Someone asked me how to teach someone art lessons and whether or not they should do it. Here's what I told them.
I taught an 11 year old girl in my home for a year (before I moved to Michigan) and this is what I did.
I started with the basics. I taught her the elements of art (line, space, color, texture, shape, form, value, balance). I taught what each one was in different lessons and she did drawings to incorporate each element.
line- line drawings, how thick line comes forward, thin recedes. vertical line means firm and stable, horizontal means peace and rest and diagonal means movement.
space- foreground, middleground, background; perspective; tension points by objects too close, how to measure with the eye and a pencil an object you are drawing
color- color theory lessons, mixing color, colorwheel, monochromatic, polychromatic, achromatic
texture- show how to paint a texture or draw a texture...fuzzy towels, furry animal, smooth metal spoon etc. explain how texture becomes less in shadow and more in light
shape- positive and negative shape drawings, basic shape lessons
form- lighting lessons and shadow lessons, basic drawing an egg lesson, cast shadow, form shadow, reflected light
value- grayscale, tints, shades, monochromatic painting
balance- symmetrical, asymmetrical, positive space, negative space relationship
These lessons take a long time because you may spend more than one lesson on each element. I usually spent a months worth of lessons on an element. Then come up with an assignment where they incorporate a certain number of the elements of art in one work. Following all this, just begin on technique and practice and maybe human proportions etc. My student was a great girl and it was fun to watch her talent develop. I really liked teaching one on one rather than a gaggle of disinterested classmates. There were much better results.
So anyone thinking of teaching, go for it and good luck. It's fun to get back to the roots of art we take for granted. You really start to think about them in your own art again too. Just as Picasso, Monet, and Vangough, you have to learn the rules before you can break them. Only after a solid foundation can you truly express yourself well and show the emotion you desire in your work.
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I was able to coerce author Brandon Mull to come give the luncheon speech. He did a GREAT job and everyone was impressed. Here he is with illustrator, Will Terry, at our lunch table.
Here is the editor, Alexandra Penfold, during her keynote. She was a young, friendly, refreshing addition to the conference and shared great information with the attendees. I was also able to spend a day with her and 15 other professionals in the industry doing critiques. But most fun was the dinner afterward spent with friends and the editor and her husband who came with her to Utah so he could ski.
Here are Sarah and David signing some of the millions of books people bought during the conference.
Here are Sarah and I in our hats before dinner one night...she had to have a picture. She is a wonderful person and I'm so glad she came with David. I had a great time hosting them.
Here are David and I at the dinner with the illustrators.
