Drawing Faces: Let's Practice Drawing Different Emotions Each Week! (Ages 6-10)

Each week, learners will be asked to bring to class a picture of themselves or someone else showing an emotion. (The emotion of focus for the week will be communicated before class). This does not need to be a print-out, but can simply be a picture on a camera or cell-phone not in use for the duration of the class. Learners will be encouraged to discuss the different muscle movements they observe in the expression (how eyebrows move, how the mouth moves, etc.), as well as ways we can use lines and shading to depict those movements in a drawing. Learners will have the opportunity to practice drawing these movements for different features of the face. We will review facial proportions and size of features, and then learners will use their pictures and the features they have practiced to draw a face that depicts that emotion. 

This class is designed to be interactive. We will discuss the common elements we see in each expression we focus on, and learners will be encouraged to show examples of their sketches of features, as well as their overall progress at the end of class. 
Please note that even though learners will refer to pictures they have taken, the goal of this class is not to come away with realistic portraits, but rather, to study and practice proportion, use of lines, and use of shading to show different emotions on the face. Some expressions we will cover include: Happiness/Delight, Anger, Confusion, Shock, Sadness, Disgust and Surprise; as well as more nuanced expressions like irritation and boredom. 

Because this class is geared towards younger students, the focus of this class is less on technicalities such as shading, light, etc., and more on exploring ways we can capture emotions on the faces in our drawings, as simple as they may be. As such, for this younger class, students will be encouraged to expand their drawing beyond the facial expression, and use their drawing to tell a story, so that they are engaged for the duration of class.  

This is an ongoing class that meets once a week, focusing on a different facial expression each week. 

Expressions we will cover in the first four weeks of class are:

Week of 14th May: Theme for the week is "Focus on Happiness/Joy"
Week of 21st May: Theme for the week is "Focus on Anger/Frustration"
Week of 28th May: Theme for the week is "Focus on Shock (and differences and similarities to "Surprise")"
Week of 4th June: Theme for the week is "Focus on Sadness"  

Learners do not have to have prior drawing experience, and will not need to have taken any pre-requisites before joining the class.