NCERT Textbook: Portraying People | Arts for Class 6 (Kriti - 1) PDF Download

 Page 1


CHAPTER 3
Portraying People
In this chapter, you will explore the 
di??erent 	ways	in	which	people	are	
portrayed, draw your own friends 
by	closely	observing	their	physical	
features. You will then collaborate 
to compose a group portrait 
using	everyone’s	drawings.	
Study artworks from 
history that depict people in 
many	di??erent 	ways.	
In	 another	 exciting	 activity,	
you	 will	 examine	 various	 roles	 of	
people and the reasons behind their 
clothing	 choices	 and	 visualise	 the	
roles you would take on in future 
while creating an artwork.
1 Visual Arts.indd   20 7/15/2024   11:24:04 AM
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Page 2


CHAPTER 3
Portraying People
In this chapter, you will explore the 
di??erent 	ways	in	which	people	are	
portrayed, draw your own friends 
by	closely	observing	their	physical	
features. You will then collaborate 
to compose a group portrait 
using	everyone’s	drawings.	
Study artworks from 
history that depict people in 
many	di??erent 	ways.	
In	 another	 exciting	 activity,	
you	 will	 examine	 various	 roles	 of	
people and the reasons behind their 
clothing	 choices	 and	 visualise	 the	
roles you would take on in future 
while creating an artwork.
1 Visual Arts.indd   20 7/15/2024   11:24:04 AM
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Visual Arts 21
and ears. Pay attention to 
the space between the eyes, 
the distance between the 
hairline and eyebrow, and 
the length of the ears.
Step 3: 		 Once	you	have	your	drawing	
ready, think about the 
colours you want to use for 
the portrait. 
Step 4:  Complete your portrait and 
share it with your peers. 
Discuss the similarities and 
di??erences 	 in	 the	 facial	
features.
Step 5:  Cut out your portraits along 
their edge.
Step 6:  Prepare a large surface by 
joining many sheets of paper 
or any other material.
Step 7:  Gather all the portraits and 
decide	 an	 arrangement  for	
a  group	 portrait	 of	 the	
whole class.
Step 8:  Paste each portrait in a 
decided arrangement. Your 
class portrait is ready!
Activity 1: Make 
Portraits
Have	you	ever	wondered	why	we	all	
look	di??erent 	even	though	our	faces	
have	the	same	parts?—	eyes,	eyebrows,	
nose, mouth, ears and hair?
Observe	 the	 faces	 of	 your	
classmates. Can you identify how 
their	 face	 is	 di??erent 	 from	 yours?	
Are their eyes smaller or is their 
forehead bigger? Do they wear 
spectacles? How do they comb 
their hair?	
Split	up	into	pairs	for	this	activity	
and draw a portrait of your partner 
on an A4 sheet of paper. 
Your	portraits	do	not	have	to	be	
picture perfect. You can add your 
own	??avour 	to	them.	
Step 1:  Make the shape of the face. Is 
it	a	circle,	oval	or	egg-shaped?	
Or, is it a rounded rectancle?
Step 2:  Draw other features of 
their	 face.	 Observe	 the	
shape  and	 size	 of	 the	 eyes,	
nose, eyebrows, lips, chin 
1 Visual Arts.indd   21 7/15/2024   11:24:05 AM
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Page 3


CHAPTER 3
Portraying People
In this chapter, you will explore the 
di??erent 	ways	in	which	people	are	
portrayed, draw your own friends 
by	closely	observing	their	physical	
features. You will then collaborate 
to compose a group portrait 
using	everyone’s	drawings.	
Study artworks from 
history that depict people in 
many	di??erent 	ways.	
In	 another	 exciting	 activity,	
you	 will	 examine	 various	 roles	 of	
people and the reasons behind their 
clothing	 choices	 and	 visualise	 the	
roles you would take on in future 
while creating an artwork.
1 Visual Arts.indd   20 7/15/2024   11:24:04 AM
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Visual Arts 21
and ears. Pay attention to 
the space between the eyes, 
the distance between the 
hairline and eyebrow, and 
the length of the ears.
Step 3: 		 Once	you	have	your	drawing	
ready, think about the 
colours you want to use for 
the portrait. 
