10 Advanced Art Lessons
If you’re anything like me, you have 20+ tabs open on your computer, all of the things that you saw, thought were interesting, and swear that you’re going to go back to. Then your computer crashes and you lose them all. For your sake, I’m hoping that you’re not like me, and don’t have that […]
Exploring Revision in Art Making
As I looked over the section of Inquiry and practice, experimentation, and revision, I thought of artists, Molly Springfield. She uses a copy machine in her work, which can be a great tool to help students explore revision without worrying about making an error. Idea #1: Make a piece. Make a copy of the […]
Understanding Art Making and the Role of Material and Process
In the videos below we’ll explore examples of the role that materials and process play when making a work of art. Before we watch the first video, grab your sketchbook and something to write with. I’m going to set a timer for one minute, write down as many materials to create art with that you […]
Beginning of the Year Art Activity to get to know Your Students
When creating assingments I try to think of ways to help students make personal connections to the work they’re looking at and learning about. This year, I added an assignment asking Art History students to answer the 4 questions below. My favorite was seeing everyone’s response to #1. This assignment encourages students to search artists […]
How to Help Photography Students Develop Ideas
One of my favorite things about teaching art to all levels is helping students learn how to develop their own ideas. Developing ideas is also about finding problems, then creating something that solves the problem. Learning to think like an artist benefits students in all areas of their life. A tool that I use over […]
Books on Art, Creativity, and Education
I always tend to read more over the summer. I search Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Strand Bookstore for new books, I wanted to share a list of books on Art, Creativity, and Education that I love. The Best Schools : Thomas Armstrong Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Intention: M Csikszentmihalyi […]
How to Use Drawing to Improve Learning in all Subjects
Do you know how to take notes that help you learn? When I started teaching AP Art History, I found that students were excellent at filling pages in their notebooks with notes. However, as I looked over their notes, they were simply re-writing what they were reading. They weren’t demonstrating that they understand what they […]
3 Tools to Help You and Your Students Feel More Confident Writing
I often have students in art class they don’t feel comfortable writing. I myself wasn’t always a big fan. As with most things in life, it takes practice and access to the proper tools. Two tools that I use myself and also share with my students are Grammarly and the Hemmingway Editor. Both of have […]
Tips on Giving Students Feedback About Their Art
No matter how long you’ve been teaching, you likely ask yourself, am I good enough? Do I know what I’m doing? Am I providing good feedback to student work? I ask myself these questions a lot as well. One thing that I always find helpful is hearing from other teachers. So today, inviting you into […]
A Fun Way to Give your Students Sketchbook Prompts.
Over the years, I’ve reflected that while I had students working in their sketchbooks, I didn’t use them as much as I would have liked to. While I always have a sketchbook with me, I tend to do more writing in it than drawing. I’d decided that sketchbooks have to look pretty, and be something […]