Modigliana Portrait

Amedeo Modigliani was a late-century European artist who never lived to see his success, but his paintings are some of my all-time favorites. I love his portraits with elongated faces in soulful colors.

1. I started with black paper that was 9" x 15". Give the students a ruler and pencil to draw a line down the middle both ways, and then two more horizontally to make 8 equal sections. The students can start by drawing an oval that centers on the middle line and fills the top half of the paper. Neck lines are drawn down to the next line and then shoulders to the bottom edge.
2. Hair may be added in the style of the student, or the person they are drawing.
3. Modigliana drew his faces in stretched proportions as the eyes usually sit in the middle of the face. The students are to draw their eyes near the top of the head, and the mouth near the bottom. Continue with a nose and eyebrows.
4. Once the portrait is drawn, give the students oil pastels. They need to trace the pencil lines with a black pastel, and then color everywhere else, taking care to color around the black lines. Note: I recommend doing this project after you have done one that involves normal facial proportions.

Masterpiece Coloring Book 2

My “Masterpiece Coloring Book 2” includes ten pages in simple line form for coloring with room to add personal touches. Also included is a new feature. Each is scaled to fit on an 8" x 10" canvas, if desired. This post includes detailed instructions for mounting. Click HERE to preview all ten pages. Top row, left to right: Chinese painting by an unknown artist, “The Birthday” by Chagall, “The Wave” by Hokusai. Middle: “Portrait of Jeanne Hebuterne” by Modigliani, “Color Studies” by Kandinsky, “Sunflowers” by Van Gogh and “Little Dancer” by Degas. Bottom: “The Creation of Adam” detail by Michelangelo, “The Birth of Venus” detail by Botticelli and “Tahitian Women" by Gauguin.

I can email my printable pdf file for just $5. Click “Add to Cart” below the thumbnail to purchase via PayPal for same day to next day delivery.

How to Apply a Drawing to Stretched Canvas

SUPPLY LIST
Dry Wax Paper: 10"x10" or larger, from restaurant supply store or Amazon.com
A drawing to trace, or make your own in a 7.5" x 9.5" paper
One 8" x 10" stretched canvas
Permanent Markers: Sharpie and/or BIC. No waterbased.
White glue (not pictured), Elmer’s or other brand are fine.
Scissors and paint brush (not pictured)


STEP ONE
I centered and taped my dry wax paper over my Van Gogh Sunflower drawing that is part of my Book Two collection. Referring to a photo that I found on the internet, I traced the lines and filled them in to match the original as best I could. When the coloring was complete, I removed the template back and trimmed out the wax drawing near the edges.


STEP TWO
To apply your drawing so that it really “hugs” your canvas, follow these application steps carefully. I’ve learned that the best way to prevent bubbles is to first apply your glue mixture (50/50 glue and water) to the canvas front. Be generous so there are no visible dry spots.


STEP THREE
Apply the glue mixture to the back of the wax drawing. Again, be generous so that there are no visible dry spots. I’ve supervised this step with young students as they tend to miss spots.


STEP FOUR
Center the wet drawing on the canvas, right side up. Smooth, and apply more glue mixture on the front.

STEP FIVE
Smooth out any air bubbles that you see with your brush and or your fingers, if necessary. You may still see some wrinkles remaining as shown above. Not to worry, these will go away as the paper dries and shrinks.

This is how the canvas looks when the paper is completely dry. Smooth city! This is a great way to make drawings look like they were created directly on canvas, which given the texture, is difficult to do. Also, students can make sure they have art they like before permanently mounting it. If anyone has results they would like to share, please email me your pictures. Enjoy!

Back To School Portraits – Modigliani Style

Amedeo Modigliani was famous for his elongated and elegant portraits, painted in Paris back in the early 1900s. Heads and necks were long and narrow, giving his subjects a very graceful look.

1. Starting with a 7" x 12" paper, I made light pencil marks approximately 1/3 down the center of the paper, and another third down again. To draw the head, I made an oval that filled up the top 2/3 of the paper. A neck filled the bottom third, along with curved shoulders.
2. At this point, you could remind students of the “normal” placement of features on a face, namely the eyes belong in the center of the head, and the mouth at the bottom 1/8". To make a Modigliani face, the eyes need to be above the center line, and the mouth extra close to the chin. I drew in a long nose in the space that was left. Hair and ears can be filled in as desired.
3. All the pencil lines are traced with a thin black marker, including a signature on the shirt.
4. Modigliani also used a lot of dark and rich colors, so students may be asked to follow that palatte.
CA Visuals Arts Standard: Creative Expression
2.2 Use the conventions of facial . . . proportions in a figure study.