Step 4:  Complete your portrait and 
share it with your peers. 
Discuss the similarities and 
di??erences 	 in	 the	 facial	
features.
Step 5:  Cut out your portraits along 
their edge.
Step 6:  Prepare a large surface by 
joining many sheets of paper 
or any other material.
Step 7:  Gather all the portraits and 
decide	 an	 arrangement  for	
a  group	 portrait	 of	 the	
whole class.
Step 8:  Paste each portrait in a 
decided arrangement. Your 
class portrait is ready!
Activity 1: Make 
Portraits
Have	you	ever	wondered	why	we	all	
look	di??erent 	even	though	our	faces	
have	the	same	parts?—	eyes,	eyebrows,	
nose, mouth, ears and hair?
Observe	 the	 faces	 of	 your	
classmates. Can you identify how 
their	 face	 is	 di??erent 	 from	 yours?	
Are their eyes smaller or is their 
forehead bigger? Do they wear 
spectacles? How do they comb 
their hair?	
Split	up	into	pairs	for	this	activity	
and draw a portrait of your partner 
on an A4 sheet of paper. 
Your	portraits	do	not	have	to	be	
picture perfect. You can add your 
own	??avour 	to	them.	
Step 1:  Make the shape of the face. Is 
it	a	circle,	oval	or	egg-shaped?	
Or, is it a rounded rectancle?
Step 2:  Draw other features of 
their	 face.	 Observe	 the	
shape  and	 size	 of	 the	 eyes,	
nose, eyebrows, lips, chin 
1 Visual Arts.indd   21 7/15/2024   11:24:05 AM
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Kriti–I | Grade 6 22
Activity 2: Through the 
Eyes of the Artists 
Portraits are one way of depicting 
people. In portraits, the focus is on the 
face, head, neck and shoulders of a 
person, but it might include other parts 
of	 the	 body	 also.	 Artists	 have	 depicted	
people in many other ways. 
Look at the images of the Buddha 
from	 di??erent 	 periods.	 Compare	 the	
styles, facial features, and discuss the 
similarities	 and	 di??erences 	 in	 their	
characteristics.
Gupta Period 
Ajanta style
500 CE
Kushan Period  
Gandhar style
100 BCE – 400 CE
Kushan Period
Mathura style
300 CE
Gupta Period
Sarnath style
500 CE
Thanka style
Bodhisattva Buddha
Buddha represented in 
di??erent time periods 
and styles
1 Visual Arts.indd   22 7/15/2024   11:24:07 AM
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Page 4


CHAPTER 3
Portraying People
In this chapter, you will explore the 
di??erent 	ways	in	which	people	are	
portrayed, draw your own friends 
by	closely	observing	their	physical	
features. You will then collaborate 
to compose a group portrait 
using	everyone’s	drawings.	
Study artworks from 
history that depict people in 
many	di??erent 	ways.	
In	 another	 exciting	 activity,	
you	 will	 examine	 various	 roles	 of	
people and the reasons behind their 
clothing	 choices	 and	 visualise	 the	
roles you would take on in future 
while creating an artwork.
1 Visual Arts.indd   20 7/15/2024   11:24:04 AM
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Visual Arts 21
and ears. Pay attention to 
the space between the eyes, 
the distance between the 
hairline and eyebrow, and 
the length of the ears.
Step 3: 		 Once	you	have	your	drawing	
ready, think about the 
colours you want to use for 
the portrait. 
Step 4:  Complete your portrait and 
share it with your peers. 
Discuss the similarities and 
di??erences 	 in	 the	 facial	
features.
Step 5:  Cut out your portraits along 
their edge.
Step 6:  Prepare a large surface by 
joining many sheets of paper 
or any other material.
Step 7:  Gather all the portraits and 
decide	 an	 arrangement  for	
a  group	 portrait	 of	 the	
whole class.
Step 8:  Paste each portrait in a 
decided arrangement. Your 
class portrait is ready!
Activity 1: Make 
Portraits
Have	you	ever	wondered	why	we	all	
look	di??erent 	even	though	our	faces	
have	the	same	parts?—	eyes,	eyebrows,	
nose, mouth, ears and hair?
