How to Draw a Side Profile of the Human Face

If you've ever taken a trip to Colonial Williamsburg, you've seen artists set up creating adorable framed mementos of young children's side profiles. This is a great activity to do in a preschool or elementary school class around President's Day. Not only is it a cute classroom decoration, but it's also a piece of artwork that parents are sure to keep.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Overhead projector
• Table
• Chair
• Black construction paper
• Tape
• White crayon, chalk or pencil
• Copy machine (optional)

1. Set up an overhead projector on a table or desk, about 5 feet away from an empty wall.

2. Place a chair along the wall, directly in line with the overhead projector. The chair should be turned perpendicular to the projector. Have your subject sit in the chair with his profile facing you.

3. Tape a piece of black construction paper to the wall in the approximate area of the subject's shadow.

4. Turn on the overhead projector. You may need to adjust the placement of the chair or construction paper in order to find the right spot. It also may be necessary to scoot the table or desk back to shrink the shadow to make it fit in the paper.

5. Move the subject's head to the proper place and ask him not to move. It may be helpful to place a sticker somewhere in the distance, above eye level to help him focus on something and keep his chin from dropping.

6. Trace the outline of the shadow with white crayon, chalk or pencil.

7. Make this a true piece of artwork. Cut out the profile, and then copy it on a copy machine at 50 percent of the original size. (Flip the cut-out over on the glass to avoid copying the white drawing marks.) Now cut out the profile in a rectangle, leaving a border of white around the profile. Paste onto black construction paper to make a sharp-looking frame.