LITTLE & LARGE
16 & 17th May 1997

In a pilot project led by Emma Bryant, Year 9 students used the resources of the National Portrait Gallery to study miniatures, silhouettes and oil painting over a two day period. Self-portrait sketches prepared in school prior to the visit were used as a starting point for the work.

The students visited the galleries comparing the use of scale between the vast Hans Holbein Cartoon of Henry VIII and the palm sized miniatures of the Tudor period. In the Clore Studio they went on to create miniatures of their own. They also studied silhouettes from the 1930's before creating life sized versions using studio lights to project their outlines on to paper.

The second day focused on oil painting. Having looked at the techniques of artists including Joshua Reynolds, Sir Thomas Lawrence and Maggi Hambling the students created their own self-portraits in oils.

Introduction to the concept of scale and how and why it is used in different ways in portraits

Looking at silhouette albums from the NPG collection. These were cut by Hubert Leslie in the 1930s.

Making sketchbooks

Drawing small self-portraits in colour

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Making life-sized silhouettes by projecting light on to the figure, drawing around the shadows cast and then cutting these out

Self-portraits by students in oil on board

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All images and text are subject to copyright protection. 20 November 2008