lebaneselove
A wealth of resources for fans of the Lebanese entertainment world.

Tags: foreign, language

scenebyscene
This collaborative screenwriting community will accomplish an entire film script--each scene by a different writer--over the course of one year. It's destined to be crazy. Along the way, a slew of smaller challenges will be offered.

Tags: foreign, language

add_foreign_ljs
Looking to practice your language skills? add_foreign_ljs offers users a way to find journals written in a language other than their own.

Tags: foreign, language

Cheese grits, fried eggs, parsley, and bacon.

Model Bon Bon Vivant was back in a whole new set of costumes and props.  You may remember her from my pink flamingo Sketchy post. 
Going in my new direction toward drawing slower I created only 5 drawings during the evening.   People around me laughed when I told them I was drawing slower because when I draw, even slowly, there is a  lot of action on the table.  Working from the model, then more or less taking off into Leigh-inspired territory I shaved my chunk of graphite with the palette knife and smeared it with my hands.  I found 2 broken chunks of Sennelier oil pastel (see turquoise below) for free earlier at the art supply store that informed the early evening.  But by later in the evening Bon Bon was in a red mood and so was I.   I think Nathan took photos of me as a demented artist with graphite stained hands flying over the paper surface that may show up on the Dr. Sketchy web album.  I'll watch for it and add a link.

 
Dr. Sketchy Life Drawings by Honoria Starbuck
18 x 26 inch drawings on Sennelier Oil Pastel Card
Price is fifty cents per square inch

I may work back into these or the other 2 drawings given time, but my teaching schedule is very hot and demanding right now.  I could really draw Bon Bon all the time.  This time I found out why.  In the model's choice session she said she was an art historian as well as performer.  And as an art historian she has studied the great artists best work, and best figurative work shows the best models doing the best poses.  So subliminally she channels a whole history of great poses.  You can really feel that in a model.  Dancers and people who know art know poses and how to tell a story with their choice of body position and props.  Brava Bon Bon who has both dancer and art history informed poses!

Tags: bon bon vivant, dr. sketchy, life drawing, model

A new online class in life drawing started Wednesday and here's the first student problem:

I do not like to draw in this way, I have found that I am not good with pencils or charcoal or even paint. How do I find inspiration to get through this class when I have no motivation. In no way do I feel that I do not appreciate anyone who draws but I do so much better with computers and have taken drawing classes before and I know I have many more to take, but drawing is not my forte and I am afraid to turn in work that is not at the level of the rest of the class.

Response:
I think you are saying that by "drawing this way" you mean with traditional paper and art supplies like graphite and charcoal.

What we do:
In the class you are not expected to be able to draw the human figure well when you come into class.  You should use each assignment to learn.  So not being able to draw at any perceived level is not a problem.  You will learn.  You are graded on learning not on achieving perfection.

Art supplies
Try doing the assignments in pastel if you don't like pencils or charcoal.  My on ground class has fallen in love with pastels and are smudging and coloring their way to wonderful drawings.  Or try very dark water soluble graphite (9B) and wet it and draw large and messy.  Large and loose may seem more playful to you.  There are all kinds of new weird art supplies on the market these days including liquid graphite.

No computer drawings:
This class has a restriction of no computer drawings.  If you must do computer drawings with a wacom tablet or other drawing device you may wish to change classes or do them on the side and post them to the student lounge.

Motivation:
If you are not motivated by your end goal to graduate which means taking and learning material in all the required courses there is nothing to do but drop out now.

I hope you will stay in class and try to learn to draw the human figure.  No one can make that decision but you.  I'd say the first thing to do is go to an art supply store with an open mind and spend some money on any art supply that seems interesting and draw with that the first week, then reflect on your learning and decide to stay or go.


FOLLOW UP
Student reply: Hurray!

Tags: life drawing, teaching

As a result of attending the intensive in Portland, I've remade my draw-by-the-numbers class into a much more Leigh Hyamsish experience for my students. 


Wild Garden by Leigh Hyams
http://www.artsreal.com/gallery/pages/Image11.html

I cover a whole section of tables with 3-mil paint tarps and I herd everyone over to the protected side of the room and give them lots of strongly pigmented and crumbly art supplies.  I also show slides of some master artists who used charcoal and pastel to share ideas beyond the boringly illustrated textbook. I conduct critiques using the Socratic method to build student critical vocabulary to get them out the "It looks like --", and "I like it."  habits. 

The new weekly pattern is producing some quick turn arounds in these fairly art-timid techie, and some not too motivated students.  I bought a roll of the brown construction paper at Home Depot and rip off big pieces for them. - free paper and free pastels - what's not to like -  and pastel loves brown paper. As a result, I'm turning out a class full of fledgling Odilon Redons.  Much more fun than turning out a class of Betty Edwards.  No offence meant, Betty, the Right side of the Brain is a great book for online teaching but I'm finding that it doesn't work as well for an 11 week on ground class.


Redon's Profil de Lumiere in charcoal
15-1/4 x 11-3/8 inches, Musée du Louvre

For yesterday's class I brought some veggies and spot lights and wow...some amazing drawings emerged.  I made students listen to the eggplant and listen to their drawing.  "Stand back", "turn it upside down", "work on the composition", "where is the negative space?" "What's it doing?", " What's happening at the top of your drawing - what should happen there - work on it now."  I give orders like an artist drill sargeant at unpredictable intervals to move the students out of their habitual practices and into the right sides of their brains and it works pretty fast.  They were so interested when I gave the "free models" away there was a scramble to take home the veggies to do more drawings - except the funny shaped green red and yellow peppers.  Poor peppers.

One problem with this system is that I'm also on the right side of my brain as a teacher. As a result of the not-naming-things right side energy, I often cannot remember the names of my students.  This is almost OK because they just chalk it up to my being old, even though they also told me I was "bubbly" compared to the substitutes they had when I went to Portland.  I can connect a face to a set of drawings but the names are not there when I want to talk about a student's work.  I do remember some students' names but I should know all of them.   If I am hired next semester I have strategies to fix this problem (such as a photo roster, name tents, and introducing themselves with each presentation) but with the current two classes I just have to wing it this late in the semester.  I have them print their names and class information on the back of their drawings so by connecting the drawing, the name, then the physical student I will have evidence-based grading.


Students creating still life compositions with pastels and brown paper

Tags: leigh hyams, reflection right side of the brain, teaching

I forgot to tell my students about Dr. Sketchy's return to action on Saturday.  Oh well, I will be there.

Tags: dr. sketchy

This student had a great insight doing this drawing.

Here is my assignment. I used a 6B, a B, & an H. I spent about 15 minutes on my drawing. I took a little different approach than I usually do when I draw. I tried to just motor through the picture. Usually, I like to take my time, but I wanted to challenge myself, to push my limits. I'm glad that I got a little out of my comfort zone. I think that's the only way that we will get better at anything. We have to push ourselves, and push each other. Something that has helped me in the last few weeks, and maybe it will help some of you: I try to think of the lines that make up a whole of the drawing as just that, lines. Pieces that make up a whole, like the parts of a machine. I'm not sure if this is a correct theory (Honoria, please correct me if I'm wrong. I don't want to give out incorrect information.). It helps me to be a little less intimidated of whatever it is that I have to draw.

Tags: self-portrait, teaching

Linda Ford gave a rousing leadership presentation on corporate culture yesterday.
I did a 4-page small-format graphic recording of it.
Here is page 1 of 4.

Tags: corporate culture, graphic recording