Athlete Portrait Structure

Overview

Lesson 7 of 14 in Art Through Culture: Matariki & Commonwealth Games. Students investigate how artists use proportion, measurement and construction lines to create respectful athlete portraits. They practise using a visual reference and develop a structural sketch that can be refined in later lessons.

Learning intentions

• WALT use simple proportion guides to organise a face and figure.
• WALT observe carefully and identify basic facial and body relationships.
• WALT use light construction lines before adding detail.
• WALT discuss how portraits can communicate identity, strength and movement respectfully.

Success criteria

• I can place a head, facial features and shoulders using simple guides.
• I can use a repeated unit, such as head length, to estimate body proportions.
• I can draw lightly, revise my lines and add details from observation.
• I can explain one choice I made to show an athlete’s identity or movement.

Curriculum links

• Creating and presenting visual art: exploring, developing and communicating ideas through drawing.
• Understanding the visual arts in context: noticing how portraits represent people, identity and culture.
• Developing practical knowledge: using line, shape, proportion, measurement and structure.
• New Zealand Curriculum Refresh competencies: thinking, using language and symbols, managing self, and relating to others.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Connect and notice Open with the hook and portrait examples. Show two contrasting athlete portraits and ask: “What can a portrait tell us about a person besides what they look like?” Invite students to notice pose, gaze, clothing, equipment and background. Explain that today’s sketches are studies, not finished portraits.

2. 5–13 minutes – Teacher modelling: head structure Use the step-by-step proportion diagrams while modelling on the board. Demonstrate an oval head, a light vertical centre line, an eye line approximately halfway down the head, the nose and mouth positions, and the ear placement. Emphasise that these are flexible starting points, not rules for every face. Model measuring with a pencil or finger and correcting gently rather than rubbing repeatedly.

3. 13–20 minutes – Teacher modelling: figure structure Continue with the figure construction sequence. Model a simple athlete pose using an action line, head unit, shoulder line, ribcage, pelvis, joint circles and tube-like limbs. Show how the pose can suggest running, jumping or lifting without drawing detailed muscles. Discuss how to observe a reference respectfully and avoid exaggerating cultural features or making assumptions about an athlete.

4. 20–25 minutes – Guided practice Distribute the portrait proportions practice sheet. Students complete the first small head and figure boxes with the teacher, pausing after each step. Encourage them to use light lines, compare distances and ask a partner, “What proportion or guide are you checking?”

5. 25–47 minutes – Independent portrait study Students choose one teacher-provided athlete reference and create a larger structural portrait study on drawing paper. They first mark the page lightly, then add the head guides, shoulders or upper body, and an action line or simple equipment shape. Students may complete two smaller pose studies before selecting one to develop. Circulate and prompt: “What is your measuring unit?”, “Where is the centre line?”, and “What does the pose communicate?” Refer back to the process and artist prompts as needed.

6. 47–54 minutes – Peer observation and refinement In pairs, students place their work side by side and give one specific warm comment and one useful question, such as “Your action line makes the pose feel fast” or “Could you check the shoulder angle?” Students make one revision using a darker line, added detail or a corrected proportion. Remind them that feedback describes choices rather than judging faces or bodies.

7. 54–60 minutes – Share and reflect Display the reflection prompts. Invite three or four students to share a strategy that helped them measure or structure the drawing. Students complete a brief oral or written reflection: “One guide I used was…”, “My portrait shows movement by…”, and “Next time I will…”. Collect the worksheets and sketches for formative assessment.

Resources

• the complete portrait modelling slide deck
• the portrait proportions practice sheet
• Teacher-provided, age-appropriate athlete portrait or action photographs
• A3 or A4 drawing paper
• HB pencils, 2B pencils and erasers
• Rulers or strips of card for measuring
• Whiteboard and thick black marker
• Visual timer
• Table space or display area for peer feedback

Assessment

• Observe students during guided and independent work: can they use centre lines, eye lines, head units and action lines?
• Review the practice sheet and structural study for proportion, construction, observation and willingness to revise.
• Listen to partner and plenary comments for evidence that students can explain how visual choices communicate identity or movement.

Differentiation

• Support learners with a simplified reference, a pre-drawn light oval, numbered modelling steps and a ruler or card measuring strip. Offer a choice of head-only, bust or full-figure study.
• Provide dyslexia-friendly resources: large clear sans-serif text, short instructions, uncluttered diagrams, high contrast and oral reading of all worksheet directions. Allow verbal reflection or speech-to-text.
• For students with fine-motor or SEN needs, use thicker pencils, larger paper, a sloped drawing surface, extra time and a partner to help hold the reference or measure.
• Extend advanced learners by asking them to create three action thumbnails, compare proportions across poses, or show foreshortening with overlapping forms while retaining clear construction lines.