I have a very distinct middle school memory of having to draw a room with accurate depth in art class. We were given rulers and had to draw proper angles, and then decorate the room to scale. Mine ended up looking like a bunch of uninspired lines and the teacher didn’t think too highly of it either.
This session was honestly the first one where I was given a piece of paper and/or materials, and didn’t immediately jump to create something. I scribbled some lines with a fountain pen, drew a few eyes with charcoal and some type of pencil, and colored in some circles with a crayon. There was no inspiration and every scribble made me feel worse about my drawing abilities. I found myself looking at my classmate’s pictures, and rather than the usual admiration, there was also quite a bit of comparison going on in my mind.
I didn’t realize how insecure I was about my drawing until that moment. It’s an art form that I’ve never been that confident with because it wasn’t one that was really encouraged, if anything, they were put down quite a bit. Because of this, my drawing skills have really stayed the same since third grade. I think that with other art forms, it’s easier to encourage more abstract options, as has been demonstrated with painting, clay, and collage.
When it came to drawing, the motivations were more concrete. We drew figures, and worked on drawing those figures in different positions. I’m sure that my insecurity skewed my perception of how my figures actually turned out. This negative attitude change only reemphasized in my mind how important it is to encourage your students. If the assignment is to draw forms or still lives, give your students to proper nurturing, tools, and variety of examples, so they can feel the confidence to create. I think when it comes to drawing, also giving the opportunity to see and create more abstract designs could also be a smooth introduction to more realistic portrayals.
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