Teaching drawing

Two lesson concepts for teaching drawing at a secondary level,
drawn from two drawing classes that happened at Melbourne University in 2018.

drawing emotion

Lesson number 2, Drawing, provocations and propositions arising from drawing emotion

In lesson 2 we learned about the impact of experiencing music and emotion while drawing.

We explored realistic and abstract drawing, then considered and discussed the extent and variation of the impact across both drawing styles.

The picture shown below was drawn by Hilary as we listened to Alice Cooper. The use of colour reflects the darkness of the music and her gestures with crayon were powerful and deliberate. This noticeably contrasts with the picture below that, this one I drew while listening to classical music and standing in the light of a window, looking at the flower depicted.

Below are the two images and the songs that were playing at the time of their creation.

ALICE COOPER PREMIERES OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE "THE SOUND OF A", ANNOUNCES PHYSICAL RELEASE FOR FEBRUARY 23rd, 2018 & RECEIVES SSE SCOTTISH MUSIC AWARD. Get the album "Paranornal": Box Set: http://smarturl.it/AC_Paranormal_Box 2CD: http://smarturl.it/AC_Paranormal_CD 2LP: http://smarturl.it/AC_Paranormal_LP iTunes: http://smarturl.it/AC_Paranormal_iTunes Deezer: http://smarturl.it/AC_Paranormal_Deezer Spotify: http://smarturl.it/AC_Paranormal_Spoti Today sees the official video premiere for "The Sound Of A".

Once upon a time in the west: music by Ennio Morricone and directed by Sergio Leone.

We found that the music effected the outcome of our drawings more than we were expecting. This activity would benefit developing artists by opening other avenues for technique and exploration by using other senses to impact practice.

The translation of this lesson into a school context will be further described in the following section about lesson 3, where these drawings re-entered an art-making process.

Artist influences

Nike Savvas, 2005, Atomic: full of love, full of wonder, AUS

Len Lye, 1935, A Colour Box, NZ

Marco Fusinato, AUS

Wassily Kandinsky, 1935, Succession, RUS

John Nixon, AUS

Wawiriya Burton, AUS-IND

Collaborative drawing lesson: sound / response

Lesson number 3, Drawing, sound as sight

Slides

Sound sample from percussion activity

This lesson intertwines drawing, painting and sound art in an extended art making process, carried on from lesson number 2.

This learning activity is unique in the sense that it can span across the subjects art and music. The function of this is it’s ability to engage students in unexplored creative avenues as well as spark curiosities about the fluidity of learning and art. Collaborating with a music class can also explore the boundaries of the materials normally used in these subjects - a student in this class has the opportunity to smack a chair with a paintbrush - en enthusiastic response is likely, and will create a room of curious rowdiness.

Additionally, through increasing collaboration there is a social learning outcome strewn through this process. Each artist goes from individually drawing in lesson 2, then turns these drawings into conductors for a piece of music that will be played and recorded in small groups. Following this, everyone will come together for a whole class collaborative drawing response to the recorded pieces of music. This movement is evident in all of the artefacts produced.

This activity would work particularly well with junior levels, throughout it’s vibrancy the task also encourages big ideas about contemporary art, the crossing of school subjects and also requires students to demonstrate digital literacy through the recording and sharing of the music file.