Is it better to teach children to draw from live models? Do we do them a disservice when we have them draw from photos or illustrations? If you are like me and teach children drawing mainly at home, you might not always have access to live models. Sure, occasionally you can throw together a still life, but getting a living thing to stay still long enough to draw it - that can be problematic.
I've always wondered about the balance in the above questions, and I recently found something encouraging in Mona Brooke's second book, Drawing for Older Children & Teens. She cites research done by Dr. Margaret Dowell, an art educator from Frederick, Maryland, who found "that students who had been trained to draw the human body from photographs or photocopies of masterworks were as technically proficient . . . as students who had been trained exclusively from the observation of live models." And in an impartial judging of students' work, the less proficient drawing came from students who had only observed live models.
The overall consensus seems to be that students of drawing need to have experience with both photos and live models. But if your child only has limited access to live models, don't sweat it. Interesting photos and illustrations can be an important learning tool as well.
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| Live drawing of marine animals at the aquarium by a 7-year-old |
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| Drawing from an illustration on the computer by a 6-year-old |
Nice work! My oldest is currently using a graphic novel to learn to draw better, it is working for her right now. The book you mentioned may help her more along the way, I am going to see if our library has it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
You're welcome! It's exciting to see how you encourage your kids in the arts on your blog.
DeleteWhen I was growing up my parents always disapproved if I was drawing from other pictures. I try to encourage it with my kids, since I see it as a good exercise. Interesting research.
ReplyDeleteThat's great, Asmic! I think children will draw more frequently if they are allowed to use pictures, because of easier access. And I am convinced that the practice is what makes the difference in the long run.
DeleteIf someone feels forced to always sketch live objects and events, how often will they actually get to sketch? You made a good point in your last comment response, Sheila, practice really does play the major roll in making progress.
ReplyDeleteAnd if you think about it, the old masters had their students make precise copies of their work, so as long as one doesn't claim the copy to be of one's own origin, copying is a great learning method.
I enjoyed reading this post, thanks!
Thanks for your feedback, Simona! That is a good point about the Old Masters having their students copy their work, too.
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