Training Tips Being An Artist: A Cubism and Collage Experience

Preparing Staff to Teach “Being an Artist” Introduction

Welcome to the staff training notes for Being an Artist, a series of 12 lessons introducing the fine arts to grades 7 through 10. This program is ideal for after-school programs, summer and vacation camps, scout troops, church youth groups and anywhere that young people gather. Who can teach Being an Artist

Any responsible, enthusiastic and well briefed group leader, teacher, volunteer, parent, or other motivated adult can teach Being an Artist. The text is easy to read and understand, the set-ups are detailed and uncomplicated, and the processes and procedures are clearly explained in the Lesson pages. Adults act as coaches and mentors, and guide learners as they proceed through the lessons. What special skills does the instructor need to teach Being an Artist?

No special technical or artistic skills are necessary to teach Being an Artist. Instructors should be well organized, motivated and observant individuals. Volunteers—such as other instructors or parents—can be helpful in ensuring that all students are proceeding through the course and making progress in their understanding. Being an Artist is fun, so enthusiastic and positive instructors are essential “cheerleaders” in the learning process.

Being an Artist seems to contain a number studio sessions that require “artistic skills”—are all of these collage projects really easy to demonstrate and possible for the students to create?

Absolutely! We’ve designed each activity to teach an important lesson in the artistic making and thinking process. These activities promote both fun and learning, and the Notes for the Instructor (provided in each section) offers an overview and helpful hints to encourage learners. Pictorial guides have been provided to make demonstration clear and easy. How can instructors most effectively deliver the lessons in Being an Artist?

Teaching any lesson in Being an Artist is easy if the instructor is well prepared. Follow these steps before every lesson.

  • Always refer to yourself and the students as an “artist”. Never indicate that you are not artistic, even if you do not currently feel that way. (You may truly believe in your artistic skills by the end of this course, if you do not now.)
  • Read the entire lesson before you teach so you know what sort of outcome you are trying to achieve.
  • Familiarize yourself with the vocabulary and background information.
  • Examine the art prints provided in the course.
  • Think through your own answers to the discussion questions as you look at the art prints.
  • Identify the corresponding pages (where appropriate) in the Student Activity Book and review them so you know how to guide students to “fill in” their part of the activity.
  • Open the Course Kit and locate all of the materials you need for each lesson. Note that still life materials may vary slightly from materials pictured in the instructor’s guide.
  • Find a convenient storage place for all of the materials. If possible, store paper products flat and close to the student working area.
  • Set up your classroom so that it’s easy for students to work in groups of 2 or 4.
  • Set up your demonstration area with all appropriate materials at hand.
  • Walk through the steps of the demonstration before the class begins. In many of the lessons, you are asked to prepare steps in advance allowing learners more time to work.

  • Review any safety precautions related to the particular lesson you are going to teach, and make sure you know where emergency help and supplies are located.

  • Review the entire lesson with any volunteers who will help you teach the lesson.

     

    Once your lesson has started…..

    Before you begin each lesson, reviewby reminding students of the materials and processes they’ve explored in previous lessons. It’s essential to activate students’ prior knowledge, and to stimulate their memories helping them make sense of what they are learning. Art making is a cumulative process, and the sequence of looking and making lead our learners to develop their critical thinking skills.

    Don’t hesitate to review some of the vocabulary at the beginning of the lesson. And you can wrap up any lesson by asking students about their developing skills in seeing, creating and thinking. . . .

    When you introduce new material and procedures, take a moment to assess how much students already know. For example, in lesson 2 students are introduced to the “Elements of Art” and the “Principals of Design”. Refer to works of art or architecture in your school or community. Can students see symmetrical balance in a painting in the hallway or the columns of their building? These questions ask students to become literally self-reflective, an important habit of mind for critical thinking.

    Students will be stimulated and excited when they get a chance to “show off” a little of their visual knowledge. A note about safety

    All of the materials and activities in Being an Artist have been prepared with the greatest concern for student and instructor safety. Please read safety precautions closely before every lesson and make sure that when you are working you have provided adequate light, space, and information to ensure that all participants are afforded the highest level of safety possible.

    Lesson 1 – Collage Chronology Put yourself and the students in the right frame of mind. Who introduced collage to the world, when and how did it happen and what else was going on simultaneously? Help learners understand that artists do not create in a vacuum. They are very influenced by the world around them and interested in illustrating their thoughts. What artists think about is a very important component in what they create. Many students have not considered this. Through an interactive timeline, created on a clothesline, students will begin to “get the picture” and start the process of really learning to “see”. Have fun! If the clothesline timeline can stay up for awhile, leave it for reflection.

    Lesson 2 – Warming Up This is a fast paced lesson that introduces learners to the basics of visual art. If this is a review for students with an art program in their school, it will be a fun and new with an inspirational twist. Students exposed to this for the first time should find the hands on approach to art vocabulary fun, increasing their desire to get their hands dirty and start making some art! Remember to use the student activity sheets for this lesson through out the course to emphasize understanding of the tools every artist uses. This lesson is also a perfect time to set up the rules of art material usage and clean-up. Students should wait for instruction before touching materials.

