5th Grade Monochromatic Self-Portraits; 2013 Edition

I have now repeated this project for several years due to the consistently outstanding results (here is last year's post)! This year, I asked students to practice for the painting by creating 10-step value scales with tempera paint; steps1-5 being tints of the color and 5-10 being shades, increasing incrementally in value.

Painting these self-portraits in a monochromatic scheme teaches students about using and mixing values, but also releases them from the expectation that the portrait should be strictly representational. I find the abstraction of the color, values, and brushstrokes to be very intriguing and always leave these out on the bulletin board in the hallway a little extra longer!