Program description: The goal of this class is to teach observation to children through portraiture. The children will be paired. Each of them is tasked with making a portrait of their partner. They will be encouraged to notice the posture of their partner, what their partner is wearing and any other personal details. They are also encouraged to consider what the character of their partner is, to move beyond just what they see. If the extended version of this class is done, some of the character work can be done with collage. This is a quick class so the children will only have 20 minutes to execute their portrait before they have to switch from being an artist to being a subject. A quick show and tell at the end. Technique: The children will be drawing with pencils and crayons. If time permits, we could explore the use of eraser as a drawing tool. Collage will be an additional element in the longer version of the class. For instance, an image of a flower could be added to say something about the character of the person being portrayed. Goal: The children should have a portrait of their friend that shows what they know about that person. Observation is the skill being taught.
| Grade Suitability | 3-10 |
| Maximum Class Size | 24 |
| Time Required | This class can be done in 2 hours. |
| Material Required | White construction paper approximately 10” x 15”, pencils, erasers, chalk pastes if available and pencil crayons. Add glue, scissors and magazines for the extended class. The artist can provide magazines if necessary. |
| Language of Instruction | English |
| Communities | All |
| Special Notes | This class could be extended for 3 or 4 hours. It would involve the inclusion of collage. Please note that older children have longer attention spans. The length and complexity of the class will reflect this. |
Linda Leon lives in Whitehorse. She works two dimensionally in paint, collage and drawing. For the past three years, she has been exploring relief printmaking.
Majoring in painting, Linda Leon graduated with a Degree in Fine Arts from University of Manitoba in 1974. She continued with her art practice despite a thirty-year career as a stage designer in professional theatre. In many ways, theatre continues to inform Linda Leon’s art. She likes humor and otherworld interpretations of experience. Relief printmaking allows the expression of these sensibilities.
Her most recent exhibits are “Life in Water” at YA@W 2018 and “Black is Gold” (Group show), Arts Underground, 2018. Linda Leon is a member of Associated Designers of Canada and Yukon Artists @ Work Gallery.