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GRADES 3–5 · Whole Portraits · Cartoon Portraits

Finish a Portrait with Light and Dark: Make a Cartoon

Name ____________________ Date __________

WHAT YOU WILL MAKE

Create three cartoon design trials and two consistent drawings of your chosen design, focusing on finish a portrait with light and dark. Use the subject steps as practice before making this final pair or set.

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

Use a few value groups to show form. Invent an original cartoon interpretation. Exaggerate a drawing choice rather than mocking a real person or a group.

Start from the observed shape. Choose one feature to enlarge, shorten, widen, or curve more strongly; sketch three tiny options.
Plan a head, features, neck, and shoulders from one reference.
Find the lightest area, middle tones, and darkest small accents.
Shade in those groups, keep highlights light, and revise one feature after comparing.
Pick one option and redraw it clearly. Keep it consistent in a second pose or expression. Use bold, selective lines instead of realistic shading.

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: Plan a head, features, neck, and shoulders from one reference. Compare the biggest shapes before refining.

Check your work: Can you point to light, middle, and dark areas? What did you exaggerate? Which two design features stay consistent across both drawings?

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

Finish a Portrait with Light and Dark: Make a Cartoon · 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: Can you point to light, middle, and dark areas? What did you exaggerate? Which two design features stay consistent across both drawings?

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: Plan a head, features, neck, and shoulders from one reference. Find the lightest area, middle tones, and darkest small accents. Shade in those groups, keep highlights light, and revise one feature after comparing. 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.

Shared demonstration: plan → add major forms → refine. It supports the process, not every task-specific outcome. Print this image separately if wanted.