An Open Invitation

To all of my wonderful art students, welcome.
I say welcome to this opportunity because it is just that - an opportunity for you to show me your work and your growth.
I know, I know...you do this each day you are in the studio, but I wanted to throw something new out there.

If we step back and we think about the big things that we've gone over with the foundational building blocks of art, we have things such as:

• line
• value
• contrast
• shape
• proportion
• hatch shading
• smooth shading
• etc etc etc

These vary slightly if you are in Art 1 or Art 2 (at least in terms of what we have focused on thus far), but all of these are important.

You pretty much always have simultaneous projects running in the studios between your "big" in-class projects and your Sketchbook (Art 1) or Independent Practice (Art 2), and what I would like to see as often as possible is that you are using the second of those to both have fun, but also show how those skills where you are less proficient are getting better. But there can be more...

So the opportunity comes in two forms:

First, come in at tutorial and/or after/before school. Many of you are just not using this time. Remember, tutorial times counts as minutes of instructional time, so please please use them. I know some of you do this, and your work is consistently better for it, but many more of you could be working during these hours each week. Trust me when I say it will give more growth, be more fun, and less stressful. Just try it out. Please (or did I say that already?!).

Second, if you want to use your time to create another drawing that shows you are getting better at the tasks that were put at hand during the still life drawing unit, please do. Create another pencil drawing that shows, for example: better hatch use, or wider a wider value for more contrast. If you want to do this and bring it in to be before November, I would be happy to work with you in a way that might increase the assessment of the still life drawing in Canvas.

I really am trying to give you the opportunity to show growth here.
What I want to see is how you can show me the initial still life drawing, what was said you needed to work on in the given feedback, and how you used those concepts to greater effect in a different final drawing.

If you want to discuss any of this with me during a tutorial I would be happy to. I won't remind you of this or talk about it in class, but I do want to give you the opportunity.
I believe in your ability to show growth, and this also gives you time - which hopefully, for those of you that desire it, will be of benefit.

Not everyone needs to do this, but if you desire this opportunity, please take it.