Karla Matheny joined the Foote School art faculty three decades ago. During that 1989-1990 school year, she introduced a wide variety of projects and techniques to our students. Two of them she has repeated every year. One is the fifth-grade ceramic dinner plate project. The second is the seventh-grade self-portrait exercise.
Both of these projects have become beloved traditions and many of us look forward to the spring day when our seventh graders' faces stare out at us from exquisitely crafted pencil drawings along the walls of the main hallway.
The portrait project begins with a photo shoot. Everyone sits for Karla to take several close-up shots, which are printed in black and white. Then each student makes a selection of a favorite image to draw. "I had to take 10 pictures before I got the right one," a student says, gesturing toward his photo, which has captured him in a characteristic half-smile.
Indeed, each photo represents something unique about its subject: a tilted chin, a raised eyebrow, a particular sweep of hair or a toothy grin. Once the images have been chosen, the photos are marked with a grid. A larger grid is then lined onto a sheet of drawing paper, and the students sketch a rough outline of the general shape and major features. Next comes the bigger challenge: translating the details from the photograph into a drawing.
A recent visit to the art room reveals the portraits developing under Karla's steady guidance. She has selected one of the drawings as a working example, placing it in the center of one of the studio tables. The students gather round as Karla explains and demonstrates techniques of shading. "Squint your eyes and look at the photograph," she says, holding the picture at arm's length. "Try not to think, 'oh my gosh, this is my face.' Instead, just look at the light and the dark."
All of these skills have been incorporated in the curriculum for years; now they are coming together into one very personal effort.
"Remember the value scale we made, from darkest black to whitest white?" Karla says. "You want to incorporate all of those shades into this drawing to make it pop." She points to an area around the subject's nose. "Look at this edge here. Remember when we drew fruits and vegetables in 5th grade? We used this sketching technique to 'grab the edges.' We're doing that now with the details of our faces."
She reviews the differences in pencil hardnesses, the effects of cross-hatching and blending, and the need for contrast to emphasize form. Then the students disperse to their work spots. Karla circulates through the studio, meeting one-on-one with individual students.
One boy is not sure that he has drawn his eyes accurately. "Get a ruler," Karla says. "Let's make sure this is aligned to your grid." After measuring against the original photo and the drawing, teacher and student agree that one eye needs to move.
Later in class, he brings the fixed drawing to her. "Now I can see you in that picture," Karla says. "Can you see yourself here?"
At the next stool, Karla nods approvingly at a beautifully shaded hairline. "This looks accurate, don't you think?" The student beams. "But what about here?" he asks, pointing to a different area. "Why don't you use these same measuring tools to check your placement?" Karla suggests, pointing to the ruler and squares that have helped with the eye placement.
The combination of affirmation and challenge that Karla offers each student creates an energy of productivity precision and focus. One student holds up her classmate's portrait so that the artist can stand back and get a different perspective on the work in progress. "Look at your photo now, and think about your next move," Karla says to her.
There is something almost reverent about the way these adolescent faces emerge from the blank paper. In a school where we strive for everyone to know—and be known by—each other, this visual exercise in self-knowledge and self-reflection is more than a simple art project.
