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Create an Expressive Portrait

Use what you've learned about Edvard Munch to paint with expression

You've seen how Edvard Munch uses color, narrative, brushwork, and gesture to express emotion in his paintings. Now it’s your turn to set the mood in your own expressive portrait.

Materials

pencils

sketchbooks or sketch paper

canvas papers or panels

acrylic paint (assorted colors)

paintbrushes (assorted sizes)

Step 1: Develop Practice Sketches

Sketch several portraits. Express a mood or emotion in each one.

Make a list of emotions and moods. You might write down emotions you’ve experienced, or choose from the moods artists express in this issue of Scholastic Art. In your sketchbook, begin making a few practice sketches of faces that clearly express an emotion. Consider how your sketches might reflect your world or mind-set. Think about how facial expression and gesture are forms of communication in Munch’s work and in everyday life. How can you communicate through your sketches? Once you’ve completed several drawings, show your work to your classmates. Try to guess the emotions your classmates portrayed in their sketched faces. Invite your classmates to guess the emotions you expressed in your drawings. Choose your favorite sketch. 

Tip: Select the sketch that most successfully conveys a clear emotion.

Step 2: Create a Color Scheme

Develop a color scheme that supports your chosen mood or emotion.

How does the student who painted this portrait use color to set the mood?

Look at the artworks in this magazine for inspiration. Note the colors the artists use to show different moods and emotions in their paintings. Experiment with a few different color palettes, keeping in mind your chosen emotion. Think about which colors will emphasize the mood in your portrait. For example, red might be the perfect accent for an angry facial expression, and blue might convey a melancholy mood. Experiment with complementary colors. This will help you add energy to the scene and will create a striking composition.

Tip: Use pure, saturated color to get dramatic results.

Step 3: Paint an Expressive Portrait

Use expressive brushstrokes to paint your portrait.

The student who created this painting worked with expressive texture.

Begin painting your final portrait by outlining the large shapes with a light color. Work from the lightest areas to the darkest, building the composition with intention. Use the lightest colors in your palette to create the highlights and the darkest colors to add shadows. Be aware of your brushstrokes. Use thick, textured brushstrokes to paint the big shapes. Then use smaller, more delicate ones to paint the details.

Remember that different types of brushstrokes will evoke different kinds of energy in your composition. Make sure that your brushwork supports the mood you’re aiming to express. Think about facial expressions, shapes, and brushwork as ways to communicate expression.

Tip: Focus on the emotion you want to express instead of trying to technically capture each detail.

Prepared by: Nancy Hoover, The Girls’ School of Austin, Austin, Texas

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