Notes on learning and teaching

Most of my students during my years at The Seattle Art Institute were primarily interested in preparing themselves for jobs in the applied arts.  They were looking to attain a professional level of skill, and do it in the quickest way possible.  Most of them had student loans, a great percentage had part time jobs and some even had families to support.   I am, frankly, amazed, at the dedication and willingness to work these people displayed once they had a logical, workable process that gave demonstrable results.  Let me reiterate something I said in the introduction  “ There is a difference between wanting to draw well, and understanding the scope of the undertaking required to achieve the result.”  Thus it was of utmost importance to their  “most rapid improvement” and ultimate success that they were given a logical and compelling blueprint to proceed from. 
So, "Artistic Seeing" became a first principle of being able to draw what you see accurately.
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Nothing slows the process down more than not being able to “see” and analyze what you see accurately (see Blog entry on Artistic Seeing) 
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Any rapid progress one might wish to make will be severely hampered if they try to avoid or leapfrog this essential step.  Learn how to see at the outset, or if more advanced, retrofit it into your knowledge base as soon as possible.  It is much easier to undertake to do large quantities of work if you have been shown that it leads to the result you wish to attain.   If you are a “fine artist” with plenty of time and no worries about money and you don't want Professional level skills, than you probably aren't reading this anyway, but if you are, you should know that this approach is just as applicable to you, and utilizing the concepts embodied in this book will not inhibit see Ex. 1 your creative capacities, in fact, it will expand them by giving you an expanded tool set.
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                                          Ex. 1  "Death and Texas" Graphite 1981

When I applied to art school upon getting out of the Navy, I was older (about 30), and without a portfolio and a bit naïve regarding the admission quotas. But, they let me in as an oddball special case (I later found out) and I proceeded to have one of the most interesting years of my life - in no small measure because of my drawing classes.  Now, I am far and away a Left side dominant person and so when I talk about problems with left side memories getting in the way of “seeing correctly” I know, from epic personal struggles, what I am talking about.   I chose to be an Illustration major, so a high level drawing skill was a requisite.  In my rendering classes and mechanical drawing I was fine, and did well because I could focus in, but in the figure drawing classes I was lost.  My drawings were never finished and the parts that were, always looked like they had been “hit by a truck”.  And, of course, all (and I mean all - this was Rhode Island School of Design) of the early twentysomthings and late teensomethings in my classes could draw like angles.  My first semester instructor was sympathetic, if not articulate, and I remember him suggesting that I “be looser” “draw faster” and “let it flow”, and I was particularly distressed when he suggested I just “draw loose like Rembrandt”.  He didn’t know how to tell me what my problems were and I, though I improved, (mainly because I was looking at other student’s drawings) made frustratingly slow progress.  The next semester was more of the same though my instructor was more helpful with his suggestions (look at negative spaces, get your proportions correct I. E. learn to "measure") and my hand was making better marks.  He also suggested that I make some copies of some Master drawings and start looking at anatomy.  Well, I was so balled up in my classroom inadequacies and other courses that I didn’t pay much attention at the time.  We were from the same home town and I remember him taking me aside a few times and giving me encouragement when I was frustrated.
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I determined that I would stay in Providence that summer and really work on my drawing.  I remembered his suggestion that I copy some Master drawings, and I asked him who  he suggested.  He said  “Pontormo as a good place to start”.  He also suggested building an art library and getting an anatomy book.  Well, I found a copy of an anatomy book by a guy I had never heard of named Jeno Barcsey.  The models were strange looking but the renderings were spectacular and I began with the bones - copying them to learn about the shapes but also to learn the rendering style.  While toiling away that summer I had one of those epiphanies I mentioned in the introduction when I realized that if I used my rendering capabilities to copy drawings I admired that I could really learn technique and anatomy at the same time!  So I’m copying anatomy and I'm copying master drawings and I’m attending the open summer session figure drawing classes, and no one is telling me to draw faster or like Rembrandt!  And this led to a couple of other discoveries.  First of all.  The handling of anatomical details in the Master drawings were conventions for drawing those same body parts when I got to the live figure sessions. Now It Was Beginning To Make Sense.  Second, this stuff I was making copies of was beginning to be in my memory – I was replacing my earlier inadequate memories (Mental Constructs) with much more serviceable ones.  To be sure, these memories could dominate if I let them, but by regulating the use of the good memories with honest Right side analysis (Measuring) of the current subject I was on my way to competency.