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The end of the semester is finally here. I can not express enough how valuable this experience has been for me. Watching the students grow from day one drawing the figure has been rewarding to me and to them.
I got to know the students and gain trust from them. They listened and took direction with ease. I am proud of them all. The only thing the students had to do today was hang their work for there final assessment. Maryann brought them donuts, coffee and clementines for a snack and gift. The students had to fill out evaluation and then could leave when ever they wanted. I think they all enjoyed the class. I believe we only lost one student and neither Maryann nor I know why. But I think this student was overloaded and could not handle the stress. All and all this was a great class and I can see many of them continuing on to become BFA majors and even some in drawing as their concentration. Yippie it is all done for the semester!!!!!
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Today Maryann and I gave no instruction. We left the student alone the who time to draw freely without our input. I feel this was welcome by the students and very beneficial to them.
It is hard to believe that the semester has wound down. It is a bit anti-climactic as Maryann mentioned it would be. I do feel though that the class really enjoyed it and where present and hardworking. It was a fun day today with the freedom that was allowed in the room. The students are all here and on time today. They are all getting better with being set up and ready to begin by 2:10 on the dot!
The student are working on foreshortening again today. That is a complex concept but they are doing quite well with it. Look for natural breaks in the figure, this is where the joints are. Other than a few suggestions given the class focused hard today and did quite well. Towards the end of class Maryann had announcements: There will be two evening drawing sessions with a live model. 6-9 Next Tuesday is the first one. I will attend that session. Thursday 12-4-14 10 studies are due for the final. By the end of Finals Week, have your flat file draw cleaned out and vaccumed. There have been 2 new sections that have opened up: Portfolio class (300 section class), and a Materials and Methods class. Also, Advanced drawing, 311 and 410. Good day! Will is our model today.
I believe everyone showed up to class today. Music is flowing and I can tell they are ready to focus. As the student begin their warm-ups of 2 minute poses, I am observing that they are getting the proportion of the body quicker. The warm-up drawings are getting complete quicker. Maryann reminds them to map the figure on to the page with in the first 15 seconds, and to use the side of their tool to map the figure. Maryann does mention that they are starting to get it! So great to hear! After the warm-ups the class will be focusing on FORESHORTENING. We moved the model platform to accommedate the pose. Then the student have to work their way around the model stand to find the right angle to draw from. Maryann focused alot today on discussing with the students about strategy, and drawing techniques that she would like them to employ in their drawings. This is nothing new, but they need to hear it continually. Do not treat the whole drawing the same!!! Choose parts to develope and parts to take away to allow the viewers eye to fluidly rome the the page. Use different tools throughout the drawing. Pay attention to shoulders, concave and convex. Good working day overall and I am enjoying being a part of the teaching process. I walk the room through the classes and assist the students with all kinds of drawing issues and strategy. The day started off with announcements and discussion of strategy.
For submitting any corrected work from the mid-term, turn it in with the new drawing on top and the old drawing on the bottom. After the class was done with warm-ups, she had the class walk around the room and critique the drawings and see what they may want to take from another persons drawing that is stronger than theirs. What techniques and strategy are they employing that you would like to employ as well. Write down two things that you learned from viewing the warm-up drawings. some of these comments were: Be less eratic Do darks and lights Get to shading faster include more of the head increase movement add volumn more expressive lines create a map first Note: Once again: Draw the form as if it where oxygen on the page Mediate what you see with what you know. Measure the figure with a pencil...start working more on proportion. They did one long standing pose starting at 3:00 today. At the end of class Maryann discussed with the student about registering for class. She discussed the difference between a BFA and a BA It was a great working day! Today was pretty straight forward. The students focused on their study's. They got their mid-term grades back and I could tell that they wanted to refocus and correct the mistakes that they had made.
It was a full day of drawing and the focus was obvious by these great drawings for today's class. This is Mid-term Day! The students displayed their 10 drawings where they could find space. The drawings where displayed all over the classroom and into the hallway and stairwell. This is a big day for all of them.
After they displayed their work they were able to leave while Maryann graded their work. They where required to pick-up the drawings by 5pm this day. Maryann explained a bit to me how she grades. The students have a sheet that list studies that are required to be complete during this semester. The students picked ten of their best and turned them in for the mid-term grade. Strategy is the most important focus for this assignment, then she looks for techniques, darks to lights, figure ground relationship, focal point and expression as well as proportion. Many of the students struggled with understanding the study. For example, if it was a torso drawing, some of them just drew the stomach. The torso is from above the breast to mid thigh. Strategic planning is key here and sadly many of the students did not do well on this. There were a lot of C- given. But knowing this is just the mid-term the students have an opportunity to redo any of the drawings that they did not do well on. I did not stay for the entire grading. Maryann prefers to do it alone. For me seeing the students work hung together was a great eye opener to how they have grown as figurative artist. There is a distinct style that they all have. It is very fun for me to see and be a part of this learning process. Krisi is our model today. But before the class began drawing Maryann started with announcements and discussion. The main points where:
The students must take a survey of art class if they are to major in art. The midterm is on Thursday Maryann will be leaving the skeleton out this evening to allow the student to draw from it to complete the midterm assignment. The students can redo any one of their drawings for a better grade. Do not forget about the extra credit- Going to lectures, art museums and galleries. Write a brief report of what they learned and viewed. Make sure that you label your drawings correctly. This is clearly/legibly written on the lower right hand side of the drawing, with your name, and the date and the name of the study. After the announcements the student did a series of warm-ups and then they went into 2 longer poses. I am seeing such evidence of their growth in drawing the figure. I am quite proud!!! They all work very hard and it is evident. Today is a Critique day on the students Dyptic Assignment.
The students had 2 different chapters to read from the book the History of Pictoral Space. These chapters focused on different artistic time periods and how pictoral space grew and changed over time depending on the artistic movement at the time. The were required to produce a dyptic, depicting what they learned from the chapter that they read. The students could use any medium for this assignment. In fact it was encouraged that they get experimental with media. By the beginning of class the student had their dyptic's hung and displayed for the critique. This critique lasted the entire class period. Before the critique started they took tem minutes to write a brief summary of the chapters that they read. Doing this allowed the students to get clear so they could present to the class what they learned, as we discuss their works of art. Points expanded upon where: Grecco Roman, the Middle Ages, High Renaissance, Abstract Expressionism, Post Modernism, etc... The class got a good art history lesson today. Maryann stresses on a regular basis that the students need to learn their time period for art. This will help them defend their work and grow as artist. It is just as important to know the history of art as it is to be a good artist. Today was a success and I feel the students work really hard on this assignment. I think they are proud and learn valuable information. |
I have just begun my journey in the Masters of Fine Art Program at The University of Montana. I am currently "Shadowing" an art professor in her class to observe and learn what being a professor all about. As part of this process I have created this blog to document what I am learning. Archives
December 2014
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