Too Much Instruction

How much help should an Art teacher give their student? 

When I dug an old drawing (you can see a section of it above) out of the plan-chest at Inner Art Studio this week to use as a prop for filming with @agileability, it got me thinking. 

On my Illustration BA Hons at Kingston University I did A LOT of life drawing, and I distinctly remember the process of making this drawing. White walled studio, reclining life model and a tutor I liked. I had a bit of difficulty with one part (the drawing was lacking some form), and my tutor took my pastels and confidently and single mindedly drew over a section of my work to correct it.  He used shorted marks than I had, and the colours stayed truer. I was impressed, “but that’s not my work anymore!” I exclaimed. 

Maybe I was being precious, or maybe I was right to object? This dilemma stuck with me as a student, in my role as teacher, and in parenting. 

We want to help, guide, correct, and impart our knowledge… but we also want to allow the learner to make their own discoveries without interference. 

We want to allow an authentic path of discovery ….but we also want the learner to benefit from instruction, gain from demonstration, and resolve discrepancies in order to make progress. 

As Inner Art Tutors we constantly review and refine our teaching methods, always with the view to empowering the learner. Each tutor does it a little differently, in alignment with their own values. We're always interested in replies to "as a student, how do you like to be taught Art?"

I know for sure my gratitude for all my Art tutors who guided me from age 5, through school, college, university and beyond is huge! Each one played a part in the bigger picture whilst doing only their best with what they believed to be right at the time. I’d take all the correction and hard knocks all over again in a heart beat. I was awarded a 'Distinction' in Life Drawing by Kingston University ...so perhaps the zealous correction was all worth it.

You can read more about Inner Art philosophy here:  www.innerart.co.uk/about/aims