art appreciation, free artist studies, lessons & a bit of a book review

Have you been wondering over what creatively constructive ways you might spend some of these long summer days with your children? Yet, at the same time thinking that it needs to really not feel like work, and certainly not work of the schoolish sort?!

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. ~John Lubbock

Well, I know ONE thing that we’ll certainly be doing this summer, along with lying in the grass and watching the clouds float by… we’ll be doing some serious critical/creative thinking brain exercises making ART!!

…which is actually more closely related to the above quote’s sentiment than you might think!

And all the kids and their mamas said *YAY!*{Savi (3.5yo) painting over her collage work}

You may remember the post I’d shared a couple of months ago regarding a wonderful (online) art workshop that the kids and I have been taking… well, it has been such a blessing to all of us here.

As my own artistic vision has been renewed, and I’m once again eagerly perusing through old art books of mine from yester-years with interested kids, I’ve been reminded of what an invaluably worthy endeavor our artistic pursuits, which so easily get pushed to the back-burner, truly are; however, not only for the sake of the art created, but even more so, for what the process itself instills within the student.

“I believe that this training for precise perceptions is one of the great bonuses of learning to draw. One really does learn to see better through drawing, to see with greater precision and finer discrimination. I feel sure that you can extrapolate the importance of this to general thinking skills. We often describe creative intelligence as ‘the ability to see things clearly.’” ~ Dr. Betty Edwards, The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

Nathan (15yo son), who doesn’t consider himself *artistic* by nature- as opposed to his sister’s naturally artsy inclinations, wasn’t as keen on this art class as us girls were… and I have thus been all the more thankful for the timeliness of our taking this art class together, and the new-found inspiration towards artist study that it’s further inspired in our home.

In fact, after facing the frustration of the first contour drawing lesson, Nathan wasn’t even the least bit too enthusiastic about it. at. all. However, as we’ve been reading through various artist bios and how-to books together, he’s since coming to appreciate the main reason I really wanted him to join us and give this course I’m designing a good, hearty effort (besides just to earn an elective credit for “Art” on his transcript)… realizing that it is about the process, and that there’s no such thing as *perfection* or *not doing it right*, just so long as we’re tuning into trying, , and learning to see better… allowing ourselves to enjoy these exercises that will help develop our whole brain, withOUT self-induced pressure to perform.

“Ultimately, the goal will be to develop both halves of the brain. Both modes are necessary for full human functioning and both are necessary for creative work of all kinds, whether writing or painting, developing a new theory in physics, or dealing with environmental problems.” ~ Dr. Betty Edwards, The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

Besides working through the portraiture and painting workshop, along with some artist studies, I’ve also been reading through a wonderful book, sharing snippets with my high-schooler and middle-schooler, which I’d also like to highly recommend to all parents and teachers: The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Dr. Betty Edwards. Once we finish Jane’s workshop, I plan to continue our *art course* with the many interesting, and accessible exercises suggested in this book.

“The left hemisphere analyzes over time, whereas the right hemisphere synthesizes over space.” ~ Jerre Levy, “Psychobiological Implications of Bilateral Asymmetry,” 1974 {excerpted from The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain}.

We’ve been learning more about how the brain (both Left and Right sides) function, and thus, my kids are realizing that learning to *see* clearly, though initially for the drawings-sake is about more than just *learning how to draw*, or ending up with a pretty picture, though Nathan is now enjoying that aspect as well. It’s about the very process, and the way one’s brain is exercised in the exercises… Let me share just an excerpt of what we’ve been reading to better demonstrate what I mean,

My students report that learning to draw makes them feel more “artistic” and therefore more creative. One definition of a creative person is someone who can process in new ways information directly at hand- the ordinary sensory data available to all of us. A writer uses words, a musician notes, an artist visual perceptions, and all need some knowledge of the techniques of their crafts. But a creative individual intuitively sees possibilities for transforming ordinary data into a new creation, transcendent over the mere raw materials.

{Tabitha working on the underpainting for her first painted portrait, acrylics over collaged paper on canvas.}

Time and again, creative individuals have recognized the differences between the two processes of gathering data and transforming those data creatively. Neuroscience is now illuminating that dual process. I propose that getting to know both sides of your brain is an important step in liberating your creative potential (emphasis mine).

The Ah-ha! response

In the right-hemisphere mode of information processing, we use intuition and have leaps of insight–moments when “everything seems to fall into place” without figuring things out in a logical order. when this occurs, people often spontaneously exclaim, “I’ve got it” or Ah, yest, now I see the picture.” The classic example of this kind of exclamations is the exultant cry, “Eureka!” (I have found it!) attributed to Archimedes. According to the story, Archimedes experienced a flash of insight while bathing that enabled him to use the weight of displaced water to determine whether a certain crown was pure gold or alloyed with silver.

This, then, is the right-hemisphere mode: the intuitive, subjective, relational, holistic, time-free mode. This is also the disdained, weak, left-handed mode that in our culture has been generally ignored. For example, most of our educational system has been designed to cultivate the verbal, rational, on-time left hemisphere, while half of the brain of every student is virtually neglected.

