Some ideas and suggestions for teaching art to homeschool students and at summer camps.
A young college student asked for advice on giving art lessons at a summer camp, here is some of what I suggested to him. I hope it is helpful to all. You are welcome to print this page or bookmark it.
I am glad to give you any help I can. I am excited about your project and all the good you will do for the kids.
The most important thing- number one- and above all else for me as a Christian is to have God in my life and in the things I do. It is my approach to everything to start with prayer.
- I ask God to show me what HE wants to teach the kids.
- I ask God to be the teacher through me.
- I ask God to give me insight into the hearts of each child.
- I ask God for patience.
- I ask God for ideas.
- I surrender my will to God.
- I give my weakness to God.
Before I even start I thank God ahead as an act of faith for the blessings he is going to give.
I believe I can confidently say that God has abundantly answered these prayers. I have students who have won awards, sold their art, and one was commissioned to illustrate a book because God is first.
Organizing the Class:
In my class format for the older kids, I start with a two or three-minute inspiration. I say, "Artist need inspiration and my inspiration today is ..." and I will go on with a Bible verse that talks about something that relates to art or the subject we are drawing that day. You can get ideas for the inspiration at one of my blogs;
http://spectrumartlessonplans.blogspot.com/ go to the sidebar that lists 2011 posts and there are some there to give you ideas, or you may use them verbatim if you like.
For the younger kids, I bring in God a little different, about halfway through the class I will tell them it is time for a "Mental Recess" or time for a "Thought Break," and then tell one of the Bible stories. I ask them to relax and try to see the story in their minds, and then tell the story in as much detail as possible. This has an added effect of exercising their imagination.
I find it very important and helpful to have a written plan, if I don't I will miss out on something. I keep it on a clipboard or clipped to the front of my sketchbook.
I find I use my sketchbook a lot during the class. I draw illustrations as I talk or as I go around to each of the kids, I set my sketchbook down next to their picture and draw the drawing they are working on and show an idea or approach to the project they are working on.
In my class we work on several projects each day and it is frustrating when the kids lose them- I don't know how, when they didn't leave the room their work disappeared, so especially for the younger ones get some system to store their work until they leave, cubbyholes or a file folder or shelf with their name on it. It can be a heartbreak to Little Susie to lose her work because Johnie took it by accident, and it was Susie's best piece.
We all have different styles of teaching I go around to each kid from one end of the room to the other and look at their work giving every child praise first, later on, I offer gentle suggestions. I have to remind myself that the kids work is not my work it is their picture and if they want the sun to be a black dot and it is OK with them then fine as long as I am succeeding in giving them skills so that if they want to make the sun flaming fire they can do it. I will say, "It is your picture and it is OK if you want to do it this way but if it was my picture I would do it this way...(I do a little illustration in my sketchbook).
I arrange the tables in a half circle around the subject. That way I can roam around and encourage the kids.
My Lessons:
Have a goal. My goal is to teach realistic drawing from real life with an emphasis on observation skills.
You should ask students what they want to draw if it is monster trucks work it in during the week. Ask the parents what they would like to see the kids do and try to work it in during the week.
You can find my lessons at http://spectrumartlessonplans.blogspot.com/ The older ones are more developed. I set up this free blog so the parents will have something to print if they needed to show the state the level of education the kids were getting. You are welcome to borrow use or copy anything there.
After the inspiration, I already wrote above. I start out with a "warm up." Athletes, musicians, dancers and other disciplines warm up so it is a good idea to do it now and it gives an opportunity to introduce principles of drawing that are not so exciting. My warm ups are intended to be 7 or 10 minutes in total. I have at most 4 assignments. It may be circles, cubes, lighting bolts, zigzags scribble art of an animal, shadowing, drawing a man in silhouette, drawing a mouse with scribbling only, or anything that relates to the main project of the class, you get the idea. Some of the warm-ups may be practice about how to hold the pencil in a different way. The kids have been told to hold pencils "just so" with thumb here and fingers there for penmanship but like a hammer, you can hold it different ways so some of my warm-ups I have the kids hold the pencil at the middle like "picking up a worm" or at the eraser end.
One thing I do that the kids seemed to really like was called the "Quick Sketch Challenge." It is so popular that if I don't do it the kids ask for it. I really, really encourage you to try it. Basically, you put something simple like a vase or coffee cup down and tell them they have 7 minutes to draw it! This frees them up to overcome mental blocks. One thing is you have to do it too or they won't respect you.
