Make portrait painting fun for kids

Kids have an almost uncanny way of getting to the crux of a character, including their own. While they may not be so good with describing people in words, their paintings can bring out character traits that adults miss as our observation is not so acute. How can you maintain that childish spontaneity and turn that into interesting portraits? Here are a few handy tips to get your little artist started.  

Tell them about proportion and placement 
A good way to start is by telling kids about bodily proportions. To demonstrate, get them to measure their body, head, torso, and limbs. For teens, this can turn into a fascinating exercise as they discover the Math that goes into the human body and the relation of all objects we use in relation to these proportions. For young children, it’s a concrete way of understanding how the parts of the body are shaped and aligned. Also take this opportunity to tell them that proportions vary for all of us as we are all unique individuals.  

Show examples of portraits by famous artists  
Inspire kids to paint. Show examples of portraits and self-portraits by famous artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, Frieda Kahlo, Amadeo Modigliani and others. Explain to younger kids that a portrait is a picture of someone else, while a self-portrait is a picture of themselves. To make it fun, include portraits where animals are included, so that they realize even dogs and cats might be painted accurately and proportionately.   

Get them to observe faces closely  
Give your children small mirrors and encourage them to look closely at the shapes of their facial features, as well as the shape that their hair makes against their face, and how the hair created a shape for their head. Also encourage them to look at your face as you sit as their ‘live model’.  

Start with drawing portraits  
Kids should first draw with pencils, and apply colours only when they have finalised their drawing. Make sure you get them an eraser and sharpener. If they have started on a self-portrait, they need to keep the mirror handy and ‘copy’ the features as they see them. Once they are done, they can colour it and even create a DIY frame to put up their portrait.