Quick Tips for Helping Students Create Successful Artwork
1 Identify strengths.
When you look at student artwork look at the potential. One area maybe incredible, while others are not. Help the student identify the strengths by asking, “Where does your eye go to first? What is the strength in your work? What makes you say that?”
2 Identify the area(s) for change.
Many times the change needed in an artwork is compositional; the point of emphasis is in the center, there is more than one area fighting for dominance, or the artwork looks like two separate compositions all together. Other times a change is necessary to disguise or cover a poorly drawn area, muddy colors, or a spill that sticks out like a sore thumb!
The usual culprits
· Point of emphasis in the middle of the picture plane
· No background or contextual information
· Lack of contrast
· Narrow value range
· No sense of lighting
· Smudges (either on purpose or accidentally)
· Insensitive sketchy line
· Tight drawing
· Little or no connection to the kid
· Poor craftsmanship in a particular area
· Proportional problem
· feels unfinished
3 Don’t be afraid of change.
If you are not afraid to help change the appearance and even the intent of an injured, but potentially great artwork, your students will be more likely to do so as well. Always ask permission, “What do you think we can do to make this artwork more successful?” Listen carefully and weigh the likelihood of success. If you feel that the student’s idea will do the trick, go with it! However, you have been on the planet longer and may come up with an alternate suggestion. Offer it. Ultimately, it is the student’s decision whether to use it, alter it, or ignore it.
4 Easy fixes.
My friend Ellen says, “When in doubt cut it out, rub it out, or cover it up.” I believe it too.
· Use a scissors or x-acto knife to remove part of the image or background
· Mount the remaining image on another surface. Most artworks look better on black, kraft paper, cardboard, or papers other than white.
· Prepare papers with a collage of tissue, newspaper text, scrap paper, or mixed media to be used as a mixed media background for recovering works of art.
· Wrinkles are good!? Crinkling up background or the paper itself adds texture to the work.
· Gesso, gesso, gesso! In addition to obliterating the image in question, tight works can get loose. Student-artists can draw in it while it is still wet and if they hate the result rub out the line with their finger.
· Paint it Black just like the old Rolling Stones song. India ink and/or charcoal can cover many issues.
· Mix it up by adding collage elements to the work. Warning – if you only add the element in one area it looks like you are trying to cover a mistake. There is magic in multiples.
· Cut the image entirely into strips, circles, or squares and reassemble it.
5
Encourage intensity.
Intensity manifests itself in many ways. An intense work demonstrates that the student-artist has immersed him or herself into the work. Their efforts demonstrate that there are no abandoned orphans in the artwork – each aspect is well cared for. Special attention is paid to:
· Detail
· Lighting
· Composition
· Value range
· Line
· Texture
· Unity with variety
· The point of emphasis
· The balance of positive and negative space
6 Focus on the positive.
Making art is such an incredible life lesson. Kids need to know that things are not always perfect and that in many cases you can do something about it – especially if you are willing to change your mind.
Making art is a process in many of the same ways that life is a journey. We sometimes visualize our completed artwork, only to be disappointed by the finished product. The metaphor is obvious – we don’t know where our life’s journey will take us and the same can be true with our artworks. Sometimes we just have to realize that the artwork has taken a new, unplanned direction and it might just be a cool thing to see where it takes us.
7 Find the kid.
When students copy from photographs and/or artworks that they have found on the Internet, in a magazine, or newspaper they lose a little bit of their artistic selves in the process. Part of our job is to help them find themselves. It is harder to find yourself if you are copying someone else’s artistic identity. Encourage students to use their own photos or reassemble parts of others works to express their own personal artistic statements.
8 Where’s the hook?
Look at the artwork and ask the questions:
· “What is this artwork about?”
· “What makes it compelling?”
· “Does it make me stop and think?”
· “Does it stop me and evoke a strong emotion?”
· “Does it captivate me by the artist’s love of it?”
· “What is the WOW factor?”
9 Use kinesthetic strengths to improve compositions.
· After disassembling artworks, students can use their hands to move the pieces around to compose a variety of compositions and then select the best. It often seems easier for their hands, eyes, and brains to achieve strong compositions.
· Cut a viewfinder or use an old mat to help the student identify the characteristics of a strong composition.
10 Use technology.
Technology is nothing more than another tool in your art bag of tricks. The thing it does best is that it allows student-artists to risk fearlessly.
· Scan the image and print it out - then draw, paint, collage on it, or add it to a 3-D surface.
· Scan the image and edit it in Photoshop.
· Crop to create stronger compositions.
· Photocopy the image in different sizes on different papers.
· Photocopy or scan and print the image on transparencies add them to a prepared paper or previously created artwork.
· Use a copy of a student photo or digital image as an offset transfer for a painting, or print.
marilyn traeger polin
