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[Scene: Aureantes is laying out a series of printed-out photographs on the tables in the art studio, with 1 adult and 6 children (ages 7-9) in the general vicinity, paying more or less attention.]
"Who's that?"
Me: "That's a good question." (continuing to lay out photos)
"Who's /that/?"
Me: "Hmm, good question." (blithely -- devilishly, even -- laying out more pictures)
"Who's /that/?"
Me: "Well, this one goes with that one.... (matching a couple same-character shots)
"Who's /that/?"
Me: "Good question -- come and see."
And then they (the kids) gathered around and finally started to get it....ah yes, 'twas my nefarious plan, perfectly timed (as it happened) to coincide with a mini-flood of PotC-tie-in valentines and chocolates. Oh, the humanity. And oh, the running around hyped up on sugar...Mark and Danielle were at each other's throats, my kneaded-rubber erasers were being snatched at every turn from those I'd lent them to, and Mark proposed to put a lollipop in the electric pencil sharpener.
"Are you daft???" I exploded in full Scottish mode -- "Are you bloody daft?? -- don't put that thing in there!!"
Note: Scottish accents are funny enough to defuse tension, but aggressive enough not tae foockin' mess aroond with.....i.e., excellent for classroom use. >:)
Anyhow, I had all my best sketches and action drawings and proportion-diagrams pinned up on a folding screen to set a good example, in lieu of doing a demonstration drawing for them (only works if they're looking, you know...) -- and actually, I do credit some very dramatic and well-shaded shots for the kids' improved attention to shadow and modeling, plus Sharon's excellent work on her previous chosen task of rendering light/medium tones and not over-aging her middle-aged male photo model. Charlotte did some excellent work on her drawing, and is far better at observing and rendering than she thinks she is -- plus, she gets the idea of coming back to a subject later to chart one's improvement. That is worth a million hard-outline drawings posted on the refrigerator, folks -- let all aspiring parents and teachers take note.
(The lead in pencils is not lead (anymore), but I still must maintain a hard line against poking each other with pencils, as graphite-poisoning is still/also a liability. I told Mark there were to be no makeshift (let alone involuntary!) tattoos given in class..."Don't get me started there," I said. :-|)
*Is considering hanging the radio from the ceiling to avoid student tampering during class*
They had to be threatened, some of them, for running around the room and roughhousing and snatching things (and pictures -- you think I want any of my photo morgue's contents ripped?). "Do you want to be here next week?" I demanded. "Drawing is not supposed to be a chore! -- if you want to do it, then do it, focus on it!"
And similarly to Kevin's reiteration of "Modern art" (yes, the boy is home-schooled.....) to explain why his people's eyes and central features are so close together in a giant head. "Even modern artists learned how to draw people right before they went off on their own styles," I said -- "you can't just copy the way that that looks on the surface and bypass the whole thought process underneath it."
(Of course, I know that some 'modern artists' did absolutely nothing of the sort...but cut me some slack on the accuracy -- I'm tryin' to teach here. :P)
To summarize, though, I saw a lot of improvement in everyone that was trying. A lot more visible thought, visible decisions, good questions and clearly attempting to render what's there -- and they have absorbed (well enough to remind each other of it) the Very Important Concept that good drawing from a model (live or photo) involves looking at the model AND NOT THE PAGE the vast majority of the time.
It was a bit of Helen-Kellerage (the "w-a-t-e-r" gestalt-moment), gradually spread out over the activity portion of the class, as they gathered that all the pictures were of the same person -- and a real person, even though they were different roles and situations, different times and hairstyles and....well, especially the hairstyles. Thank you, People magazine, for that timely concert photo. I give Charlotte major bonus points for all the questions and concerns she posed, and her way of addressing what was really (though she doesn't yet know it) a very advanced photo-subject for her age. I'm giving them all major challenges -- but I'm trying to give them major incentives and play on their natural interests too.
Hence my own motto/quote for the day: "You gotta find a hook."
