Leonardo da Vinci,
Facial Proportion,
and the Self-Portrait
What is the title of this painting?
• This painting is probably
the most famous portrait
in the entire world!
• It was painted by an artist
named Leonardo da
Vinci.
• Leonardo was a master
at making his paintings
look like the person he
was trying to paint.
I hope you guessed…
The Mona Lisa
Leonardo Da Vinci
• Leonardo once wrote,
“Know the proportions
in human beings and
other animals and
learn the forms of all
things on the earth.
The more you know,
the better you will
paint.”
Leo’s Notebook
• Leonardo was constantly
taking notes about the world
around him. He filled many
notebooks with sketches of
animals, people, and nature.
• He took many measurements
and was always trying to find
a perfect balance so that his
art had proportion.
Another Drawing from Leo’s Notebook:
What is Proportion?
• Simply…
– Proportion means that you make the parts fit well
with each other.
• More Specifically…
– Proportion in art is the relationship between two or
more elements.
– When we talk about proportion in art works we are
using comparing the size of one object in the
artwork to the size of another related object in the
artwork. You can also compare:
Good Proportion
• height, width and depth of the objects
• size of one area to the size of another area
• amount of space between two or more elements
– Proportion is usually not even noticed until
something is out of proportion. For example, if a
person has a head larger than their entire body,
then we would say that they were out of proportion.
Out of Proportion
Other works with excellent
Proportion:
The Self-Portrait:
• Here’s a drawing
Leonardo drew of
himself as an old man.
• A picture that an artist
makes of him/herself is
called a self-portrait.
Face Mapping
• Face Mapping is a technique used to set
up the proportion of the features on a face.
• By drawing lines that act
as guides, you can figure
out where parts go and
how large they should be.
• This will help make your
face look more realistic.
• With some practice,
maybe you’ll be the next
Leonardo da Vinci!
LET’S LEARN PROPORTION
• Get out your
sketchbook and a
pencil!
Drawing your
Self-Portrait:
•Eyes
•What shape are eyes?
Drawing your
Self-Portrait:
•Parts of the eye
Pupil = Black part of your eye, located in
the center of your iris, allows light into your
eye so you can see
Tear Duct =
Little pink bump
where your
tears come out
Eyeball = White part of your eye
Iris = Colored part of your eye
Click here to learn more about the human eye: http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/eyes.html
How do we convey moods?
Drawing your
Self-Portrait:
•Eyes and
Eyebrows
• Show emotion or
expression
• Can you tell
what emotions
this person
might be feeling
by just looking at
her eyes and
eyebrows?
Drawing your
Self-Portrait:
Was your guess correct?
•Eyes and
Eyebrows
Happy
Tired
Angry
Sad
Let’s learn how to create 3
moods
•
•
•
•
Look in the mirror and create the moods
Happy
Angry
Surprised
• What are the differences between the
three?