New
New
Year 5

Painting: the foundations of a facial expression

I can create a painting that expresses emotions by using different facial features.

New
New
Year 5

Painting: the foundations of a facial expression

I can create a painting that expresses emotions by using different facial features.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Understand how to identify and represent emotions in facial expressions through observation.
  2. Explore techniques to sketch and paint a base portrait capturing key features of expression.
  3. Begin to develop painting skills with a focus on colour mixing to accurately create skin tones.

Keywords

  • Proportion - how big or small parts of something are compared to each other

  • Hue - a particular shade or tint of a colour

  • Colour mixing - adding two or more colours together to create a mixed colour

  • Skin tone - the colour of a person’s skin

Common misconception

Faces are symmetrical and all proportions should fit to set guidelines.

Most faces are asymmetrical with different proportions. Guidelines for drawing faces give only a rough estimation of where features might be placed, and will differ for each person, as we are all unique.


To help you plan your year 5 art and design lesson on: Painting: the foundations of a facial expression, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage pupils to observe their own and others' facial expressions in a mirror. Use simple questions like, "What changes when you smile?" to spark curiosity. Demonstrate sketching with guidelines step-by-step, and remind them that capturing emotion takes practice and patience!
Teacher tip

Equipment

Paints, paintbrushes, water in pots, palette for mixing paintings, pencils, rubbers, paper.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these features is most important for conveying emotion in a facial expression?
Correct answer: eyes
chin
hair
Q2.
What is proportion?
the size of the paper being used
the distance between the top and bottom of something
Correct answer: how big or small something is compared to something else
Q3.
How can colour affect the mood of an artwork?
by changing the size of the artwork
Correct answer: by evoking different emotions
by changing the materials
Q4.
What basic shapes are often used to sketch a face?
Correct answer: circle and oval
rectangle and hexagon
square and triangle
Q5.
What does tone in art refer to?
Correct answer: lightness or darkness of a colour
texture of the surface
type of material used
Q6.
When sketching facial features, where should the eyes typically be placed?
near the top of the head
below the nose
Correct answer: exactly in the middle of the face

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keywords to the definitions.
Correct Answer:proportion,how big or small parts of something are compared to each other

how big or small parts of something are compared to each other

Correct Answer:hue,a particular shade or tint of a colour

a particular shade or tint of a colour

Correct Answer:colour mixing,adding two or more colours together to create a mixed colour

adding two or more colours together to create a mixed colour

Correct Answer:skin tone,the colour of a person’s skin

the colour of a person’s skin

Q2.
Why is proportion important when drawing a face?
to make the face symmetrical
Correct answer: to ensure the features are the correct size and in the right place
to draw faster
Q3.
refers to the arrangement of elements in an artwork or image.
Complementary colours
Correct answer: Composition
Photography
Q4.
What is the first step in painting a face after sketching it?
Correct answer: laying down a base skin tone
adding details like eyebrows and eyelashes.
painting the background
Q5.
What does adding highlights to a face painting do?
makes the face appear flat
darkens the overall painting
Correct answer: emphasises raised areas of the face and light direction
Q6.
Faces are symmetrical and all proportions should fit to set guidelines.
True
Correct answer: False