Teaching a 10 year old

[Sanby]

I have been asked to instruct a 10 year old girl in the magnificent ways of art. So my question to you guys is, how do you teach someone so young, to "draw" I figure it won't go too in depth, but I would still like her to learn something.

Sanby

[Mort]

hehe i want to learn to.

[Qitsune]

Some might find it corny but in Drawing on the right side of the brain there are exemples of stuff they taught kids and some before and after drawings by kids younger then that.

But you can start by teaching her how to measure proportions by holding a pencil at arms lenght, I was about that age when I learned that and I did understand right.

I was also taught 1 and 2 points perspective in 7th grade so i guess she could tackle it fine with a tutor.

[Shamagim]

I would say that is important to make her "unlearn" some points about perception that she might have misundestood, for example the famous "cube" most teachers will show her to explain three dimencionality, wish is composed of a plain square with lines coming out to another square.

After that just make her observe things, dont try to explain stuff to her, make her loook at things is a way she can beggin to undestand complicated concepts by herself.


I might know this because in "graffic design" class in a particular school that i already left, people were as artistically inmature as an 8 year old kid, and thats the way they "tryed" to teach about basic drawing( guess in my country, is more inportant to get money than quality students)

[Red_Rook]

nononno, you have to understand the mentality of the 10 year old, she has to WANT to draw. Your not going to be able to teach her the figure because chances are she will not care. However if she wants to draw unicorns, then you have something to work with, you have to find out what she likes and what she wants to draw the rest will follow, cause you can instruct her on the basics, ona subject she enjoys, 10 year olds generally dont have the stamina to sit and draw cubes.

[Sanby]

nononno, you have to understand the mentality of the 10 year old, she has to WANT to draw. Your not going to be able to teach her the figure because chances are she will not care. However if she wants to draw unicorns, then you have something to work with, you have to find out what she likes and what she wants to draw the rest will follow, cause you can instruct her on the basics, ona subject she enjoys, 10 year olds generally dont have the stamina to sit and draw cubes.

See that is what I was thinking. I talked to her for a bit and found out that she likes to draw water and flowers, so I can do a lot with that. I do have drawing on the right side of the brain, and I was thinking of maybe adapting some of those exercises so that she will be more interesting. I am just going to bore her half to death if I start trying to teach her perspective. And if she is bored she won't be interested in learning and therefore won't learn anything. I think I will approach it in a round about way, start with things she likes to draw and then some how sneak in some of the basic principles, like learning how to see. The thing is she likes to draw from her head so some how I want to get her to do a bit of drawing from life as well.

Thanks for the replies everyone, I am going to have to experiment with this one.

Sanby

[Mirana]

Young kids who have an interest in art are actually very easy to teach. Even at that age, they want to learn because they're learning about something they enjoy, from someone who's good at it. Do try to branch out from the things she likes--she'll probably be excited about it.

[DSillustration]

at 10,
being able to COPY is most important.
most 10 year olds can not gauge proportions well enough replicate them.
instead, size deems importance to them... (ie. the head of a stick figure will always be 10x too large)
accurately assessing size relationships is the FIRST thing she should learn.

i would work on taking simple line drawings and have her copy them as well as possible.
make it fun for her though.
for instance, line drawings of cartoons that she likes would be good.

after that, have her start drawing her own images based on a vocabulary derived from those things she copied.
remember, humans learn through imitation.

[loomer]

Hey Sanby - I teach 10 year olds on a regularly at the local Art League around my parts. In my experience, the abilities vary tremendously at this age. You have 10 year olds that struggle to creat stick figures, and than I have had students that are just as good or better than some of the 15 year olds I have seen on this site.

The first thing I try to do is gauge where all the students are at - skill level and desire. A good still-life exercise is perfect for this. You can really get a good sense of their hand coordination and observation skills by doing this. After you determine where your student is at - you'll have an easier time creating lessons for her.

I have been surprised how much some of the more determine 10 yr. olds can grasp...kind of scary actually. I've had 10 year olds that could grasp 1 point perspective, basic light and shade...It really depends on the student.

[NightVision]

When you explain something, draw in front of her, and explain while doing that, she'll pick up a lot by seeing & hearing what you're doing.

[PeggyChung]

wow, lucky kid to get instruction at a young age..eh not that young but i know i didnt get instruction..WORK HER LIKE THOSE MASTERS DID TO THEIR APPRENTICES IN THE RENAISSANCE TIMES! shoot i would..haha man she would be l33t by 16