Dialogue by Mark:

One really good way to practice drawing expressions is to draw YOURSELF. A picture you make of your own face is called a self-portrait, and our KidsArt Art History corner today features one of the greatest self-portait artists of all time...Rembrandt.

There are only a few people in history so famous that they're known only by their first names. Rembrandt is one of them. His full name, in case anyone ever asks you, was Rembrandt Harmenz van Rijn.

Rembrandt lived in Holland over 300 years ago. He is famous for paintings and prints and drawings. And one thing he loved to draw was himself. He made many self-portraits, from when he was just a kid to when he was an old, old man. This self-portrait shows Rembrandt in 1628 when he was 22 years old.

Around this time, Rembrandt drew a series of pictures of himself as he made faces in the mirror. He did this to learn how to show different expressions in his artwork. The pictures show Rembrandt looking shocked, angry, afraid and worried.

This painting shows sort of a suprised Rembrandt, as if you just tapped him on the shoulder when he thought he was working in his studio all alone...and he turns around suddenly and says..."Oh! It's you! Come on in...I didn't know you were watching!"

You genius artists can practice expressions the same way. Just stand in front of a mirror with a sketchpad and a pencil. Make a face, and draw what you see. How do your eyebrows change with different faces? What happens to your mouth? Do your eyes squint shut or open wide? Draw it. Maybe you'll want to do this creative expression drawing in the bathroom with the door shut so your big brother doesn't come up behind you, tap you on the shoulder, and say..."What the heck are you doing?!"