I’ve been teaching college design classes for years now, but this is my first semester teaching a beginning drawing class for freshmen and sophomores. I was/am excited and nervous — I want everything to go well, and I want the students to learn a lot and have fun! Of course, teaching a new class is always a learning experience, too — experimenting with sequencing, finding the best ways to demonstrate and verbalize ideas, realizing that what you thought would be easy for the students is actually difficult (and vice versa). As a teacher, you really have to react to what’s in front of you.
I did a blind contour drawing of Matt.
I knew that students would be self-conscious and afraid of making mistakes, even though I told them from the start that there really are no mistakes in drawing (except skipping class and not doing the assignments!).
To try to loosen everyone up, I’m starting the semester off with blind contour drawings. What I like about this method of drawing is that the time frame is quick, and the resulting marks on the page are unimportant. The goal is for the student to get used to really, truly looking at the subject of their drawing. Some of the students found it impossible to avoid looking down at their paper even for 10 or 15 seconds!
Anyway, after the first class, one of the students emailed me. She said she thinks she needs to change her major because she can't draw... ! I was surprised by this, because (after all) she is in a beginning drawing class to learn just that! I wrote her back with some encouraging words and ended my note with, “I will see you on Thursday.” Needless to say, these kids are self-conscious and are afraid of doing something “wrong.”
A poster design by Laurie Rosenwald.
Serendipitously, I happened upon the design and art work of Laurie Rosenwald today. On her website, she talks about a workshop she teaches, entitled “How to Make Mistakes on Purpose.” Apparently, the specific content of the course is secret, and because of that I’m dying to go (of course)!
A painting by Laurie Rosenwald.
My favorite line from her article about the workshop reads: ”If you try to be good, it will probably be bad. If you stop trying at all, it might be good. Or possibly dreadful. But if you are surprised, I will be, and that’s very good!”
I love this philosophy for my students, but I also need to remember it for myself... Because teaching should be a fun, creative, mind-boggling experience, too!
