I once spent an afternoon in a school hall teaching 100 children how to draw the figure in motion.
It was part of a big Art project I ran to celebrate the Olympic Games. We also made handmade printing plates from cardboard and string. I am still really proud of what those 7-11 year olds produced.
“Art is just tricks” is what I told them – and then I spent a little time explaining the trick of “The Figure” to them – mostly getting them to really look at their bodies; feel how their fingers reached half way down their thighs and notice that they had shoulders and hips.
If I was pleasantly surprised at how well their Art turned out – some of them were bloody amazed – and as I’d made them all draw a figure by themselves, before I taught them – they could see their progress in front of them. Totally putting to the lie, “But I can’t draw, Miss.”
“Course you can, just give me half an hour…”
That is why I love teaching Art.
Sky Blog Pink: I am a feminist who is proud to have brought up a strong and feminist daughter. I am a teacher of twenty two years who has recently become an Education Technology entrepreneur – creating technology aimed at making ‘Every Child a Reader’ – I am very lucky to have the support of the Cambridge University Judge Business School Accelerator Programme which is run by a woman though I am still a minority being female and 40+ . Twitter I am @skybluepink
