Materials needed: Paper, drawing utensil(s)
Optional: Scissors, glue, mirror(s)
A portrait is a picture of a specific person or animal. Kehinde Wiley is a living artist who makes portraits like the one shown above. Usually, he approaches everyday people that he meets and asks if they will pose for a portrait. The sitter in this painting is Brincel Kape’li Wiggins Jr., a rapper from Missouri. He wore clothing of his choice and posed for several photographs, which Kehinde Wiley looked at while painting. If you were going to pose for a portrait, what would you wear? How would you stand? What would you paint or draw around you?
Let’s try your hand at making a portrait! Even though everyone has unique features, there are rules of proportion that can be used to draw a person’s face. These rules help us draw the parts of the face the right size and put them in the right place. Use the directions below to complete a self-portrait—a portrait of yourself—or a family member. When everyone in your household has had their portrait drawn, cut them out and glue them on one large piece of paper to create a family portrait. Share your drawings with us at #OKCMOAathome!
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Credits: Kehinde Wiley (American, b. 1977). Jacob de Graeff, 2018. Oil on canvas. Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Museum purchase with funds from the Carolyn A. Hill Collections Endowment and the Pauline Morrison Ledbetter Collections Endowment, 2018.103. Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles California. Photo: Jean-Paul Torno, courtesy of Saint Louis Art Museum © Kehinde Wiley.
