← PORTRAIT PRACTICE

Print this handout using your browser’s Print / Save as PDF. Student instructions and practice print; the teacher notes stay on screen.

GRADES 3–5 · Whole Portraits · Realistic Observation

Portrait Placement: Look and Compare

Name ____________________ Date __________

WHAT YOU WILL MAKE

Make two observed studies with one corrected relationship. Focus on portrait placement.

Shared feature reference for Whole Portraits
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

Decide where the head belongs on the page.

  1. Use one mirror view or teacher-approved reference. Make the first drawing lightly and compare width, height, and angle.
  2. Make three small page boxes.
  3. Try the head high, centered, and off-center.
  4. Choose the layout that leaves useful space around the gaze.
  5. Circle a mismatch in the first study. Make a second study correcting that one relationship before adding detail.

Watch out → Try this

Common drawing problem: The head is crowded by the page edge

Repair: Plan margins in thumbnails before the large drawing.

Check your work: What became closer to the reference, and how can you tell?

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

Portrait Placement: Look and Compare · Practice page

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

1 · Warm-up: Portrait Placement
2 · First plan
3 · Revise one choice
4 · Independent application

My evidence: What became closer to the reference, and how can you tell?

I changed __________________ because I noticed __________________.

My next practice goal: __________________________________________________