Top Ten Kit: Drawing and Illustrating

This technique is described on page 48 in Content Area Writing. Okay, this really was a lead-in from my previous post. Of course, in an art class, this is the meat and potatoes of our learning. Visual learners are typically drawn to art because this is the majority of what we do. We look at stuff, and we learn the ins and outs of it by drawing it. We learn how light reflects differently on shiny surfaces compared to matte surfaces. We learn how draw things to scale, which requires us to take into account the space around objects. And we have to take value into account, because the hard edge of a shadow or the level of contrast within an object indicates the condition of the light. And then we take all this knowledge and turn it into something you've never seen before. Art develops visual perception, and it's a darn good mental booster.

And it's not just good for art making process either. I'd encourage my students to take art history notes in their sketchbooks. Draw the concepts, instead of just writing the definitions. If we're looking at Degas, do a thumbnail sketch of some of his ballet paintings while I'm prattling on through a ten minute PowerPoint.

Good for discussion on Impressionism, implied movement, positive versus negative space, color, impasto, among other things.

Degas is known for his early ballet paintings because of his attention to details like body mechanics, and light, and color. He studied his dancers, spent a lot of time in the theater and the dance studio. The dancer looks like she's in mid step, like this is a transition to another pose. We love this dynamism. Look at the white dress. Well, it's not really white; I'm seeing... blues, pale lavenders and muted yellow. And the contrast on the face and arms clearly indicate the light was coming from below, probably lamps situated around the front of the stage (which you can't see).

Who knows? Students may take this drawing note-taking approach and apply it to other disciplines. It's how I got through my science and math classes.