Starting Point: Art Camp Week 1

Welcome to the first day of “Making faces” Art Camp! Your goal this week is to simply find your starting point.

1. Look for a photograph, drawing, or painting of a face you enjoy. To help, I created a Making Faces art collection on Google Arts And Culture with a wide variety of artworks from different time periods and places. You can also look in magazines or junk mail for inspiration. Or you can look in a mirror, ask a family member to pose for you, or draw a friend during a video call, but it is easier to begin by drawing from something that doesn’t move.
2. Try to draw the face you’ve chosen using whatever materials you’d like. Spend at least five minutes on this. Set a timer if you need to. If you are not used to drawing, this will feel very uncomfortable, and you might want to give up after the first 30 seconds. That’s okay and totally normal, but don’t give up, keep going! Start with the big shapes that you see, then keep adding more details as you go.
3. IMPORTANT: When you are finished, don’t throw away your drawing, no matter what it looks like. You can hide it in the bottom of your sock drawer, you can put it up on the fridge, or you can even take a picture and send it to me (seriously! No matter what it looks like!) But keep it, somewhere, somehow, and in two months, you will be happy you did, because then you will know how far you’ve come.
4. Don’t forget to sign and date your artwork!
5. Be kind to yourself, and remember that art is a skill you can learn and get better at with practice.

⭐ PLAY TIME BONUS ROUND!⭐

Still with me? Awesome! I’ve got something really fun for you try:

Now draw the same image again (or a new one) but without looking at the paper. I’m serious! Put your pen on the paper and then keep your eyes on your photo or image. Start at the inside of one eye and keep drawing. NO PEEKING!

This is called “blind contour drawing” and is totally a thing that real artists do.When you are done, look down at the paper and laugh, because it will probably look so strange and funny! I included a video of me drawing the painting Interesting Story by Laura Muntz Lyall using this method.

⭐ EXTRA SPECIAL DOUBLE BONUS ROUND ⭐

What if you try drawing without looking at your paper, but this time, use your other hand? Or draw using both hands at once?

Now look over any of these “blind contour drawings.” What colors can you add? What fun patterns or shapes? Pick a brightly colored flower and smear the petals on your page. Put a few drops of food coloring in a little bit of water for homemade watercolors. Smear chalk across the page.Play with your art! Have fun with it!