500 Animals in Clay: Contemporary Expressions of the Animal Form was one of two books that came to me last week. I reviewed it looking for inspiration for projects for this year’s upcoming ceramics courses.

I thought this book did an excellent job providing me with examples of what it title says the book is about: 500 animals in clay. From traditional examples to more modern interpretations, this book contains beautiful single-view photos. I would have appreciated a central photo with a couple alternate views in the sidebars simple because the works are 3-D and should be presented as such. But, I didn’t mark them down for that oversight. Oh, and BTW, this is NOT a how-to book. You’ll need to look elsewhere for such a reference.

Overall, I was looking for examples that would inspire me with project ideas as I teach an introductory-level ceramics class for high school students. Obviously, some of the techniques aren’t possible in my school but I’m not looking to copy what is depicted in the book; merely to show off what is possible in a sculptural presentation.

The photography sells the book. Kudos!

Summer is sadly approaching its end. Yes, I know, it nearly brings a tear to my eye as well. After having lunch with a few friends from where I worked two companies ago, I stopped in to Barnes & Noble to look at their art book section as I was needing some inspiration and direction for a couple of new classes I am starting in the Fall.

The B&N in King of Prussia had a pretty good selection. Well, for me it did. I was looking for books specifically about pastels and oil/watercolor/acrylic painting. It shouldn’t have been too hard but I was surprised the amount of material that simply missed the mark.

I’ll give you a simple rundown of the order I placed through Amazon. I’ve already received two of my selections (woo-hoo!) and am looking forward to the others coming ahead of schedule as well. Here’s the list:

1. Pastel School (Learn as You Go)
2. Painting with Pastels: Easy Techniques to Master the Medium
3. Landscape Painting Inside and Out: Capture the Vitality of Outdoor Painting in Your Studio With Oils
4. Oil Painter’s Solution Book Landscapes: XX Answers to Your Oil Painting Questions
5. How to Paint Like the Impressionists: A Practical Guide to Re-Creating Your Own Impressionist Paintings
6. Layer by Layer Acrylic Painting

Yes, I know there aren’t any watercolor-technique books in the list and only one acrylic book. I’ve got some watercolor resources available at my house. I just need time to go through them and think out how to incorporate the info. Of course, what to include is also helpful. I’ve got that to figure out too. Though time is short, it’ll come together.

Well, I’m off to bed. Good night!

School has been more draining than usual so I haven’t been posting and that’s been disappointing to me because I felt like I had gotten closer to being more consistent with my posts. Oh well. I’ll get back to where I need to be.

In the meantime, I’d like to share what’s been going on with the work my students have been doing with Betty Edwards’ Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. The things I’ve learned are:

1. It’s okay to extend the lessons somewhat. Since last year I’ve struggled with failing kids. I want to hold them accountable for their performance, but I also want to be mindful that failing a lot of students can be a dangerous proposition when you’re looking to be rehired next year.
2. When you do extend a lesson be consistent so that the pace of the other lessons aren’t negatively affected.
3. Don’t be afraid to fail a kid for work not done (not much of a problem for me) or mark them down for work done poorly (can be a problem for me). This may sound obvious, but I’m a newbie and I know that I need to watch my tendency to be overly critical. I made a girl cry last week. Fortunately, I used the opportunity to show my humanity (by apologizing), to validate how she was feeling and to teach her about appropriate ways of expressing her frustration.

I offer these simple observations to help those who may have used this material before and found themselves in a similar teaching environment as I am now. If you have some recommendations of your own to supplement these, please let me know.

I’m going to try to post a few examples. Some of the work I’ve been getting has been quite good. We’ll see how the kids hold up with the profile portrait and self-portrait assignments.

I’ve been struggling with students who talk incessantly in my class (and, as a result, prevent projects from getting started or completed on time). The problem is pretty wide spread in the school so I’m not alone in my frustrations. However, in my art class it means that projects that should take one class can take two or three classes. And, it gets worse the more complex projects become.

So, what I’ve decided to try is to make those students who take time away from my class make up that time after school and that can be a problem since the kids are bused. For instance, a student who has been out for quite some time and just recently returned has reintroduced a great deal of disruptions back into my class. I’ve already spoken to his mother once about his disrespectful language and behavior. I’m going to be calling her again tomorrow to let her know that her son will need to serve a detention with me and make up time he’s taken away from my class.

Part of me remains uncertain if I should use the time to have students make up work or simply have them do other menial tasks such as cleaning (which is always needed). It’s going to be considered a detention and should they skip it they will receive a Saturday detention (one hour vs. three hours).