____________________________________________________________________________________________
....Oh, and I gathered up one lone valentine from the tables afterwards....yep, folks, that's my title for this little slice of life's constructive mayhem.../:)
"Who's that?"
Me: "That's a good question." (continuing to lay out photos)
"Who's /that/?"
Me: "Hmm, good question." (blithely -- devilishly, even -- laying out more pictures)
"Who's /that/?"
Me: "Well, this one goes with that one.... (matching a couple same-character shots)
"Who's /that/?"
Me: "Good question -- come and see."
And then they (the kids) gathered around and finally started to get it....ah yes, 'twas my nefarious plan, perfectly timed (as it happened) to coincide with a mini-flood of PotC-tie-in valentines and chocolates. Oh, the humanity. And oh, the running around hyped up on sugar...Mark and Danielle were at each other's throats, my kneaded-rubber erasers were being snatched at every turn from those I'd lent them to, and Mark proposed to put a lollipop in the electric pencil sharpener.
"Are you daft???" I exploded in full Scottish mode -- "Are you bloody daft?? -- don't put that thing in there!!"
Note: Scottish accents are funny enough to defuse tension, but aggressive enough not tae foockin' mess aroond with.....i.e., excellent for classroom use. >:)
Anyhow, I had all my best sketches and action drawings and proportion-diagrams pinned up on a folding screen to set a good example, in lieu of doing a demonstration drawing for them (only works if they're looking, you know...) -- and actually, I do credit some very dramatic and well-shaded shots for the kids' improved attention to shadow and modeling, plus Sharon's excellent work on her previous chosen task of rendering light/medium tones and not over-aging her middle-aged male photo model. Charlotte did some excellent work on her drawing, and is far better at observing and rendering than she thinks she is -- plus, she gets the idea of coming back to a subject later to chart one's improvement. That is worth a million hard-outline drawings posted on the refrigerator, folks -- let all aspiring parents and teachers take note.
(The lead in pencils is not lead (anymore), but I still must maintain a hard line against poking each other with pencils, as graphite-poisoning is still/also a liability. I told Mark there were to be no makeshift (let alone involuntary!) tattoos given in class..."Don't get me started there," I said. :-|)
*Is considering hanging the radio from the ceiling to avoid student tampering during class*
They had to be threatened, some of them, for running around the room and roughhousing and snatching things (and pictures -- you think I want any of my photo morgue's contents ripped?). "Do you want to be here next week?" I demanded. "Drawing is not supposed to be a chore! -- if you want to do it, then do it, focus on it!"
And similarly to Kevin's reiteration of "Modern art" (yes, the boy is home-schooled.....) to explain why his people's eyes and central features are so close together in a giant head. "Even modern artists learned how to draw people right before they went off on their own styles," I said -- "you can't just copy the way that that looks on the surface and bypass the whole thought process underneath it."
(Of course, I know that some 'modern artists' did absolutely nothing of the sort...but cut me some slack on the accuracy -- I'm tryin' to teach here. :P)
To summarize, though, I saw a lot of improvement in everyone that was trying. A lot more visible thought, visible decisions, good questions and clearly attempting to render what's there -- and they have absorbed (well enough to remind each other of it) the Very Important Concept that good drawing from a model (live or photo) involves looking at the model AND NOT THE PAGE the vast majority of the time.
It was a bit of Helen-Kellerage (the "w-a-t-e-r" gestalt-moment), gradually spread out over the activity portion of the class, as they gathered that all the pictures were of the same person -- and a real person, even though they were different roles and situations, different times and hairstyles and....well, especially the hairstyles. Thank you, People magazine, for that timely concert photo. I give Charlotte major bonus points for all the questions and concerns she posed, and her way of addressing what was really (though she doesn't yet know it) a very advanced photo-subject for her age. I'm giving them all major challenges -- but I'm trying to give them major incentives and play on their natural interests too.
Hence my own motto/quote for the day: "You gotta find a hook."
____________________________________________________________________________________________
....Oh, and I gathered up one lone valentine from the tables afterwards....yep, folks, that's my title for this little slice of life's constructive mayhem.../:)
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