The Process

Stage 1

To do the research part of this WebQuest it is best to work with a friend, so that you can discuss what materials the artist has used and consider whether it is effective or not.  Your sketchbook will be useful to record what you have found.  It might be an idea to split your page into 3 columns and to label them like this;- 

Name of artist         Materials used (Sketch effect)              Effectiveness Rating (5 being most effective)

Alternatively your teacher might give you the relevant worksheet which you can stick into your sketchbook when it is complete.

Below is a list of Web sites which should give you some quick results. The clues about materials may be found in the articles, in the captions attached to the  pictures, or by zooming in to get close ups. 

The artists on this site are from the 'Young Embroiderers Group' who are interpreting tree bark in a different way.

Beach Woman, 1995 detail by Audrey Walker.

Chechnya by Barbara Siedlecka.

Detail from Birth of a Virgin by Albrecht Dürer

Young Women in the garden by Pierre Bonnard.

Self Portrait by Chuck Close.

Examples of work by Deidre Scherer.

Now that you have explored some of these sites, you could get additional material by looking at books on the better known artists.  You might find more on the Internet, but do not spend too much time searching - your teacher will be wise to 
that one!

Stage 2

Did you get some ideas from the research?  

Take digital photo's of each other
The next stage is to use the digital camera and for you and your friend to take a photograph of each other.  You need to choose a place which has plenty of light so that you have good contrast between light and dark on the photo.  When you have printed it out,  ask your teacher to do you a photocopy, so that if you use the original to work on you still have a copy for reference.

To make a Tonal Map (Examples below, but read this first)
Now attach a piece of good quality tracing paper onto your portrait and draw round the areas which are the same tone.  If you start with the  darkest tone it should be relatively easy.  Do the same with the light areas, and what's left will be medium tone.  You now have a tonal map of the whole face and can now start on your translation using your chosen method.  Your teacher may need to help you with this part of the process.  Click to see examples of the tonal map, and a translation using a collage technique done by a Year 8 pupil.
Here are two partly finished collages to show how tiny pieces of material  with a small print have been glued onto the tonal map. There are 3 tones of each colour and each tone is stuck either in light, medium or dark areas of the digital photograph.  This method is an adaptation of the method used by Deidre Scherer, but instead of using large pieces of material attached by sewing as she has done, the children used a collage technique and stuck on the pieces with glue.