This Winter Break Wonders activity is inspired by the largest intact group of family portraits by Gerardus Duyckinck I. Learn more about this artwork, then make your own portraits!
Gerardus Duyckinck I, Mrs. Jacob Franks (Abigaill Levy), ca. 1935, oil on canvas, 45 1/4 x 35 13/16 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2005.8. Photography by Dwight Primiano.
Gerardus Duyckinck I, Jacob Franks, ca. 1735, oil on canvas, 45 3/4 x 35 15/16 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2005.9. Photography by Dwight Primiano.
Gerardus Duyckinck I, Moses Levy, ca. 1735, oil on canvas, 45 1/8 x 35 3/4 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2005.7. Photography by Dwight Primiano.
Gerardus Duyckinck I, Richa Franks, ca. 1735, oil on canvas, 44 13/16 x 35 11/16 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2005.11. Photography by Dwight Primiano.
Gerardus Duyckinck I, Franks Children with Lamb, ca. 1735, oil on canvas, 44 1/2 x 35 5/8 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2005.10. Photography by Dwight Primiano.
Gerardus Duyckinck I, Franks Children with Bird, ca. 1735, oil on canvas, 45 1/2 x 35 7/8 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2005.12. Photography by Dwight Primiano.
Materials Needed:
Instructions:
Step 1: Create a colorful background by adding shapes of color on your paper or card with the coloring material of your choice. Fill up the entire page.
Step 2: In the center of the page, draw a large oval with a black magic marker or permanent marker. This will be your head. Add two semi-circles on both sides of the large oval. These will be the ears.
Step 3: Consider how the neck comes down from the oval head. Make two straight lines for the neck that connect to a horizontal line that makes up the shoulders.
Step 4: The eye is a football shape with a smaller circle inside of it. The space between the eyes is about the same as the width of one eye. Draw the eyes on the top half of the head.
Step 5: The nose starts at the inside corner of the eye and ends about halfway between the eyes and the chin. Draw the nose by creating a triangle.
Step 6: The different shapes our mouths make depend on our current mood and expression. Draw a mouth to fit how your person is feeling.
Step 7: Add details to your portrait such as hair, eyebrows, clothing, and objects that show the person’s interests.
Step 8: Repeat the process and make as many portraits of your friends and family as you would like!
Want to learn more about families and portraits? Here are some books we recommend for further learning!
Have fun!
Written by Kim Ly, art instructor, Crystal Bridges.
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