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GRADES 3–5 · Mouths · Simple Portraits

Draw a Smile: 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 draw a smile. Use the subject steps as practice before making this final pair or set.

Shared feature reference for Mouths — 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

A smile changes the mouth corners and cheeks. 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.
Mark raised corners and the curve between them.
Draw visible teeth as one light shape, not a row of boxes.
Add the lip edges and a small cheek clue.
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: Mark raised corners and the curve between them. Compare the biggest shapes before refining.

Check your work: Do the corners and cheeks help show the smile? 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.

Draw a Smile: 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: Do the corners and cheeks help show the smile? 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: Mark raised corners and the curve between them. Draw visible teeth as one light shape, not a row of boxes. Add the lip edges and a small cheek clue. 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.