Journey's School Elective: Drawing 101

For the last week of Winter Teaching Practicum, our team was split into two groups for the week.  Four members of our team chose to teach with the Student Conservation Association and the National Park Service, while the remaining four chose to work with the Journey's Independent School and teach two middle school electives.

Since I enjoyed being on outreach and in the classroom, I instantly chose to work with the middle school electives.  Not to mention, the choices that the grads were able to choose for their electives was a  'the possibilities are endless.'  This was awesome!  I automatically thought: art class!  If only many of my art teachers could see me now: using what they had taught me and me teaching others!  That goes to Mrs. Fentzloff, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Yarnall, and Mrs. Yount; you all would be so proud!

When we were choosing who was going to work with which program, a fellow graduate who was also interested in art joined the middle school elective and thought it would be awesome to team teach some form of an art class together for that week.

Charlie, my teaching partner, and I chose two focus on Drawing 101 within the Winter World.  This elective's goal objective was to emphasize three drawing techniques that our students can be used in field sketching.  The students would learn all three techniques by Wednesday and then on Thursday, they would be able to create a group project (all student-driven) that included what they had learned previously in the week.  On Friday, the students would have a 'Celebration of Learning' and host an art show gallery showing off all their talents, projects, and work throughout the week.

Our Path Map for the Week and the Day!

When Charlie and I were introduced to the class, we wanted our students to have full ownership of this week, including what types of drawing techniques they wanted to learn.  So we proposed, that if we bring one technique to the learning table, the students would be able to choose the remaining two that they wanted to learn during the week.  We placed a whole bunch of different types of drawings and techniques out of the tables.  Students were to spread out and place the drawings with the corresponding technique that was used to produce the drawings.

After the students placed drawings with names of techniques, such as: stippling, shading, gridding, cross-hatching, and negative space, we introduced the definitions of each technique to the class.  After the students were able to understand the basic ideas of each drawing and the techniques used, they were allowed to work together and determine the two they all wanted to learn about.

Coming to a consensus, the students chose shading and stippling as the two techniques they wanted to learn more about and explore.

Monday Drawing Technique: Blind Contour and Contour Drawing

For Monday, Charlie and I would introduce them to our technique, blind contouring, to the class.  Monday's goal objectives would learn to focus on detail of their surroundings through blind contour and contour line drawing.  Blind contour drawing is a technique that develops the artist's eye.  

Bling Contour Drawing is where an artist looks at an object they want to draw and move the pencil at the same speed as their eyes move along the object's outline.  In this technique, artists will draw an object without looking at the pen or paper.  This technique helps train an artist's motor skills to match our visual observation.  Blind contour drawing is also a great was to let go of our desire to control an image realistically and give ourselves, as artists, creative freedom.

During the two-hour class, we took the students outside to draw what they saw in the natural world as well as natural history specimens while we were in the classroom.  The toughest part of the day was reminding the students that the goal was not to look at their drawing as they were drawing their object/subject.  The goal was not to create a proportional or life-like image.  

Our Students Best Contour Drawings of the Day

Tuesday was the day where we introduced shading to the class.  Shading is a technique that allows an artist's sketches, doodles, and drawings look more realistic.  The day before we focused on detail of on outline with contour and blind contour drawings, Tuesday was about adding more to this foundation they already learned.

Tuesday Drawing Technique: Shading

By adding shading to a drawing, it gives a drawing more depth, contrast, character, movement, and emotion by adding highlights and shadows to a subject.

The class was able to explore this process by using specimens in a dimly-lit room and manipulating the light on a small object on their tables.  By using desk lights and lamps, students were able to give their objects/subjects a particular shadow or light exposure and then draw what they saw on paper.

Our Students Best Drawings with Shading of the Day

Wednesday Path Map with an Emphasis in Stippling

Wednesday brought shading to a whole new level.  Instead of blending graphite with their fingers or a blending utensil, the class was able to create shading on a drawing with the use of lots and lots of tiny dots.

One of my student's drawings using Stippling.  Avery is an incredibly talented artist!

Stippling is an ink drawing technique where an artist applies tone and texture to a drawing or image through small dots.  The depth of tone and the roughness of texture can be adjusted by varying the density and distribution of the dots.

Similar to Tuesday with Shading, students were able to draw a specimen of their choice at their desk using the stippling technique.  Our class was also given the creative freedom and ownership to draw something from their creative imagination and mind, but must include the stippling technique into their work.

Our Students Stippling Drawings of the Day

At the end of the day on Wednesday, we reminded our middle schoolers of their final project that they had all Thursday to work on.  The class was split into three groups where each group came up with final group project ideas on what they all could work on as a class or independently following the same guidelines.

Each group stood before the rest of the class and presented their ideas on group final projects.  After a silent vote, the class came to a consensus of each student will create their own independent final project by following the same guidelines below shown in the photo.

Thursday Final Project Requirements

All Thursday, our class came in ready to work on their pieces.  They all worked so incredibly hard, adding in the different techniques they had learned, as well as their own creative touch.  Charlie and I were beyond blown away with what each student chose to draw, which technique(s) were used, and how they visualized it on their paper.

Our Students Final Project Drawings!!

Friday was the day!  After a whole week of creatively working hard, our class was finally able to show off their talent.  The class presented to the rest of their middle school groups showing what they had done all week and their final projects.  Charlie and I could clearly see how proud our class was of their creations.  Telling them to be careful when looking at their portfolios, and if they had any questions about who drew what and how, 'they should ask them and not pick up the artwork.'  It was adorable.  I know I was so proud of Charlie and my class.  Felt like a proud momma duck and all her ducklings!  haha.

It was by far my favorite week of teaching.  Being in a classroom really makes me feel the most comfortable (weird since I used to love field teaching) and being able to teach art was such a great experience!

I know for my summer capstone (spoiler alert) I was able to join the Teton Expressions in Nature and Art!  I can only imagine what you are thinking, of course, so perfect for theChristybel!  But yes, being able to try out this elective week was such a great start to only how awesome this summer is going to be teaching art and natural history outside in the Tetons.  And I can totally use this lesson plan that I used this past week and tweak/embellish it for the summer!

Pretty darn excited for summer and very, very, very! thankful to be done with my 5-week Winter Teaching Practicum!

Onto a Well-Deserved Spring Break!

TheChristyBel

Friday End of Week Gallery of all Three Techniques, Final Drawing Project, and their Portfolios