—Observe your face in the mirror, notice its main features, emotions, colours and also background.
—Paint the self-portrait as large as possible without using sketching tools, but you may outline the important parts with paint strokes.
We looked at the Fauves and the painting of Kees van Dongen, The Corn Poppy, 1919, for inspiration. We focused on painting the background simultaneously with the face—mentioning the theory of complementary colours in order to obtain the right contrast between colours.
The children worked expressively and spontaneously while also demonstrating an eagerness to learn. I am really enjoying their results.