I find the kids love to show the drawings they have done before the class so I ask early in the class if anyone has drawn something the last week that they want to show. I always give praise, even if it is not at all recognizable or well done. (One kid with a learning disability would literally scribble on a paper and show it off, I wonder if he was testing me). Some times I could find nothing really praiseworthy but would say, "Those lines have a lot of energy!" Or "You use a lot of textures in all the right places." "I really like your use of shadow." After they show their work be ready to show your recent work to them and talk about it.
I bring a few things that I have found at yard sales and Good Will Stores for the kids to draw. Sometimes I bring in some toys left over from my kids younger days. I look for interesting things. I find I have to remind myself not everyone has my taste; for example, I am not into sports but I have to bring in sporty things for those who are. Girls like to draw kittens and ponies so I bring something for them but some dragon or superhero thing for the boys. I give the kids options every day. I am asking the kids to bring in some things to draw like a favorite toy.
I have built a library of pictures and I bring in a folder every day with a lot of pictures that they can use for inspiration or to copy. Look for old advertisements, and catalogs (J.C. Penny is a favorite of mine for their quality of portraiture). Old magazines are good, and old calendars are a good source for pictures. If you get the Sunday paper look for the Parade magazine, the cover usually has a good picture of a person and inside is usually good for one or two pictures. Travel magazines and homemaking magazines are a good place for pictures. Call relatives or ask facebook friends for old magazines and calendars with pictures, they will be grateful to clean out their closets. You can use leftover material for glue on projects.
I always have a main project for the day. I set it up as a still life or a floral or something and talk a little about it why it is a good thing to draw, how to draw it etc. If it is something boring to them I remind them professional artist have to take assignments to draw things that seem boring too. Then I just go around for an hour encouraging the kids. I draw it too.
If the weather is nice we will go outside and draw the flowers or something but you have to have a good plan beforehand; know exactly where you are going, and exactly what you are going to draw. Count heads before and after.
I always work on something about drawing people. Since we are made in the image of God I can't think of something more worthy to draw. One idea is to get pictures from the sports section of the newspaper or magazines of athletes and the kids can practice drawing them. Another idea is to have one student or a parent can pose for the class. A few may say they want to draw fantasy people like anime but I remind them they need to know the rules before they can break the rules so know how to draw a real face makes the fantasy face superior. Newspapers have many faces I cut them out and bring them to class.
Communication:
Teaching is communicating. Learn to use the words the students understand. If you are going to talk about hue, value, chrome, etc. then have a hand out to give them. I usually avoid "art-speak" and use normal words. When you are trying to describe something use simple illustrative words. Instead of saying draw a crooked line say, "Draw a line like a large letter C." or "Draw a line shaped like a rainbow." Instead of saying draw a series of chevrons say, "Draw the letter V over and over," instead of saying draw a scalloped line say "Draw a line like a letter M over and over."
Long-term Project
I have had a "Long term project" for most years. It has been to illustrate a story and each day I give the kids two or three sentences of the story to illustrate at the end of the semester they have the story all illustrated and they are proud to show it off. It has been part of the Take Home Paper I give the kids that have a summary of the class. A long term project I am considering for my class next year will be a poster that in one scene tells a story, it could be in cells like a comic book or a single scene that is self-explanatory. Each day we will do one aspect until it is complete at the end it will be a trophy project the parents will boast about to friends.
An example may be David and Goliath.
Day one- Concept and Design, research with rough drafts. (David small, Goliath big. His face this way, pose crouched. Enemy army in shadow? or in detail? Horizon, low or high? etc.)
Day two- developing details, of figures, background, the light values, sketch, etc.
Day Three- pencil in the figures.
Day Four and Five- ink in figures, watercolor figures, and background
Day Five- mat and mount.
End of Day
Always end with encouragement to the group as a whole and to individuals. Think of things you can thank the students for, especially if they were helpful in some way. Respect and value will build rapport and earns the right to be heard.
I always have a hand out of a take-home project that I call a "skill builder." IT is something they may do if they want, you can see some at my other blog, http://drawinglessonsfortheyoungartist.blogspot.com/
You can copy any you want, or they may give you ideas for making your own.
For my home school group, I organized an art show at the library which is free in Howard County. You may not have time to do the library but maybe you know a church that will let you have a reception on Saturday night or display the students work in the fellowship hall or some other place. It is important to have the experience of showing your work, and very exciting. Have moms volunteer to bring snacks. If you are part of an art association or community ask if two will come to give a presentation of awards.
There are some books at the library on how to draw and how to teach drawing. I have used them in the past for ideas. I don't remember the names but you may find some resources there. If you type how to draw (then name something) in the internet browser you get millions of hits.
I hope this is helpful.
Adron.
