Drawing

Drawing an egg from observation. 

How might this be a good strategy for an art class? 

How might it not be a good strategy?

Drawing, for most people, including teachers, is based on a certain kind of representational observational European Renaissance model, which is not bad in itself, but it is often done badly, and without criticality.

Figure Drawing

Why would I want to make a drawing of the human body? 

Although new media and technologies have important and unexpected places within the art curriculum, traditional forms of artistic expression can also provide significant artistic experiences if they are given meaning in the contexts of contemporary art, culture, and the lives of students.One possible rationale for working with the human figure is to touch a deep and respected tradition of art making within the conventions of the European Renaissance, which recast Greek ideas about artistic expression into a hybrid combination of humanism and Christianity that had, at its center, a focus on depicting the human figure.  This tradition continues today in the work of many illustrators, animators, cartoonists, graphic novelists, and other contemporary artists. Another rationale, then, might be to give students fluency using the human figure within this set of artistic conventions so that they could work in, and join the artistic conversation of these contemporary artists.

Drawing: How might you go about teaching drawing?

(why teach about drawing?)