Observe	 the	 faces	 of	 your	
classmates. Can you identify how 
their	 face	 is	 di??erent 	 from	 yours?	
Are their eyes smaller or is their 
forehead bigger? Do they wear 
spectacles? How do they comb 
their hair?	
Split	up	into	pairs	for	this	activity	
and draw a portrait of your partner 
on an A4 sheet of paper. 
Your	portraits	do	not	have	to	be	
picture perfect. You can add your 
own	??avour 	to	them.	
Step 1:  Make the shape of the face. Is 
it	a	circle,	oval	or	egg-shaped?	
Or, is it a rounded rectancle?
Step 2:  Draw other features of 
their	 face.	 Observe	 the	
shape  and	 size	 of	 the	 eyes,	
nose, eyebrows, lips, chin 
1 Visual Arts.indd   21 7/15/2024   11:24:05 AM
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Kriti–I | Grade 6 22
Activity 2: Through the 
Eyes of the Artists 
Portraits are one way of depicting 
people. In portraits, the focus is on the 
face, head, neck and shoulders of a 
person, but it might include other parts 
of	 the	 body	 also.	 Artists	 have	 depicted	
people in many other ways. 
Look at the images of the Buddha 
from	 di??erent 	 periods.	 Compare	 the	
styles, facial features, and discuss the 
similarities	 and	 di??erences 	 in	 their	
characteristics.
Gupta Period 
Ajanta style
500 CE
Kushan Period  
Gandhar style
100 BCE – 400 CE
Kushan Period
Mathura style
300 CE
Gupta Period
Sarnath style
500 CE
Thanka style
Bodhisattva Buddha
Buddha represented in 
di??erent time periods 
and styles
1 Visual Arts.indd   22 7/15/2024   11:24:07 AM
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23
Activity 3: I Want to be … 
What role would you like to play in other 
people’s life when you grow up? 
Would	you	like	to	help	people	??x 	their	
bulbs? Or would you like to ensure that 
people	remain	??t? 	
Draw yourself performing these roles. 
It’s okay if you don’t know what roles you 
may want. You can freely imagine yourself 
in more than one role. 
Draw	three	to	??ve 	roles	from	the	many	
choices you can think of. 
Look	at	the	drawings	made	by	everyone	
in the class. Do you see anything typical 
in these drawings? Or anything that is 
unusual?	 Which	 drawings	 do	 you	 ??nd 	
interesting and why?
1 Visual Arts.indd   23 7/15/2024   11:24:08 AM
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Page 5


CHAPTER 3
Portraying People
In this chapter, you will explore the 
di??erent 	ways	in	which	people	are	
portrayed, draw your own friends 
by	closely	observing	their	physical	
features. You will then collaborate 
to compose a group portrait 
using	everyone’s	drawings.	
Study artworks from 
history that depict people in 
many	di??erent 	ways.	
In	 another	 exciting	 activity,	
you	 will	 examine	 various	 roles	 of	
people and the reasons behind their 
clothing	 choices	 and	 visualise	 the	
roles you would take on in future 
while creating an artwork.
1 Visual Arts.indd   20 7/15/2024   11:24:04 AM
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Visual Arts 21
and ears. Pay attention to 
the space between the eyes, 
the distance between the 
hairline and eyebrow, and 
the length of the ears.
Step 3: 		 Once	you	have	your	drawing	
ready, think about the 
colours you want to use for 
the portrait. 
Step 4:  Complete your portrait and 
share it with your peers. 
Discuss the similarities and 
di??erences 	 in	 the	 facial	
features.
Step 5:  Cut out your portraits along 
their edge.
Step 6:  Prepare a large surface by 
joining many sheets of paper 
or any other material.
Step 7:  Gather all the portraits and 
decide	 an	 arrangement  for	
a  group	 portrait	 of	 the	
whole class.
Step 8:  Paste each portrait in a 
decided arrangement. Your 
class portrait is ready!
Activity 1: Make 
Portraits
Have	you	ever	wondered	why	we	all	
look	di??erent 	even	though	our	faces	
have	the	same	parts?—	eyes,	eyebrows,	
nose, mouth, ears and hair?
Observe	 the	 faces	 of	 your	
classmates. Can you identify how 
their	 face	 is	 di??erent 	 from	 yours?	
