Here are two examples of remarkable growth from a couple of eighth grade students, Howie Melanson and Laura Sweeney. On the left, you can see their “before” self portraits. These were done in one class period, prior to instruction. The “before” portraits gave every student a baseline from which to start. Many students felt unsure about these first drawings, particularly when it came to drawing more challenging features like noses. Some students left their noses out entirely.
We did a lot of work in class on observation. What do your eyes really look like? What does your nose really look like? When students are unsure of how to draw something, they usually substitute a symbol for the object, draw something “good enough” so the viewer knows what they are looking at. When they slow down and really carefully observe, they can begin to appreciate the shapes and shadows and lines that are there (or not there) and their drawings begin to take a more realistic and specific form and begin to look less generic.
Excellent work, Howie and Laura!
galvinart 