Year 6 explored portraiture, a challenging form of painting, which requires skills of close observation and portraying the human form in detail.
We began by comparing and contrasting portraits of the Queen, using subject-specific vocabulary such as sitter, expression, posture, attire and gesture. We discussed what her facial expression in each image told us about how she was feeling, and considered what the artists wanted their portraits to communicate.
The children then analysed a selection of portraits from different points in the Queen’s life and practised their sketching technique, including focussing on shading and proportion. Taking inspiration from the work of Lucian Freud, we then created our final pieces using a build-up of individual brush strokes to build thickness in the paint and create tones and texture.