Inspiration from natural forms Training to become an art teacher, I found I was surprised and encouraged by the endless fascination that seems to stem from working from nature. Thinking specifically about the natural world, I have been charmed by how young people are so happy to focus in on the wonder of organic forms. […]
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How to get high quality artist response outcomes
Artist study Responding to the work of other artists is a great way to generate ideas and inspiration for your students. By starting with a direct response showing their understanding of the ideas and aesthetic of an artist, students can later leap off in creative ways. Although copying an artist’s work is a valuable exercise […]
Art resources for International Women’s Day
March 8th is International Women’s Day. Each year #IWD serves as a reminder to think about how we are re-balancing the scales in the way we teach, present and create materials for young artists. With so many pressures on teachers, and so much to fit into the limited time we have with our students, IWD […]
Student guide to mind-mapping
At this time of year – and indeed many times of year – our thoughts turn to mind-mapping. How many mind-maps are produced, do you think, in the course of a young person’s school career? Lots, I suspect, and it is often taken as a given that we (students and teachers) know what we’re talking […]
Art literacy mat
Continuing my recent preoccupation with writing about art (see my last two posts on annotation and vocabulary), I have completed the flurry of activity by putting together a literacy mat for my art class. It’s something I’ve long been meaning to do and now look forward to having it on hand to whip out when […]
Handouts to get great artist research & analysis
One simple step to improve artist research in your students sketchbooks: give them the material – text information, images and questions – they need to come up with meaningful insights and high quality responses. Easier said than done, possibly… I have long been perplexed at the lack of writing and publishing on the artists that […]
Why is artist research so difficult?
I love learning about new artists; new ways of doing things, what was going on culturally at the time, interesting personal lives etc. But recently I’ve realised that my enjoyment of artist research is built on many years of accumulating knowledge and that much of the vocabulary and contextual background that I take for granted […]