Training to see ACTIVELY not passively

[LarrySeiler]

Thought it might interest some to see what I do with high school students in their painting unit.

I am into my third week with high school students painting landscapes. A unit that will go for an entire quarter or nine weeks in which one 18x24 acrylic will be completed.

Along the way, I show various powerpoints I put together, give various demonstrations. I engulf the students with a lot of info, but pertinent to their work. Gray scale studies 5x7" in size, basic color theory, use of complementaries to control color. We look at the works of many artists, look at many step by steps of how artists go about constructing their steps start to finish. Don't want the students to errantly believe their instructor's methods for his own painting is the only approach.

This Friday...I will have them sketch out a number of paintings of other artists using a black ink ball point pen then a basic Prang watercolor set doing washes of color over those sketches. The students and myself have black hardbound 100 page sketchbooks we work in.

Here are a couple examples I did for them today...putting up images of Scott Christensen's work and on our WC Marc Hansen from the PA forum.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/30-Nov-2005/532-wtclrsketches_scottc.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/30-Nov-2005/532-wtclrsketches_march.jpg

Such an exercise is not geared to produce finished works in and of themselves.

I devised this activity to (in a round about way) get the students to look more critically at the art work of the artists. Actively.

Instead of passively, "oh...that's nice"...they will begin to gain a sense of composition, dark versus light masses, a sense of color.

Its that "birds of a feather flock together" idea where hanging with good artist's work more actively, intimately will foster the greater likelihood of excellence being that much more understood.

Naturally...the routine and practice will establish a technical approach making them more competent with sketching, watercoloring and so forth.

The next thing, if possible, would be to get them to do their own version of outdoor quick sketches. I believe the confidence to do so is easier to encourage when the competence of this exercise is realized.

Each sketch with pen is about five minutes, the watercoloring perhaps 5-7 minutes.

Larry

[coh]

Sounds like a great class, Larry. Wish I had it available to me when I was
in high school. Heck, I wish I had been more interested in art at that time,
maybe I'd be a better painter now :(

I like the idea of doing those small quick sketches based on "master" paintings
or from life...something I've thought of doing but never seem to. Whenever
I get out on site the urge to "create a masterpiece" usually takes over,
though I might benefit more from doing 5 or 10 or 20 small quick sketches -
with or without some color - than one non masterpiece. I am planning
to start using pastels some of the time which I hope will expand my
painting horizons some (compared to the oils).

Tell me, are you using just any kind of notebook or something with a special
paper (watercolor paper, perhaps)? Don't you (they) have problems with the
paper warping, pages getting stuck together, etc?

[LarrySeiler]

Tell me, are you using just any kind of notebook or something with a special
paper (watercolor paper, perhaps)? Don't you (they) have problems with the
paper warping, pages getting stuck together, etc?

these hardbound sketchbooks are often available at Borders Books Music and Cafe, or Barnes and Nobles for about $ 10...

100 pages, my guess about a 60 to 80 lb white drawing paper that will take inks, watercolor washes. Heck, I've even painted small acrylic studies on the pages.

in case you or anyone might be interested, Chris...I have an old archived Wetcanvas article on sketchbooks...about eleven pages long. Here ya go..

http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/Drawing/Sketching/

Larry

[LarrySeiler]

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/02-Dec-2005/532-sophswtrclring.jpg

Had my sophomores today take a break from their painting to watch a short art video on French Impressionists and sketch in their sketch books...here they are doing instudio work from other artist's plein airs featured in art magazines...

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/02-Dec-2005/532-lysianrad_wtrclring.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/02-Dec-2005/532-marynshy_wtrclring.jpg

kids looked like they were having fun, and when I mentioned it, they replied enthusiastically. A neat way to actively look at art works and pick up a bit of a sketch/watercolor technique at the same time...

Larry

[midcoast]

Larry -

This is an EXCELLENT exercise! You're really giving those kids a great intro to painting!

Nancy

[JanB]

I've only just started to read through your article on keeping sketchbooks and I'm already inspired. I haven't kept a sketchbook/journal regularly for a couple of years now. I was thinking about beginning again this year so I went to my overstuffed bookshelf and found some of my old sketchbooks, 7 of them, done over 3 years, and while looking through them I remembered how much fun they are to do. I have an eighth that was only begun with just two pages filled and I'm going to fill that one over the winter. Thanks for the inspiration!!! Going back to finish that article now! :)

[LarrySeiler]

I see I'm having problems with the image uploader this morning wanting to work for me, so I'll have to use the file manager with thumbnails...

We try to have fun with our sketchbooks...sketching often from life, from the work of artists, as a means to study to dialogue. I've really enjoyed this group of juniors and seniors who have had much fun with their sketchbooks. I see them carrying them with them everywhere.

This past weekend I helped chaperone a group of 26 students and five adults to Milwaukee where we stayed at the Hyatt Regency and took in four art events. The Milwaukee Art Museum, Doc Severson's Pop Concert and the Christmas Carol play at the Pabst's Theater. A play at the university the following day. Students were excited to share their sketchbooks with other students on the bus...sketched off and on throughout the weekend. I think it helped them see me sketching as well.

In fact...waiting for food in the Grand Mall food court, I did a quick sketch of one of the window help people at the register.

I've been working up a series of self-studies..quick structural studies for the purpose of doing a self-caricature in acrylics on board in Kruger's fashion. Thumbnails below show the quick efforts...and I'll share a couple I have in the Illustration forum.

Finally...on the bumpy ride home...another art teacher had bought a book on Rockwell. I had my minature Cotman field kit with and he wanted to see my technique on ballpoint pen sketching with watercolor washes applied and requested I pick a Rockwell image to do. The last thumbnail shows that effort. The bus was dark, so I only had that overhead push button lamp, and the ride not smooth...still that only added to the fun.

Larry

[LarrySeiler]

okay...I might be lucky with the uploader this time...
here's the Rockwell sketch/watercolor I referred to, done on the bus ride home...

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/06-Dec-2005/532-rockwell_penwtrclrwc.jpg

here are the sketches of the caricature project I'm working on...the sketches to help me more critically get a feel of my face structure then attempts to push it a bit. These are fun, and of course any quick work like this in a sketchbook helps the eyes improve, confidence increase to get a thing quickly down and so forth...

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/06-Dec-2005/532-pensketchature2.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/06-Dec-2005/532-penwtrclr1wc.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/02-Dec-2005/532-seilerature_frontal.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/01-Dec-2005/532-seilerature.jpg

as you can see, each shows a different personality...part of each of me, styles vary and so forth. A bit like painting plein air, you need to do 120 bad ones to get a feel for how best to approach and master. So, I'm pluggin'...

Its a bit of comradery with my son who is a master of that genre, he critiquing me. A bit of turn around, and enjoyable I must admit.

Larry

[LarrySeiler]

In fact...waiting for food in the Grand Mall food court, I did a quick sketch of one of the window help people at the register.


Here is that quick sketch (perhaps 20-30 seconds) of the window clerk at Culvers that I scribbled out, (bic ballpoint medium black ink pen in a sketchbook). Such gestural practices from life I believe helps the eye hone in quickly on shape, values, the moment...

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/06-Dec-2005/532-culvers_windowhelper.jpg

Larry

[chewie]

wow, can i pretend to be a high school student again to join your class?! those kids don't know how lucky they are--my 'art teacher' was a man who sat there, while i did 'projects', basicly anything that kept us (all 4 of us!) busy and mostly, quiet! you also make me wanna fill up my sketchbooks too!

[Tom Christopher]

This is realy good stuff Larry -I have been teaching high school art class for some time-- primarily painting and drawing--I hope it's ok if I use some of these excercises -someimes its hard to hold their interest. thanks Tom

[LarrySeiler]

thanks chewie!!! I think sometimes the bad experiences create a crusade experience for others of us to go that extra mile to make a difference!!!

Thanks Tom...absolutely you can use this...and you should include the thread I have in my forum or Illustration forum on my son's work. I gave him a Bic pen...(big expense right? hahahaa ) after he saw these...and you should see what he's doing with them!!! Holy smokes...

check this out! http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317733

have fun...

Larry

[Tom Christopher]

Larry--I just viewed your son's art--absoultely brilliant work--thanks for posting it. Tom

[Bill Wray]

Thought it might interest some to see what I do with high school students in their painting unit.

I am into my third week with high school students painting landscapes. A unit that will go for an entire quarter or nine weeks in which one 18x24 acrylic will be completed.

Along the way, I show various powerpoints I put together, give various demonstrations. I engulf the students with a lot of info, but pertinent to their work. Gray scale studies 5x7" in size, basic color theory, use of complementaries to control color. We look at the works of many artists, look at many step by steps of how artists go about constructing their steps start to finish. Don't want the students to errantly believe their instructor's methods for his own painting is the only approach.

This Friday...I will have them sketch out a number of paintings of other artists using a black ink ball point pen then a basic Prang watercolor set doing washes of color over those sketches. The students and myself have black hardbound 100 page sketchbooks we work in.

Here are a couple examples I did for them today...putting up images of Scott Christensen's work and on our WC Marc Hansen from the PA forum.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/30-Nov-2005/532-wtclrsketches_scottc.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/30-Nov-2005/532-wtclrsketches_march.jpg

Such an exercise is not geared to produce finished works in and of themselves.

I devised this activity to (in a round about way) get the students to look more critically at the art work of the artists. Actively.

Instead of passively, "oh...that's nice"...they will begin to gain a sense of composition, dark versus light masses, a sense of color.

Its that "birds of a feather flock together" idea where hanging with good artist's work more actively, intimately will foster the greater likelihood of excellence being that much more understood.

Naturally...the routine and practice will establish a technical approach making them more competent with sketching, watercoloring and so forth.

The next thing, if possible, would be to get them to do their own version of outdoor quick sketches. I believe the confidence to do so is easier to encourage when the competence of this exercise is realized.

Each sketch with pen is about five minutes, the watercoloring perhaps 5-7 minutes.

Larry
Studying other artists , breaking their paintings down to learn rather than copying. Good show.:clap:

[LarrySeiler]

thanks Bill...
yep....this is mainly so kids do not look passively at the work of others, especially when they like the work. I want to to engage and get a sense of why? I think too artists doing any number of these with works they like also will get a sense not only of what artists they admire are consistently doing but what it is about themselves they discover responds to particular aesthtetics again and again. Kind of a fine tuning...

peace