Remember 'Paul' in my blog post titled "Teaching Is Like Going On A Fly Fishing Trip" posted on 26th September?
He was the boy who refused to draw when his request to be the model for the first figure drawing lesson was turned down.
Switching Role: Paul as the model
Less fear, greater engagement
In the following week, Chas the art teacher once again had a figure drawing lesson. This time, he deliberately gave Paul the role of being the lesson model. Paul leaped with joy to be given his 'stage'!
Paul was given a relatively easy pose, seated with one foot raised on an object. In the first lesson the previous week, most students were hesitant with figure drawing as many had never been in a figure drawing class. This time, all the students were pretty prompt in getting started and some even decided to move from their original position to a new spot to get a better angle to draw Paul. This is a good sign, as the students realised the importance of observation and exercised their choice to pick a clearer angle, the start of some self-initiated learning.
Just as the previous lesson, I played the role of 'artist-in-residence' and set up easel to draw. I chose a spot that I had not covered so students from the other end of the room could get a chance to see how I draw. After last week's experience, a few students decided to periodically peep at my drawing, and that is also a good sign - they became curious.
Getting more than what one could chew
The class started off with a couple of short poses, and Paul was enjoying the attention he was getting. The glee was evident on his face.
Then we got into the longer pose, which was for 15 to 20 minutes. Soon, Paul started to feel the tension in his neck and back as he could not move or stretch himself. The habitually voluminous Paul was getting uncomfortable as he really wanted to talk but was repeatedly reprimanded by his classmates for moving his neck and lips. Within minutes, Paul was really feeling like a fish out of water.
I could see increasing posture fatigue in Paul but instead of getting any sympathy from his classmates, he was chastised for grimacing in genuine discomfort. Even his usual chatting friends got so engaged in the drawing that they nearly screamed at him for the slightest twitch. By the time I started the second drawing, a portrait of Paul, there was no trace of the initial glee on his face. Paul was just dying to get out of being the model, a role he so coveted in the first lesson.
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| My 2-minute sketch of Paul |
Drawing new understanding
A new appreciation
Towards the end of the class, Chas stopped the drawing and released Paul from his misery. Paul then went around looking at his peers' representation of him. I got him over to look at my drawing of him and he was delighted, claiming the close resemblance. A group of students marvelled at the work but for me, I know the various areas I have drawn inaccurately and I must acknowledge that my standard has dipped due to prolonged lack of practice.
I told them I have not drawn a proper portrait for a decade before drawing Paul. They wouldn't believe it. So I explained that because I have laid a strong foundation in drawing through diligent practice, the essential skills have not left me, but I do need to jump start practising again. I was trying let them see that learning will never be lost if proper foundation is built.
I went up to Paul again and asked "So it's actually very tough to be the model, right?"
He immediately concurred. Then I asked "So do you want to be the model again?"
Paul shook his head with a sheepish smile.
I did not probe further but I am certain that Paul would not volunteer again to be the model in the next figure drawing class.
Learning can still be drawn without a drawing pencil
Although Paul may not be aware of it, his experience as a model is an important learning point. He would have physically felt the strain on those muscles and joints that carried the bulk of his body weight. This understanding is very useful for anyone doing figure drawing, because he/she will be able to observe where the bulk of the model's weight is pressing, which joint of the body is the fulcrum of balance and support.
I recall while studying fine art in my undergraduate course, my figure drawing lecturer got all of us to hold the same pose as the model for 3 minutes. That was a very good strategy as all of us could feel the point on our body where the pull of gravity is the strongest. This has given us new understanding in observation and analysis and helped us capture the pose more accurately. This is certainly a key point I will highlight to Paul in the next lesson.
Participation is just the beginning of learning, and understanding can only occur when the learning is deepened. Sometimes, it takes a totally different form of participation to draw new understanding and this is exactly what Paul had done.
In the teaching of any discipline, it is impossible to expect the same level of skill mastery from every student within the same timeline. There are two positive outcomes from this lesson that are worth mentioning. Firstly, even the least interested students did not want to stop drawing when Chas stopped the lesson. This in itself is a huge gain as compared with previous lessons, when many of the students would stop work well before the end of the class and stood at the door, waiting to be dismissed. The second outcome is, one of the least engaged students, Paul, came away with a new level of understanding at the end of the lesson despite not having drawn anything with a pencil.
I am happy to see Paul's smile when he looked at his portrait. So I gave the portrait to the model. I hope to see him engaged in drawing in the next lesson. Referencing my 26 September post, the angler is still casting the line.
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| A 10-minute portrait sketch of Paul, who tried his best to keep still. |
Till I write again...
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