How to Teach Pencil Drawing
The act of drawing is one of the easiest and least expensive ways for people to express their creativity. It is also a foundational skill in art that is necessary for students to master before they go on to other media like painting or sculpture. With the advent of computers, however, many artists have lost the ability to draw with the traditional pencil. Therefore, teaching students solid drawing skills using pencils becomes critical to their development as artists.
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Things You'll Need
- "Drawing: Space, Form, and Expression" by Wayne Enstice and Melody Peters
- "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards
- "Keys to Drawing" by Bert Dodson
- Norcom Sketch Book, 9 in. x 11 in.
- Strathmore 400 Series 19 in. x 24 in.
- Strathmore 32 lb Newsprint paper 24 in. x 36 in.
- General's 6-oz. graphite powder
- General's 6-oz. charcoal powder
- A tin of Staedtler Mars Lumograph pencils
- A variety of artist's blending tortillon and stumps
- Two medium-size Design kneaded rubber erasers
- Alvin vinyl eraser
- Optional: Art tote bag to carry supplies
Instructions
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Teaching Drawing
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1
Research your potential curriculum tools. You'll want a mix of tools that allow students to learn about the technique of drawing as well as about the history and theory of drawing. These tools will also help you as you create your syllabus for class. The books recommended at the top of the list are good place to start.
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2
Brainstorm potential lessons for your syllabus. Most beginning art lessons deal with "how to see" properly and with line drawings. Your first classes should center around subjects like gesture and contour drawings, with a concentration on lots of drawing time in class. "Keys to Drawing" offers a good lesson plan to start with and covers how to use the supplies on the list.
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In addition to actual drawing supplies, you'll want to look for reference pictures to use in class. Although you'll eventually have your students drawing from life, learning from drawings at first is okay too. Make photocopies of the reference works to hand out to your class.
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4
Plan a sketching field trip for when students are ready to move from drawing using reference photos to drawing from life. Many famous artists, including American artist Thomas Kinkade, are known for carrying around sketch pads. Sketching adventures such as these allows students to get out of the classroom and observe and sketch natural phenomena. Pencils fit naturally into sketching adventures, because they are inexpensive and portable.
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Create a syllabus for the class. Students should be spending most of their in-class time sketching and drawing. By the end of the semester, students should understand how to use all the pencils and drawing accessories on the supplies list. However, they should have some sense of how to use drawing as a tool in the artistic process and gain some understanding of how drawing has emerged as an art form in its own right.
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Buy your own supplies for the class. Plan to spend a bit of time drawing alongside your students in class. Students are naturally curious about the abilities of people teaching them a skill.
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Tips & Warnings
Research projects are always a good choice as a learning tool. They help students develop an appreciation for drawing as well as research skills necessary for later projects. Good possible subjects are the history of drawing, the concept of artists' handwriting as discussed in "Keys to Drawing" or how drawings are used as studies for paintings and other projects. The books suggested for the class offer students good readings for class and reference materials for research projects. They all emphasize the use of a pencil as a viable and indispensable tool for artists.
The act of drawing, particularly in a public space like a classroom, can be quite vulnerable. Make sure to schedule lots of in- and out-of class time for students to draw to overcome this fear. Requiring students to turn in their sketchbooks at the end of the semester is a good way to ensure they draw regularly outside of class.