Are their eyes smaller or is their 
forehead bigger? Do they wear 
spectacles? How do they comb 
their hair?	
Split	up	into	pairs	for	this	activity	
and draw a portrait of your partner 
on an A4 sheet of paper. 
Your	portraits	do	not	have	to	be	
picture perfect. You can add your 
own	??avour 	to	them.	
Step 1:  Make the shape of the face. Is 
it	a	circle,	oval	or	egg-shaped?	
Or, is it a rounded rectancle?
Step 2:  Draw other features of 
their	 face.	 Observe	 the	
shape  and	 size	 of	 the	 eyes,	
nose, eyebrows, lips, chin 
1 Visual Arts.indd   21 7/15/2024   11:24:05 AM
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Kriti–I | Grade 6 22
Activity 2: Through the 
Eyes of the Artists 
Portraits are one way of depicting 
people. In portraits, the focus is on the 
face, head, neck and shoulders of a 
person, but it might include other parts 
of	 the	 body	 also.	 Artists	 have	 depicted	
people in many other ways. 
Look at the images of the Buddha 
from	 di??erent 	 periods.	 Compare	 the	
styles, facial features, and discuss the 
similarities	 and	 di??erences 	 in	 their	
characteristics.
Gupta Period 
Ajanta style
500 CE
Kushan Period  
Gandhar style
100 BCE – 400 CE
Kushan Period
Mathura style
300 CE
Gupta Period
Sarnath style
500 CE
Thanka style
Bodhisattva Buddha
Buddha represented in 
di??erent time periods 
and styles
1 Visual Arts.indd   22 7/15/2024   11:24:07 AM
Reprint 2025-26
23
Activity 3: I Want to be … 
What role would you like to play in other 
people’s life when you grow up? 
Would	you	like	to	help	people	??x 	their	
bulbs? Or would you like to ensure that 
people	remain	??t? 	
Draw yourself performing these roles. 
It’s okay if you don’t know what roles you 
may want. You can freely imagine yourself 
in more than one role. 
Draw	three	to	??ve 	roles	from	the	many	
choices you can think of. 
Look	at	the	drawings	made	by	everyone	
in the class. Do you see anything typical 
in these drawings? Or anything that is 
unusual?	 Which	 drawings	 do	 you	 ??nd 	
interesting and why?
1 Visual Arts.indd   23 7/15/2024   11:24:08 AM
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Kriti–I | Grade 6 24
Activity 4: Clothes and 
Roles 
How do you identify if someone 
is a painter or farmer? Do we all 
imagine the farmer in the same 
way	 or	 is	 there	 a	 di??erence? 	 What	
are	the	similarities	and	di??erences? 	
Let’s	??nd 	out!
Draw a picture of a farmer the 
way you think of them. Look at all 
the drawings made in your class. 
What is the gender of the farmer? 
How tall or short are they? What is 
the farmer wearing? 
Discuss and Talk About?—
1. How did you take these 
decisions for your drawings?
2. Did	 you	 ??nd 	 farmers	 of	 all	
genders?
3. Where	 all	 have	 you	 seen	
pictures of farmers?
4. If they changed their clothes, 
would they stop being a farmer?
What musical instruments can you 
see	in	the	given	picture?
	 Like	 you	 observe	 your	 natural	
environment,	 observe	 people	 more	
closely. Notice that each of us is 
unique in the way we look and how 
we dress. 
Observe	 and	 draw	 any	 three	
people	 in	 di??erent 	 roles	 around	
you. Imagine other roles they  
may	have.
Now, look at the drawings made 
by your classmates. Who are the 
di??erent 	 people	 you	 see	 in	 the	
drawing?	Have	people	of	all	genders	
been	depicted	in	di??erent 	roles?	
Compare these drawings with 
that of the farmer. Did anything 
change in the way you worked out 
your ideas?
Continue: Observe	 people  around	
you in your family and 
neighbourhood. Pay attention to 
what they wear. Draw one picture 
in the role you see them in. Draw 
another picture of them in the same 
clothes	you	see,	but	acting	out	a	very	
di??erent 	 role.	 Make	 it	 uncommon	
and inspiring!
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