Half a brain is better than none: A whole brain would be better

With their sequenced verbal and numerical classes, the schools you and I attended were not equipped to teach the right-hemisphere mode. The right hemisphere is not, after all, under very good verbal control. You can’t reason with it. You can’t get it to make logical propositions such as “This is good and that is bad, for a, b, and c reasons.” It is metaphorically left-handed, with all the ancient connotations of the characteristic… The right brain–the dreamer, the artificer, and the artist– is lost in our school system and goes largely untaught…

~ excerpted from Ch.3 “Your Brain: The Right and Left of It, The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Dr. Betty Edwards

And so, there you have it; just a small nugget from this edifying treasure-trove of a read that’s about so much more than just drawing lessons, and has had me quite fascinated with the process itself these last couple of weeks. The process… our favorite part~

“These art lessons have helped me extremely with drawing facial proportions and are continuing to help me learn the value of lights and shadows. The workshop has been very fun, and I’ve especially loved how it’s encouraged my family and I to do more art together.”

~ Tabitha, age 12

“This art course has been very helpful and informative. It has helped me improve my drawing skills and my mindset when it comes to art. So far, our readings and exercises from “The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” have been very helpful on understanding how to get my mind focused and loose at the same time when it comes to drawing. It’s helped me to not over think the object(s) I’m drawing, but to really just look at them and let the right side of my brain SEE objects, without my left-brain-side TELLING me how it should look.

I’ve found it interesting to learn more about how the brain works. Drawing helps exercise the right side of the brain, which allows one to use it in other ways besides just drawing, such as creative problem solving and thinking.”

~ Nathan, age 15

As an expert on children’s art, Miriam Lindstrom of the San Francisco Art Museum, described the adolescent art student: “Discontented with his own accomplishments and extremely anxious to please others with his art, he tends to give up original creation and personal expression…. Further development of his visualizing powers and even his capacity for original thought and for relating himself through personal feelings to his environment may be blocked at this point. It is a crucial stage beyond which many adults have not advanced.” ~ Miriam Lindstrom, Children’s Art, 1957 {excerpted from The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain}.

The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Dr. Betty Edwards

{Product description from Amazon.com}

illustrated with 12-page color photo insert and line art throughout

A revised and expanded edition of the classic drawing-instruction book that has sold more than 2,500,000 copies.

When Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain was first published in 1979, it hit the New York Times bestseller list within two weeks and stayed there for more than a year. In 1989, when Dr. Betty Edwards revised the book, it went straight to the Times list again. Now Dr. Edwards celebrates the twentieth anniversary of her classic book with a second revised edition.

Over the last decade, Dr. Edwards has refined her material through teaching hundreds of workshops and seminars. Truly The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, this edition includes:

* the very latest developments in brain research;
* new material on using drawing techniques in the corporate world and in education;
* instruction on self-expression through drawing;
* an updated section on using color; and
* detailed information on using the five basic skills of drawing for problem solving.

Translated into thirteen languages, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is the world’s most widely used drawing-instruction guide. People from just about every walk of life–artists, students, corporate executives, architects, real estate agents, designers, engineers–have applied its revolutionary approach to problem solving. The Los Angeles Times said it best: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is “not only a book about drawing, it is a book about living. This brilliant approach to the teaching of drawing . . . should not be dismissed as a mere text. It emancipates.“

“The scribblings of any… child clearly indicate how thoroughly immersed he is in the sensation of moving his hand and crayon aimlessly over a surface, depositing a line in his path. There must be some quantity of magic in this alone.” ~ Edward Hill, The Language of Drawing, 1966.

Don’t judge each day the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Here’s a few FREE resources for putting together some artist studies, if you’re so inclined:

• Artist Study: Charlotte Mason Style {a WONDERFUL lens on Squidoo, absolutely bursting with ideas for you and your budding artists to explore this summer!
• The World’s Greatest Artists Unit Study offered by Confessions of a Homeschooler here! The books needed for the study will likely be found at most local libraries (ours included).
• Artist Study schedules, links, etc. at AmblesideOnline.

Students often become very frustrated at the start of a drawing– perhaps because the starting of a drawing is always difficult. Also I think students beginning in drawing believe that drawings just “flow out.” They don’t. You will be making numerous intense relational calculations at the start, and it’s only after the drawing is well started– in fact, nearing completion– that it begins to “flow.” ~ Dr. Betty Edwards, The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

So, NOW, GO! Lay outside on the cool grass with your kiddos, count clouds as they roll by, daydream, create, and enjoy every minute of this summer-time leisure; knowing that you are WORKING that oft-neglected, yet most important right-mode brain muscle.

Enrich your days, your minds–> Make some ART!

We don’t want all our children to be artists, while we do want them to feel after and appreciate what is beautiful, and let us frankly acknowledge that it is not everyone that can be taught even that much. At least then we can lose no opportunity of showing them really beautiful things, examples of great masters in painting, sculpture or craftsmanship (of which there are increasing numbers within reach)–at least we can teach them something of the beauty of nature and common things, something of the grandeur of simplicity and truth. And we can encourage them in drawing, modeling, needlework, carpentering, and a score of other things which will help them to use their eyes and hands accurately, both for their own pleasure and for the advantage of their generation.

From the Parents’ Review article “Educating the Artistic Feeling;” read the full article here

{{Click here to see my flickr set of our artwork from the Portraits and Papers workshop (which we’ll continue adding to as we create!): Portraits and Papers workshop}}

I recently began a blog especially for sharing my artistic musings and creative adventures; would love to have you visit!

Embracing the adventure,

Tagged as: art, Art class, art lessons, artist study, collage, collaging, creative thinking, creativity, delight-directed homeschooling, Dr. Betty Edwards, drawing, electives, fine art, Gritty Jane, online tutorial, paint, painting, Portraits and Papers workshop, right brain, right brain mode, summer fun, Summer Reading, The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain