It’s a right-brain kinda thing.
March 7, 2008 at 3:03 pm
· Filed under Art, Blogroll, Books, Education and tagged: Dr. Betty Edwards, drawing, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, learning to draw, learning to see, perception, urban high school students
Most of my Studio students have all but finished with the third assignment from Betty Edwards‘ video Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.
In this exercise, the students use a plastic viewfinder to map out a foreshortened view of their hand using a vis-a-vis markers. They take their modified viewfinder and then translate that pen drawing into a pencil drawing using an identical four-quadrant grid to render their hand realistically using simple shading.
It’s an exercise on perception, learning to see if you will. I’ve been pleased with some of the results, and I think those students have been too—despite their constant complaints! I’ve had to reiterate to the students that they need to stop expecting my class to be easy.
The exercises from the Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain course are difficult but effective in giving participants a solid introduction to the principles of drawing: line, negative space, angles and proportions, shading. Dr. Edwards includes the gestalt or the personality (or “thingness”) of the thing or person drawn. She indicates that the gestalt comes from drawing and isn’t something taught.
It’s a simple application (reformulation?) of the elements and principles of design.
I’ll keep you posted as to the progress as my classes move further through the material. I’m curious, though, has anyone else participated in one of Dr. Edwards’ workshops or walked students through this course?
I’d love to hear about it so please comment fully!
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Hi I have read about your struggles to learn your students to see in “new light” or mayby I should say “Right light”. I have been using some of Betty’s techniques with highschool students in the past, also I have done all the excercises my self and had great pleasure of the skills I have attended. I think for most times I have experienced a great feedback from students. Using a film to introduce it for students mayby is not what I would recommend. It makes all of it wery abstract for the kids to relate to, specially as you mentioned that they complain of the speaker voice. I can not figure out if you have done the exercises yourself or just read about them?
-Why did you choose a video in stead of introducing the exercises yourself?
What I have learned from experience is that AGE matters! Our brain develops in the adolecense from concrete to more abstract and holistic ways of perception. As Betty explains children use symbols to depict and describe their perceptions. And making that evolution from symbolic drawing to realistic drawing can not be forced untill your brain is ready to take the leap. This can wary greatly. Some take it very early, I know my baby sister made that leap at 5 years old, but she grew up surrounded by artistic big sisters and genetic input. While some of my highschool student have great difficulty making that connection at age of 15. I can almost predict witch students will stuggle by now. Most of the exercises requires you to get out of your comfort zone, and as a teenager that can be wery scary. And I somewhat get the impression that it scary for you too (using a video instead of leading the class) Why should they take the risk if you are not willing to do it? I do not know the age of your students. Mayby you should try to introduce the exercises for the older students first. I have had good experience with around 15 year olds. There will allways be the odd number who just refuce to leave their familiar symbols and try something new and risk a “failure” As Betty explains the left side is the dominant for the most of us. And it is a very harsh judge. I think that is the foremost important reason why a before drawing is neccessary to convince our Left side brain that the excersises actually has improved our ability to depict what we have drawn, without that proof our left side will allways find faults in our drawings and tell it is not good enough.
“Forcing ” your student out of their confort zone has all of the mentioned side effects, protesting in words, nervous mooving around, shifting attention to irrelewant things, finding comfort in their friend or I-pods. That is predictable behavior.
What I found most usefull in making them more confortable is to show my own struggle. I have the fortune of my mom saving my pictures from my childhood, If you don’t, you can collect samples of childrens pictures at different age. I show them what I was drawing in the age of 5-15 years and what I draw now, as I have learned how to use theese excellent tools (linedrawing, negative space, light and shade) And I promice you everybody can relate to my castle picture with princess ouside and my first struggles of trying to draw humans, I show the ones I have crossed ower with a big cross, dissapointed in my attempts. They can see the use of symbols and identify them. Then I ask them to close their eyes and picture their own drawings and see if they use symbols for eyes and noses. Every single one smiles and nodds. I ask if they are happy with their drawing skills or if they would like to learn to draw like me? And then I tell them that I can learn each and one of them the tools to do that. Then I introduce the concept of left and right…..And before we start the exercises I ask them to make a portrait that they will sign and date. Then we collect all refrence samples put them in an envelope that we seal and put away untill the end of the excercises when they have made their final self portrait.
I don’t say it will make everything smooth sailing, as I explained there are a lot of Left brainers in the classroom that will protest. But if you change your own perception of theese protests not beeing difficult, obstinate brats, and see that it is their Left brain not wanting to let go of the controll, You will have a different approach to the protests.
GOOD LUCK with you classes next year and don’t give up on a wonderful journey in helping kids to discover the world of seeing RIGHT ; )
K. Frimanson
Do not think I do not know what you classroom looks like. I looked througth some more of your posts and I see that you work at a subburb school. I did too for 8 years, that is one of the reasons I started using the technigues of B. Edwards. I had no resources and limited time and big classes and had to come up with fresh ideas.
Believe me, they are testing if you are a keeper or quitter! You are on the right path and theese kids need you. That is why the Lord sent you there in the first place, not to comfort you, but to make a difference in some of those childrens life. Why should they make it easy for you? they have been let down so many times, they have been told so many times that they are not good enough, why bother to try, if you are going to fail anyhow?
The life theese kids live, we have no idea.
I had a boy that had been left by his father at young age, then his mom took of also and left him with his alcoholic stepdad, He ended up coming to school armed and shooting in the hallway. What does it take to be loved?
And how can I expect the 14 year old girl to concenterate on her schoolwork when she has had an abortion last week? Or the kid that could not sleep because his parent were fighting all night. Or the kid that don’t come to school because she is afraid her mom will take too many pills if she is left by herself? Or the one who newer finishes homework because she must take care of all her siblings when her mom goes to work when she comes home from school?
This does not means we should not have high expectation, every kid should have the opportunity to reach their potential. But be aware that there might be so much you don’t know, and maybe even want to know.
If you have trust in the Lord and that he sent you to be there, keep on blessing those kids in your prayers. The seeds you sow somebody will ripe many years from now.
K. Frimanson
JWP wrote @ July 7, 2008 at 8:26 am
Wow, I don’t know where to begin!
Thank you for taking the time to write such thoughtful remarks. You bring up a good point about doing all of the exercises myself. I had done elements of all of them but never fully completing any. I’ll do that this summer so I have each as a point of reference.
I chose the video because I thought it would be a less threatening venue for them and provide the drawing series with more authority since Betty brought an element of “science” to what was going to be covered. Well, that’s what I thought anyway. I already plan on NOT using the video next year. So, lesson learned! : )
Though I agree age matters, I don’t have just 9th graders (i.e., 15 year-olds) in one class. My grade levels (and ages) are all mixed within each class so developmentally my students are all over the place. So, focusing on one age for a time would be difficult. And, frankly, ALL of my kids are so needy with regards to my time, I end up spending my day running from kid to kid. One good thing I’ve found is that I teach three of the same classes, and so I can modify my instructional techniques given what worked in period 1 vs. period 3. In the end, the latter periods fair better with new material.
Thank you again for your recommendations and thoughts on your own in-class experiences. You’ve mentioned some very helpful things!
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