Egyptian Portrait

 For this assignment, you will learn the basic proportions of the human face. This means learning where each part of the face goes and how big it should be.

Step 1: Choose a traditional Ancient Egyptian name:

You will be writing this in hieroglyphics on your final drawing. There are more instructions for that later.

Shepses “noble, honorable”	User “strong”	Nedjem “sweet”	Khafra “he appears as (the sun god) Ra”	Pimay “the lion”
Medjedu “he who crushes the enemies”	Narmer “fierce catfish”	Nefertari “the most beautiful”	Seti “of Seth (god of chaos)”	Amunet “hidden, secretive”
Hatshepsut “foremost of noble women”	Sabi “rejoice”	Irynefer “one who loves goodness”	Wesirib “strong heart”	Shabaka “the one with strong arms”
Tuya “the great one”	Itet “the throne”	Sneferu “to make beautiful”	Sheshat “the one who writes”	Nakht “strong, mighty”
Ahmose “child of the moon”	Meryt “beloved”	Userkaf “his soul is strong”	Henhenet “she who dances”	Khenu “singer” or “flute player”

 

Step 2: Practice drawing the face using proportions.

1.      From the TOP to the BOTTOM of the head – mark the halfway point. This is where the eyes are, and where the nose starts.

2.      From the EYES to the BOTTOM of the head – mark the halfway point. This is where the nose ends.

3.      From the BOTTOM OF THE NOSE to the BOTTOM OF THE HEAD – mark a point about 1/3 of the way down, closer to the nose than to the chin. This is where the mouth is.

Try adding on to the outline on the left. Nose and lip shapes vary a lot from person to person, but the right picture shows about where they should go:

For your final drawing, get a blank piece of paper. Draw the face again, this time starting by drawing the outline of the head yourself. You can use the practice drawing as an example OR follow the guide below.

 

Your finished drawing must include:

• 1.      A face, drawn in profile (side view)
• 2.      An eye, eyebrow, nose, and mouth in the correct places
• 3.      Hair, jewelry, or other creative details of your choice (reference photos on the next few pages!)
• 4.      Your name OR the Ancient Egyptian name you chose written in hieroglyphics (guide on the next page)
• 5.      Color and/or shading

 

NOTE: facial features (especially nose shape and size) can vary a lot! Everyone is different 😊

Here are the hieroglyphics for writing your name or the Ancient Egyptian name you chose:

Finished assignment example:

The rest of the photos here are examples of Ancient Egyptian hairstyles and headdresses. You do not have to copy them exactly, but you can use them as inspiration.

 

Review Book Success Criteria:

• Draw a side profile face using correct proportions