This Art and Design scheme of work video introduces teachers to the history and evolution of portraits as a means of recording appearance before photography, supporting pupils in exploring how artists capture identity and expression. The video outlines the origins of portrait art, from ancient Egypt to modern-day selfies, and explains why portraits remain a powerful form of artistic expression. It introduces a lesson on the style of photorealism—where drawings or paintings look as realistic as photographs—highlighting how art forms evolve and challenge expectations.

The lesson encourages children to reflect on the purpose of self-portraits and compare the work of different artists. They’ll then use a grid drawing technique to replicate a portrait—either of themselves, someone else, or a figure linked to another subject area.

This video is part of Kapow Primary’s Year 6 Photo opportunity unit. It supports a balanced and accessible unit, offering adaptive strategies, clear guidance and artist examples. The unit helps teachers support pupils to develop careful observation skills and express themselves through portraiture.

See more of our Year 6 Art and design scheme of work.

Year 6, Art and design, Craft and design: Photo opportunity, Lesson 5: Photorealistic self-portraits.