Thumbprint Self-Portrait

Here is another great idea I found on Pinterest.... You can see lots of inspiring examples here and here.  I tried this with my middle school students and they really had fun with it!  Here's how we did it...

Materials:

• Black stamp pad
• Copy paper 
• Black (F) and (UF) Sharpies
• Colored pencils
• Examples of the 3 types of fingerprints: loop, whorl, and arch.

Directions:

1. Collect a thumbprint from each student.  Identify the 3 different types: loop, whorl, and arch.

This was more challenging than I expected!  You need thumbprints that are clean and crisp... if they're blurry at all, they only get worse when you enlarge them.  You'll find that some thumbs just print more clearly than others, but keep trying and eventually you'll get a thumb print from everyone that's good enough to work with!

2. Next, you need to enlarge your thumbprints.  

First, cut them out and write students' names in pencil, then enlarge them one at a time.  Make the first enlargement at 400%, then enlarge that one 250%, and you should end up with the desired result... a thumbprint roughly the size of your face!

3. You'll notice that your thumbprint enlargements will be very pixelated.  So, take a (F) Sharpie and trace over the lines of your thumbprint to smooth the pixelated lines as much as possible.  

Don't worry if some lines start and stop, or run into each other.  Just do your best to darken them and smooth them out.

4. Next, center a clean sheet of lightweight paper over the top of your thumbprint.  

You may want to tape the two papers together to keep them from sliding around.  (Tip: Before taping anything that you'll want to remove later, first stick the tape onto your pants, then when you lift it off, the tiny fibers that are stuck to the tape will cause it to be less tacky and less likely to tear your paper when you remove it!)  If you have trouble seeing through your paper to trace your thumbprint, taping the paper to a window or light box (if you have one!) will be a huge help.

5. Now, use your (UF) Sharpie and start writing along your thumbprint lines!  

Begin at the top and use the lines of your thumbprint as guide lines for your writing.  You don't need to retrace the lines onto your paper - you want your writing to create the 'illusion' of lines in your drawing.  And don't worry about following every line exactly - this won't be used for I.D., you just want to get the general idea of the thumbprint!  So, start writing a narrative about yourself... how old you are, things you like and don't like, your hopes and dreams for the future.... that kind of stuff!  If you feel more confident writing in pencil first, you can do that, but you'll need to carefully erase any pencil left showing after you trace with Sharpie!

6. Finally, use colored pencils (optional) to lightly add some designs in the background and personalize your self-portrait even more!