THE MOBILE ART STUDIO

Stonehenge a stone circle in Wiltshire, England is the ideal subject matter for drawing. Shading technique and blocking in have been practiced. Here, I expressed Stonehenge in silhouette against a big sunset, creating drama. Negative space of Stonehenge The first image shows Stonehenge’s negative shapes within a narrow rectangle. The central dividing line makes plotting this enigmatic stone circle easier. Notice the interesting shapes where the sky peeks between the stones. Negative space is a great technique for practicing drawing freehand. Gridlines over the Stonehenge drawing. 1 Onto a sheet of A5 sketching paper, a rectangle of 10x5cm was divided into 5 sections via a HB and ruler. The lines have been drawn lightly but have been emphasized here. The bottom segment is where Stonehenge will inhabit. This segment has been split in half to make the freehand drawing easier. The image showing Stonehenge’s negative shapes can be used a drawing reference. Wat...

I conducted a pen drawing of a church window during a trip to Coventry Cathedral. The trees breaking up the sky captivated me and I liked the linear aspect. This is why I used a ballpoint for the drawing. I had taken HB pencil, ruler, A5 sketchpad and a couple of ballpoint pens (not the cheap sort that fade or blotch). I used Bic. This ink drawing was not intended to be a draughtsman’s finish, but loose and expressive. Close up of church window drawing I took a quick measurement of the window’s proportions and transferred a grid onto the page. The lines were then used as a guide to ensure the drawing did not end up wonky or lopsided which can easily happen when working close to a drawing. The rectangular part of the window drawing measured 10cm by 12cm, adding an extra 4cm for the arch at the top. Grid used as a guide for the drawing 1 and 2 As can be seen in the first image, I had divided the rectangle in half and then half again where the window panes will...

A tip for drawing is to use the grid technique. Here, I have simplified the grid into four sections. Drawing from life is made convenient and easy. This drawing demonstration requires HB and 2B pencils, ruler scalpel, A5 sketchpad and eraser. The head fits into left quadrant of the grid  I set myself up in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral where an interesting statue happened to roughly fit into a grid of four. This was ascertained by holding the pencil to eyelevel and measuring width to height proportion. The head and torso of the statue was twice as high as it was wide. The photograph of the statue shows how this works. Of course, the photo and a drawing from life will always look different. As can be seen from the rudimentary sketch, the face of the statue roughly fits into the top left of the grid. On the page, I drew a rectangle of 18cm high by 9cm wide. I then divided the rectangle into four quadrants. Take care not to sketch too dark at this stage. I have emph...

How to Raise Students’ Enthusiasm in Painting and Drawing Lessons Classroom management includes motivating students in art lessons otherwise the students may not reach their creative potential. According to Reece & Walker’s book Teaching, Training and Learning – a Practical Guide (Business Education Publishers, 2004) a student of low ability but high motivation can experience greater success than a student of high ability and low motivation. For this reason, motivational issues should be treated with equal gravity as a learning need or a disability. The Causes of Low Motivation in Art Classes Before tackling this problem, the causes of low motivation must be identified. The following might be worth exploring: A messy art studio The learning environment looks unwelcoming, messy or uncared for. Paint spills and dirty pots full of unusable art brushes can be visually off-putting. The area might also appear impersonal and clinical with strip-lighting and insufficient ...

What happens at the end of an art course? The answer is the end of course assessment. How is such an assessment conducted properly? Students may be given an allotted time to attend the assessment with all the work as set out in the criteria requirement. The agreement as set out in the mock assessment may be referred to if necessary or appropriate. Again, praise whenever the opportunity arises. The final marking should never be a surprise and the student should be informed on exactly why a particular marking has been awarded. This will prevent nasty surprises. Criterion for Assessments The teacher may write a short feedback on the student’s work, relating to the creative use of materials, the painting style and willingness to try new ideas. How to Evaluate Art Work The student has the opportunity to write a feedback on the learning experience, which might include the teaching, the resources or the institution’s policies. The teacher may collate this information and u...

How does the teacher grade artwork properly? The summative assessment must be fair or it will not be valid. Assessing artwork objectively may seem impossible, but a fair system of conducting the final assessment of any art course can be done. This involves using the same criteria from which to judge all art students’ creations. The Criteria to Pass an Art Course Making Art Marking Fair At the beginning of the art module, the teacher may provide a brief for each student. Not only should this outline the theme or topic of the art course, but also the requirements to pass, get a merit or a distinction. Each criterion should be clearly outlined and the final work measured only against these criteria. Below is an example of the requirements to pass a single painting module. A creative diary evidencing self-evaluation. This might be in the form of a reflective log of the student’s aims, problems encountered and how solutions were found during the creative process. The log ...

Painting on stones is an easy and cheap way of creating ornaments for the garden, gift ideas or dedications. Here is a demonstration on painting red pansies onto stone. Pansies possess punchy colors and bold shapes. I prefer smooth stones or those with interesting shapes and nodules. Avoid porous stones like pumice or those that are liable to erode such as limestone or sandstone. I go for granite, slate or marble. Smooth pebbles are ideal. Gift ideas: The Painted Stone Art Materials needed are: several tough sables that have worn or grown a little stiff through use. They can withstand the surface of the stone, particularly when it comes to getting paint into the crevasses. Reserve separate sables for dark and pale colors. No.s 3’s or 6’s are good for detail. A number 6 flat bristle is suitable for the background. Black acrylic paint, then oil colors of the following: white, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, black and viridian green. Artist varnish will weatherproof the stone...