What are your thoughts on the topic of discipline in the classroom? Any changes you would make? Does anyone have any strategies for communicating the importance of working diligently at this late stage of the school year to high school students who should know better?

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!

One of the issues I face in my classroom as an art teacher is when my kids tell me that talking to their friends while working is okay for them, actually critical. A 2005 Johns Hopkins’ study, which specifically addressed cell phone use while driving, would also seem to speak to my classroom situation.

Professor Steven Yantis states,

“Directing attention to listening effectively ‘turns down the volume’ on input to the visual parts of the brain. The evidence we have right now strongly suggests that attention is strictly limited — a zero-sum game. When attention is deployed to one modality — say, in this case, talking on a cell phone — it necessarily extracts a cost on another modality — in this case, the visual task of driving.”

Again, the implications from this would seem to indicate that concentration in any one modality is compromised when another is introduced. So, I guess this would also give me an answer when my students say listening to their iPods helps them concentrate while they work on my projects. LOL!

I found an interesting article documenting a study regarding changes in actual brain structure. The source cited was a 2000 study referencing work done with taxi drivers. Apparently, “the longer a taxi driver had been driving, the larger a specific part of the brain (the part that we believe stores spatial representations of our environment).” In the words of the author, “(s)imply by doing something repetitively, or doing something differently, can affect a change – not only in your actual brain’s structure.”

I can’t say I’m shocked. Frankly, this report makes perfect sense to me. Addictions are forged in the brain through repetition; their resolution could only come similarly. Reading something like this, though, makes me question why pro-gay activists would discourage individuals who seek to undo years of addictive behavior that reinforced same-sex attraction? All addictive behavior causes chemical changes in the brain and, now, it would seem that it doesn’t just stop there.

Hopeful news for those who seek to make positive changes on many fronts!

This past week I started walking my students through Betty Edwards‘ Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain material using the DRSB video. I was excited to try out this course since learning to draw is top of the list for nearly all of my students and had hoped Dr. Edwards’ credentials would have added some credence to the material. Sadly, this hasn’t been the case.

We’ve only just begun, however I’ve been a little disappointed in my students:

1. At the top of the list is the fact that the first couple of exercises (vase-faces and upside-down drawing) weren’t taken seriously. Many talked through the exercise instead of being silent and concentrating.
2. Their complaints that they couldn’t draw and how hard the exercises were droned on during most of my three Studio classes.
3. On top of that, a few spent more time trying to find ways to trace the second project than simply doing it as instructed.
4. Although I think they made too much of it, most complained about Dr. Edwards’ voice during the video. I tried to explain that her professorial voice is pretty common in colleges and they should get used to it. Of course, she could have hired someone but perhaps it wouldn’t have made the presentation as credible. Who knows. Either way, most of the students weren’t buying it.

Monday and Tuesday of this week, I had the students create the small viewfinder (there are two sizes). I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was disappointed when many of my students couldn’t do the measuring using the ruler. I’m hoping tomorrow I’ll be able to get started on the exercises using the viewfinder. I’ll keep you all posted.

Has anyone used the Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain material? What was your student response to it? I’d really like to hear your thoughts. Also, does anyone have any other recommended drawing courses they have successfully used for high school students?

EmptyEasel.com has written a simple little article on the technology driving a website … and, why artists should use one instead of others.

Although I haven’t gotten around to selling my artwork online yet, this is a targeted message you’ll want to read. Artists are visual folks and that may end up hurting them if they’re not careful.

If you’re an artist with a blog, he’s also got some good recommendations on getting your art blog noticed and increasing your Google ranking.

I seem to be on a political kick recently. These past few days I have found salient articles I’ve wanted to share. Here’s another one that raises some serious concerns about Obama’s fiscal reliability. Read the article, Obama’s Big-Government Vision, and consider what Lawrence Kudlow has to say. Here are some snippets:

The Obama spend-o-meter is now up around $800 billion. And tax hikes on the rich won’t pay for it. It’s the middle class that will ultimately shoulder this fiscal burden in terms of higher taxes and lower growth.

This isn’t free enterprise. It’s old-fashioned-liberal tax, and spend, and regulate. It’s plain ol’ big government. The only people who will benefit are the central planners in Washington.

Obama would like voters to believe that he’s the second coming of JFK. But with his unbelievable spending and new-government-agency proposals he’s looking more and more like Jimmy Carter. His is a “Grow the Government Bureaucracy Plan,” and it’s totally at odds with investment and business.

It will be interesting the next few months after candidates are selected and debates ensue.