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 · Expressive Portraits

Finish a Portrait with Light and Dark: Change the Mood

Name ____________________ Date __________

WHAT YOU WILL MAKE

Create two related studies labeled with their intended moods, 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. Make two versions of the same feature or portrait with different moods. Keep the identity clear while changing your drawing choices.

Choose two moods, such as calm and excited. Plan how line pressure, angle, gaze, silhouette, or contrast could suggest each.
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.
Repeat the study with the second mood. Keep two identifying shapes the same. Change at least two visual choices, then ask a partner what each version suggests.

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? Name two changed choices and two shapes you kept. A viewer may interpret the mood differently.

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: Change the Mood · 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? Name two changed choices and two shapes you kept. A viewer may interpret the mood differently.

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.