Proportions in Faces

Overview

Lesson 2 of 30 in “Mastering Portraiture Techniques” focuses on understanding and using basic facial proportions to create a proportional face outline. Students will practise mapping key facial features in the correct relative positions before starting a final sketch.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify common facial proportion guidelines used in drawing.
• Students will practise measuring and placing facial features on a face outline.
• Students will apply proportions to create a proportional face drawing.
• Students will reflect on accuracy and make improvements.

Success criteria

• I can sketch an oval/face shape that fits a simple proportion framework.
• I can place the eye line, nose placement, and mouth placement correctly using proportion cues.
• I can draw clean, confident construction lines and then refine the outline.
• I can check my drawing against a proportion guide and adjust where needed.

Curriculum links

• Visual Art: creating artworks that demonstrate technical skills and use of drawing conventions.
• Responding: describing how proportion and placement affect the likeness and visual impact.
• Literacy in Art: using clear subject-specific language to explain placement and adjustments.
• Safe practice and materials handling when sketching and sharing works-in-progress.

Lesson structure (70 minutes)

1. 0–5 min: Welcome and WALT

• Teacher introduces “WALT: Identify and use facial proportions” and reminds students this is Lesson 2 of the unit.
• Quick prompt: “What goes wrong in a face drawing when proportions are off?”

2. 5–15 min: Mini-demonstration—proportion map

• Teacher draws a simple head oval and overlays a proportion structure: eye line, nose line, and mouth line using light construction marks.
• Students practise pointing: where eyes sit relative to the head, and how the nose and mouth locations relate to the lower half of the face.

3. 15–25 min: Guided practice—feature placement

• Students receive a template or example sheet showing proportion cues (without final lines).
• With the teacher, they map their own lightly constructed face: eye line first, then nose placement, then mouth placement.

4. 25–50 min: Independent task—proportional face outline

• Students create their own proportional face outline on paper using their construction lines, then refine only the outer face contour and feature placements that meet the cues.
• Teacher circulates with a “proportion check” approach: measure/compare, then adjust.

5. 50–60 min: Peer check—accuracy using success criteria

• In pairs or as a small group (4 students), students swap drawings and use the success criteria to comment on one strength and one adjustment.
• Sentence starters on the board: “Your eye line looks…”, “Your nose sits too… so try…”.

6. 60–67 min: Reflection—what to fix next

• Students complete a brief self-check: circle the line/area they think is most accurate and write one improvement for next lesson.
• Teacher collects quick snapshots (photos or view on desks) if class routine allows.

7. 67–70 min: Clean-up and pack down

• Students tidy materials and store sketchbooks/papers correctly.
• Teacher previews Lesson 3 (e.g., refining features and adding basic shading with proportion accuracy).

Resources

• Sketchbooks or A4/A3 drawing paper (for construction lines and final refinement)
• Pencils (HB and 2B), erasers (kneaded and/or standard), sharpeners
• Proportion guide handout showing eye line, nose placement, mouth placement on a basic head shape
• Example drawings (teacher model and a near-finished student exemplar)
• Rulers or flexible measuring strips (optional, for distance comparisons)
• Whiteboard/visualiser for the teacher’s live demonstration
• Student-friendly sentence starters for peer feedback
• Timer for transitions
• Collection envelopes/folders for quick storage of artworks

Assessment

• Formative observation during guided and independent practice, focusing on correct placement of eye, nose, and mouth relative to the head.
• Success criteria check at peer review: students give and receive specific feedback about proportion accuracy.
• Student reflection response identifying one improvement for the next portrait step.

Differentiation

• Support: provide a partially drawn proportion framework (faint eye line/nose line/mouth line) for students who need structure; allow extra time for construction lines.
• Support: allow students to use a ruler to compare distances and encourage “light lines first” so they can revise without pressure.
• EAL/SEN: provide sentence starters and an annotated proportion guide with simple labels (eye line, nose line, mouth line). Offer oral explanation alongside written directions.
• Extension: advanced students add additional proportional refinement (e.g., tilt of features, asymmetry cues, or comparing left/right eyebrow and eye spacing). Challenge them to correct a deliberate “mistake” in a sample drawing.