Year 1 Art

Collage – portraits

This half term in year one the children have been learning about portraits and collage. They looked at lots of different examples of portraits including self portraits. They looked at their own faces in a mirror and talked about what features they could see and where they were on their face. Next, they had a go at drawing their own faces in their sketchbooks and we shared the story ‘The Colours Of Us’ which looks at different skin tones. We had a lovely discussion about how everyone is different and unique. The children learnt how to mix a skin tone colour using powder paints. They made a light and a dark skin tone. They used the skin tone papers to then make the basis of their portrait. 

They learnt about a female artist called Brianna McCarthy who lives in Trinidad and Tobago. She makes bright, colourful portraits using colour, shape and pattern. Her work is influenced by the bright colours of Trinidad and Tobago. Year 1 used colours, shapes and pattern to create their own portraits. They had to place the features carefully to make sure they were in the right place. They also used some pen and pastel work to add smaller details. The children were encouraged to be creative. I think they did a brilliant job!

What The Student Says

"I loved making my portrait. It looks colourful."

" I learnt how to use paint to make a skin tone colour."

"It was hard cutting out the shapes. I need to practise!"

"I really like my portrait. I have used lots of pattern."

"It was hard to layer the papers to make the hair."

What knowledge and skills have been developed?

  • learnt about the features on their face

  • learnt how to mix a skin tone using paint

  • cut regular and irregular shapes

  • layer papers to create a composition

  • learnt how to glue paper properly

  • draw small details

  • improve and practise scissor skills cutting shapes accurately

What the Teacher says

The year 1 children have enjoyed learning about their faces, features and portraits. They enjoyed looking at lots of examples of portraits from history and were able to talk about the things they noticed in the paintings. They all worked very hard to improve their cutting, arranging and sticking skills. Their portraits are wonderful and full of character! Well done year 1.

Privacy Policy

We regard your privacy as important and any personal information you give to us will be used in accordance with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulations.

We do not store personal information about individuals who visit this site except where they provide contact information via our contact us page and contact forms available on various pages throughout the website.

Any information you provide will only be used for the reasons specified and it will not be shared with any third party without your consent, unless required by law.

Your contact details are kept securely and are only accessed by authorised members of staff as part of the provision of school services. If you do not wish us to keep this contact information please tell us.

This website uses Google Analytics which provides statistical data about the usage of the site. This information is not used to identify individuals, but is collected to provide us with an understanding of the areas of interest on our site and how our site is being used.

If you are connected to the internet you will have an IP Address. This may take the form of a figure, such as 333.333.22.1. The address will be automatically collected and logged as part of the connection of your computer to our web server and may be used to determine the total number of visits to each part of the site. This data is not collected and used for other purposes.

This website contains links to other websites. The School is not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites or organisations and recommends you consult the privacy information on those sites.

This policy will be reviewed and updated versions will be posted on the website.

If you have any questions about the use of your personal information, the Information Commissioner is the independent regulator for both Data Protection and Freedom of Information.