The self portrait is the next jump in the progression. Creative decisions have to be made - the students are now drawing (taking what they see in the 3D world and flattening it onto the picture plane...). First everyone creates a self portrait with a black one point stroke - then a portrait with stroke variation - then one in full color. The students learn so many new things along the way and are always enthusiastic to share their discoveries with their classmates.
Note: In both the silhouette and self portrait, the student chooses the photo - places it into AI - and LOCKS the layer. They add a new layer on top of the photo and begin drawing on that layer. This way the photo layer can be turned off and on to check progress.