Students in Mrs. Holmberg's Drawing and Painting I class took their drawing skills outside to sketch scenes around the Upper Campus.
Last week, these 9th-12th Grade students scattered across campus, from the Gym to the Library to the picnic tables, to sketching their surroundings in their journals. In preparation for this activity, students had an opportunity to get some experience with a viewfinder in the classroom. A viewfinder is a small portable window that creates borders around whatever it is held up to and, while deceptively simple, is a powerful tool that allows artists to crop, design, and focus on the world around them. For centuries, artists have used viewfinders to help frame and compose artwork.
Students in this introductory course have been working on their observational drawing skills in the classroom this semester. Taking their viewfinders outside allowed them to apply these skills in the real world. Some students drew close-up images, such as an exit sign, while others took a long view and sketched the panoramic mountains visible from the Upper School Plaza balcony, turning everyday items like benches, plants, stairways, and trees, into art. Taking time out of a busy school day to look at the world and attempt to capture it in two dimensions is an excellent opportunity for students to not only improve their observational drawing skills but also practice focus and independence and gain more awareness of their environs. The goal of the project is not just to get better at drawing but to take time to look around and hone one's observational skills by highlighting things we usually take for granted.
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