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Gulfton Art Students Explore History through Portraits

October 26, 2011 by Lara Heiberg

For the past few weeks, YES Prep Gulfton High School students have been engaged in a rather new experience for many: creating art. Art I is a new course on the Gulfton campus, but the Force has already proven to themselves and all who see the student samples that what they lack in experience, they make up for in drive.

Gulfton students have been learning the techniques involved in drawing from photos and how to draw the face. With value studies and grid systems clearly mastered, students were given a face to draw. After a thoughtful character study, brush, pen and ink were used to create the portrait. Some of the results are here for you to see. While some more accurately depict the photo the student was given, all of the projects were successful in their own ways. Pride and a touch of surprise were prevalent as Gulfton students discovered hidden creative talents and skills they did not realize they could master so easily.

After the portraits were completed, students composed lines of poetry either about the experience of creating the portrait or about the person portrayed. Students were then told who the people in the photos were and how they had witnessed a tragic event. Art is often a witness to history as it captures a unique point in time. The portraits created by Gulfton High School students will not only recall the people in them, but will also recount a moment when 130 9th and 10th graders realized the skills and creativity needed to render a portrait.

What’s next for Gulfton students? History will continue to unfold as students begin to draw what they see all around them in their Real World Drawing unit including contour sketches, still life drawing and perspective studies. Gulfton is now also home to Real World Clubs where artistically inclined students explore the splendors of creating public art and plan murals for the community and school as well as spoken word poetry to be performed later in the year.