; do not mock classmates or stereotype identities. Obtain consent before drawing a peer. Proportion guides are comparisons, not rules for all faces.