    Lesson 3 – Glued to the Painting It is not uncommon to hear comments, especially regarding modern art, that indicate any untrained person, even a monkey, could have made a particular painting. This lesson helps students begin to look critically at artwork. What are they really seeing? The entire course will follow this method of seeing, discussing and then making. Again students are getting excited to begin the making process, but first developing their thinking skills will give them tools to make better art. You will be amazed at what they will be able to do in 12 lessons. If students note discoveries not mentioned in the instructors guide during the discussion, then you are probably doing a fantastic job of stimulating their observation skills!

    Lesson 4 – Inspired by the Masters In this lesson, students will make their first Cubist influenced collage. Working like a master is a clear and simple foray into the process of art making and collage. Step by step instructions with pictures will help you through the demonstration process. Your collage should not be an exact copy of the example; it is your reference and taking off point. Encourage students to follow the steps that you are demonstrating but to make their own unique artwork. 20 of the same collage would be boring! Walking yourself through the demonstration steps of this first collage in advance may increase your confidence in your own art skills. Develop your system for paper storage and clean-up. Storing the unused paper flat is the best option. Throw very few scraps away as the unusual shaped scrap from the last lesson’s collage may be just the perfect solution to the next masterpiece. Find a safe storage area for the completed collages, as they may be included in a final exhibition. Locate a well ventilated area, out of doors if possible, to use spray fixative. This is not an activity for the students.

    Lesson 5 – Looking at Still Life This will be a fun lesson as students learn how to set up a still life and contemplate its different viewpoints. Still life materials provided in your kit may vary from those pictured in the instructor’s guide. Use your aesthetic skills to set up the still life, making sure that all students have a good view. This can be accomplished by placing the still life against a wall and seating students in a semicircle around the set up. Another option is to place the still life on a table in the center of the room with students seated in a circle around the table. In this case, examine the set up and make sure it looks interesting from all sides, with larger objects placed in the center.

    Lesson 6 – Creating a Still Life Collage An acoustic guitar may be added to this lesson’s still life. Students will not touch, only look. Can you borrow one? You will be arranging smaller vignettes within the whole still life. Consider that all students have a good and interesting view. Be sure to complete demonstration steps in advance, as listed in the “preparation” area. This process allows students more time to work and takes their focus off “copying” your collage. You will find some students have more difficulty creating their own work than others. Encourage their artistic abilities and continue to refer to all students and yourself as an artist. Do not say that you are not an artist or you are “not good at art”. It may or may not be your profession, but we are all artists.

    Lesson 7 – What Do You Think? Students are armed with the vocabulary for making art and have created it themselves. They are now ready to question what they see and what they think about art. This process is vital to their own art making. Many new art students think that being an artist is only about being able to draw or paint well. Artists need to hone their thinking skills. What do they think about works of art and what in their thinking provides the inspiration for their own art making? As the instructor, encouraging the thinking aspect of art making will change students’ lives and open up a whole world of possibilities. Yes! The world might want to listen to what an individual student has to say and a work of art is a good venue for communication.

    Lesson 8 – Construct a Figurative Collage Follow the preparation steps and complete several of the demonstration steps ahead of time. Students will be creating their first figurative work. Breaking down the process of creating a figure into simple shapes will remove student apprehension. Remember that your demonstration piece helps the students get started. You make it look fun and simple.

    Lesson 9 – Photomontage You and the students should really enjoy the technique of photomontage. Using magazine cutouts is very empowering to young artists. Students can quickly communicate in their artwork without having to be concerned with realistically drawing or painting a figure or an object. Begin collecting magazines and catalogs early. Preparation for this lesson takes a little more time outside the classroom. Read the preparation area carefully and see examples of images that need to be torn out of the magazines in advance, placed in boxes and then labeled.

    Lesson 10 – Making a Photomontage This lesson requires a new set up in the classroom. Allow a little extra time for moving desks and tables around to make space for all the boxes of magazine images to be easily accessed. A parent volunteer or an assistant is very helpful in this lesson. Clean-up may be more extensive. Save all the magazine clippings, as they will be used in the final collage.

    Lesson 11 – Collage of Choice There is no demonstration necessary in this lesson. Students are ready to solo. There are several things that all students must include in their composition. This will actually challenge students to make a better work of art, forcing them to try things they might not otherwise consider. Check each work for these elements, as students are finalizing their layout.

    Lesson 12 – Art on Exhibition Lots of exciting preparations for an art exhibition will go on in this lesson. Think ahead about a place and time to hold an exhibition and an art opening. The lesson outlines mounting, hanging and labeling an art show. It gives suggestions for an “art opening” and gives recommendations for the students to critique each other’s work. This lesson may need to take place over several days. Taking this course through this stage provides students with a real picture into the life and career of an artist. Make an effort for all this to transpire. This experience may be the kernel that develops a Picasso of the 21st century.

    Extend your lesson Instructors—particularly those with access to computer labs—can extend their lessons by reading through many of the activities described in the Other Directions, Discussions and Destinations section at the end of each lesson. Even if there’s no computer available in the classroom, many activities can be adapted by an instructor who takes the time to visit the recommended websites before delivering a lesson. There should be extra paper available to use for extra projects.

    Consult your colleagues Many lessons in Being an Artist have cross-disciplinary applications. Talk with other teachers in your school or program about the ways in which what they are teaching might connect to your lesson. As you plan and prepare, ask your colleagues for good “discussion starters.”