National Gallery of Art, NGAkids, Napoleon in His Study 5

As we've seen, the painting of Napoleon is full of clues about the emperor's job and his life. By looking at it closely, you can learn that he was important, that he had a military career, and that he was very hard-working. Now it's your turn to create a portrait. Pick a friend and pretend that he or she is running for school president (or, you might want to do a group portrait of several friends). You want to paint the very best portrait possible, filled with clues about his or her personality, intelligence, interests, and special talents. The portrait should convince everyone that your friend will make the best president for the school.

Your portrait doesn't have to look "realistic" the way that David's portrait of Napoleon does—you can give others a really good sense of how a person feels or behaves without painting an exact likeness. You can even draw a cartoon! If you want a more "lifelike" image you could also work with a photograph instead of creating a painting. Or, if you have a video camera, it might be fun to make a campaign "commercial" that follows the same idea. Remember, whatever materials or media you use to make your project, it's okay to add extra things to the picture and arrange these props to get your message across. You're the director and you can arrange all the elements in the picture to suit your main purpose: to tell others about the subject of your portrait and convince them to vote for your candidate!

Here are some ideas to think about before you begin to draw, color, paint, photograph, or videotape your friend. Is he or she a good student? Include some school books or a report card for everyone to see.

What will your friend wear in the picture? Does he or she want to look very responsible, likable, cool? How can you get that idea across to the people who see your work? Does your friend have the same interests as other students, like sports or clubs? How can you insert some clues about these favorite activities in the picture? Has your friend won any awards, trophies, or prizes that you might want to include?

In what room (or space) will you show your friend? Will he or she be in a classroom, at a favorite spot, at home, outside? Or would you rather paint a portrait of just the face, without including anything recognizable in the background? Do the things in the picture and the location help you tell your story?