Which lesson should I scrap? Do I teach more perspective and less figure drawing? What assignment goes? Homework that inspires creative thinking or observational drawing? After their final evaluations, I ask the students. Their candidness proves helpful, as I update my syllabus.
Drawing a face usually elicits fear. Yet, they suggest adding another class on portraiture. Am I surprised? If they want to draw their mother, father, or boyfriend--and have it look like them--more practice is needed. With only six figure-drawing sessions (one on portraiture,) I rethink the lesson on clothing. Leafing through copies of old master drawings, I gather up a handful. In each, the style of dress provides a clue--the time frame, the wealth, and the possible occupation, of the sitter. So why do I have to remind students to include a collared shirt, or the ripples on a teeshirt? Simply put, clothing is secondary to achieving a likeness, even when the outfit informs their judgement. Professionalism, stiffness, approachability are all communicated through the clothes. In the formal apparel of his subjects, the artist, Jean August Dominique Ingres, embodied the romantic spirit of his time. Will our decade be recognizable by the brands--American Eagle, Armani, Gucci, and Prada (to name a few,)--graphically emblazoned across our chests, jeans, and accessories? Clothing's impact on portraiture needs to be more fully addressed, in a second class.
Invariably, my newest drawing students learn from the students, who come before them. I scan through photos of their various portraits. Some I print, and will hang up alongside those of Rembrandt, Ingres, Menzel, and Kollwitz. All those represented are timeless--in their skillfulness. Yet, there is one major difference. When they are drawn by students, in the classroom, for the newest students admiring them, it means that the skill is achievable.
The following is a sampling, from past drawing, life drawing, and drawing & painting classes--some of which I will show this semester:
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