The 3-Step Method Every Portrait Artist Needs
Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.
03/25/26
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In this short, we discuss creating and painting portraits by focusing on three key areas: shape, light and shadow, and spirit. Tonya Quinn outlines how to paint a face by observing and interpreting human features, emphasizing that even simple shapes like parentheses can represent them. This approach provides valuable painting tips and painting techniques for artists of all levels.
By teaching students to read a face, not just draw it, children develop the skills to notice how a classmate is truly feeling, even when words aren't spoken. This is inclusive teaching and culturally responsive teaching in action. Students practice active learning by observing, interpreting, and responding to each other's emotional states, building empathy, classroom belonging, and student engagement naturally through the creative process.
When a child says, "He's smiling, but I think he's angry. I hope he takes a minute to calm down."
That's whole child development. That's inspiring students to care for one another. That's the kind of school culture that transforms classrooms.
Whether you're a teacher looking for innovative teaching and instructional strategies, an instructional coach seeking coaching strategies for professional development, a school administrator focused on school improvement and instructional leadership, or a parent exploring education at home and family partnerships, this clip will shift how you think about student motivation, student participation, and what effective teaching truly looks like.
🎨 Art becomes the doorway. Empathy becomes the lesson. Connection becomes the outcome.
👇 Save this. This is what education transformation looks like. Watch, reflect, and share Part 1 & Part 2 of our @schoolutionspodcast S5E30 interview with your team.
🗂️ CHAPTERS
0:00 — The Secret to Painting Portraits
0:05 — The 3-Part Framework: Shape, Light & Spirit
0:12 — Reading the Human Face
0:22 — What's Behind the Smile?
0:35 — Kids Teaching Kids Emotional Awareness
0:50 — How I Calm Myself When I'm Angry
📧 Connect with me if you’d like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in.
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!
#Schoolutions #SchoolutionsPodcast #ForeverGettingBetter #CuriosityDriven #EvidenceBased #PortraitPals #TheKindnessArtEducation #ClassroomBelonging #StudentEngagement #EffectiveTeaching #InspiredTeaching #WholeChild #InclusiveTeaching #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #EmpoweredEducators #TeacherCoaching #InstructionalCoaching #SchoolCulture #ActiveLearning #ProKidMindset #EquityInEducation #StudentSuccess #ThrivingStudents #EducationTransformation #TeacherImpact #SchoolLeadership #NewTeachers #ProfessionalDevelopment #ArtEducation #SELinSchools #EmpathyInEducation #PortraitDrawing #TeachingTips #InnovativeTeaching #SchoolImprovement #FamilyPartnerships #ParentInvolvement
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Previous Episode
Part 1 of my S5E30 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, Tonya Quinn from The Kindness Art Education shares her journey, emphasizing the role of visual art and art for kids in shaping worldviews. This conversation highlights how art classes for beginners can ignite creativity and provide healing, even far from home. Tonya illuminates how personal hardship has fostered her powerful kindness movement.
In this episode, you'll discover:
→ The 4 rules for being an artist (and why they work for every child in every classroom)
→ Why active learning and student participation skyrocket when kids feel creative ownership
→ How Portrait Pals bridges generations to fight low engagement
→ What inclusive teaching actually looks like when you hand a child primary colors and say, "You can do this"
→ Why inspiring students starts with teaching them to listen to themselves first
→ The research from Harvard's Project Zero that proves arts access improves academic performance
→ A pro-kid mindset that goes beyond survival toward whole-child thriving
Whether you're a teacher looking for innovative teaching strategies, an instructional coach searching for coaching strategies that move the needle, a school leader focused on school culture and instructional leadership, or a parent exploring the home-school connection and family partnerships, this conversation is for you.
Some Episode Mentions:
- Harvard’s Project Zero
- Theresa Booth Brown
- The National Gallery
- Ana María Hernando
- Faith Ringgold
- Portrait Pals
- Frida Kahlo
- Molly Piper Greaves
- The Kindness Art Education
📌 Part 2 drops Friday where we go inside the full Portrait Pals process.
If this moved you, share it with a teacher, principal, parent, or school counselor who believes every child deserves to thrive, not just survive.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 — Introduction & Tonya Quinn overview
1:45 — Harvard's Project Zero research on arts & student success
4:00 — How Tonya's parents shaped her pro-kid mindset
5:20 — 20 years in London: perspective, art galleries & inclusive teaching
8:30 — Launching a nonprofit during the pandemic
9:50 — The "How to Be an Artist" curriculum & 4 rules
13:00 — Every child deserves to thrive, not just survive
14:30 — The challenge sweet spot: frustration + growth in the classroom
16:30 — Making skin tone: the hardest and proudest moment
17:45 — Lightning round with Tonya Quinn
#schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter #curiositydriven #PortraitPals
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Next Episode
Part 2 of my @schoolutionspodcast conversation with Tonya Quinn from The Kindness Art Education details how her Portrait Pals program uses art to address critical attendance management issues. The initiative fosters a powerful kindness movement, helping to alleviate stress relief among students by connecting them through shared experiences. This approach significantly contributes to improving kids mental health and overall school engagement.
💫Make sure to check out Part 1 before this episode
In this episode, you'll discover:
→ The full Portrait Pals process: from professional photographer to curated gallery exhibition
→ How this program directly addresses chronic absenteeism and low engagement
→ Why inspiring students works better than enforcing behavior
→ The questionnaire questions that reveal what kids are really carrying
→ How active learning through portraiture weaves in math, science, anatomy, & narrative
→ What classroom belonging looks like when a child feels truly seen
→ How police officers, senior citizens, and kids in France are all Portrait Pals
→ What to say to a skeptical administrator who thinks there's no time or funding
→ The blank canvas moment and why it's the most important teaching tool in the room
Portrait Pals has a 100% ask-back rate from every school and community it touches. The only thing standing between this program and thousands more thriving students is resources. Share this episode with a teacher, principal, school counselor, or donor who believes every child deserves to thrive not just survive. Donate here.
Whether you're a teacher searching for instructional strategies that spark student motivation, an instructional coach looking for coaching strategies that produce real school change, a school leader committed to school culture and equity in education, or a parent who believes in the whole child this episode is essential listening.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 — Introduction: 31% chronic absenteeism & Portrait Pals
1:45 — The professional photographer & authentic self-presentation
3:30 — Anthony: "My pal looks like they could do something major one day"
5:45 — How Tonya matches pals across communities and countries
7:30 — The questionnaire: shared anxiety between rural America and France
9:00 — Supplies, structure & meeting community needs
10:45 — Police officers, Portrait Pals & "this is exactly what we needed"
13:30 — How many sessions & keeping it during the school day
15:00 — Portraits, math, science, anatomy & human skills
17:30 — Shape, light & shadow, and spirit the three elements of portraiture
18:45 — The gallery exhibition experience
20:00 — The girl with her head on her desk and what happened next
21:45 — 100% ask-back rate & how to get involved
23:00 — Closing reflections & how to support Portrait Pals
Next Week: We are heading to San Diego, where history is being made. San Diego Unified School District has nearly 3,000 affordable housing units in the pipeline for educators. Superintendent Fabi Bagula, Ph.D., is leading a charge to make sure the people who show up every day to serve students can actually afford to live in the communities they serve. That conversation is coming your way next week. Don't miss it.
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
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