An Approach To Teaching Drawing
Encourage Confident Sketch Artists Who Learn To 'See'
Teach students how to see by creating space and time for them to continually practice. Think of teaching drawing in the same way that you would think of teaching music. Students are taught to play an instrument by a continual process of listening and repeating. When they become attuned to the intricacies of music they synthesize combinations of notes and create music of their own.
Scheduled Practice Time
When students learn to play an instrument it is important that they expect to practice for a set amount of time every day. Drawing is similar. It is wise to schedule 5minutes of silent sketching every morning at the beginning of the day. Teachers who work in a denominational school might like to set focused drawing during, before or after prayer time. Working quietly at this time is beneficial because the atmosphere is already settled. Painting and Drawing are seen by some as forms of meditation and so it is thought that the focused experience settles the students as well as eases them into the drawing task. There is a sense of 'right fit' when drawing is scheduled within a serene environment. 5 minutes a day would, of course, need to be accompanied by other much longer experimental, structured instructional drawing input at least once a week.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors affect the effectiveness of the drawing classroom. Students need to feel safe and supported to express themselves. They need quiet, uncrowded space within which they can concentrate. This space will be free of distraction and the ambiance consciously structured so that the students will feel safe from criticism. The article Appreciative Inquiry describes one way to ensure safety and constructive support for the Art Student.
Observational Drawing
Initially the source of all drawing comes from observation. When we trace back through the ways students go about creating images, it will always be the case that keen observation was required. Abstract Art and Fantasy Art may seem to come straight from the imagination but in reality the student needs to have observed and to have learned how to draw the image at some stage.
Even tracing, copying and stencilling would originally have been sourced from real life observation. Facilitate class conversations until the students can see that if these forms of drawing come from observation - in the truest form - it stands to reason that pure observation will take them to the heart of realistic drawing.
Creative Synthesis
Creative Synthesis is a higher ordered thinking style. Fantasy, abstraction, symbolism and all other forms of modern art will later become synthesised from a students memory. Visualising is an ability acquired by learning how to see.
Once a student has learned to see through recording observation, he or she will naturally evolve a personal working style. Through experimentation encouraged by the teacher, students will find ways to synthesis creative images. Once they have learned to draw a bat as well as a cat, students can begin to fantasize about combination creatures such as a dragons or AngelPus from the Neopet range. Once students have the basics and they experiment with synthesis, a variety of materials and techniques, they can produce work that is truly inspired and original.
Imagined creatures can be created at appropriate seasonal times such as Halloween, Christmas, Easter and the like. Using the drawings to make jigsaws and other fun creations is motivating for the students.
If you have been doing the Suite / Drawing101 course or have suggestions about ways to teach drawing please share them here.
