BOBBI HEATH PAINTINGS
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My Students Teach Me So Much

4/27/2021

6 Comments

 
Picture
 Nick's Poppies - 9" x 12" - oil on canvas board - Bobbi Heath
I love teaching painting, especially to beginners. Giving someone the pleasure of learning something new and becoming proficient at it is so rewarding.

It was when I was a teaching assistant in graduate school that I realized how much I was learning while teaching. As a TA we were limited to supervising lab work and grading lab reports. But I knew then that I wasn’t really learning until I had to teach what I knew to someone else.

Picture
One point perspective from Ernest R. Norling's book, Perspective Made Easy

I’ve been teaching painting for 10 years, and in doing that I’ve learned this lesson at a whole new level. Developing a curriculum and lesson plans to introduce people to a new subject means you have to think about which concepts to cover, the order to explain the concepts in, and how to explain the concepts to people who learn in different ways.

My approach is to introduce one or two concepts in each lesson and reinforce them by walking the students through completing a painting that uses those concepts. In a recent class we learned how to make a field of flowers look like it is receding into the distance. First, I explained the concept of one point perspective as described in Norling's book, above.

Picture
Reference Photo by Nick Fewings from unsplash.com
Next we looked at the poppy field photo by Nick Fewings, see above, which I downloaded from unsplash.com, and we observed the pattern of the flowers. Then we looked at a simplified version I made to illustrate how the flowers clump together the farther away they are until they combine into a swath of red in the distance. See below.

Picture
A simplified version of the flowers receding into the distance to illustrate one point perspective

Then we started painting. I demonstrated each step and the students painted at each step. I was very impressed with the their results. Several have allowed me to show their work, see below.

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Picture
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Three paintings created by students in my class. Aren't they great?

And a final comment on unsplash.com. There you can find lots of beautiful photos, made available to download for free, as long as you are willing to acknowledge the photographer on any derivative work that you create, such as our paintings above. Using the site provides an example of the use of copyrights.

6 Comments
Robert Tyzik
4/27/2021 07:21:11 pm

Thank you for your efforts. Will look at the website for ideas to paint.
Class has been fun and informative, it has helped me a great deal and will continue to help my efforts as time moves forward. I need to give myself time to develop. Patience is not my strongest suit.
Thanks again!

Reply
Bobbi Heath link
5/3/2021 11:35:00 am

Robert,

I'm so glad the class worked out for you. It was a pleasure to work with you. Good luck as you venture into plein air. Do stay in touch. - Bobbi

Reply
Marina Bosetti link
4/28/2021 03:55:33 am

Bobbi, painters, aren't the only ones paying attention to your lesson. I plan to use this technique on a current commission depicting wisteria in the distance.

Reply
Bobbi Heath link
5/3/2021 11:35:40 am

Oh, Marina, that makes me so happy! Please let me know how it works out. - Bobbi

Reply
Karen
4/28/2021 09:52:02 am

You are a great teacher. I’ve been amazed at how much I’ve learned in the few months I’ve studied with you. I’m working hard but you make the ideas easy to absorb so the learning doesn’t feel hard or stressful. You are so generous and patient.m that you inspire me to work harder, to prepare, to study and to think more critically. Bravo Bobbi. And thank you.

Reply
Bobbi Heath link
5/3/2021 11:36:59 am

Oh Karen, thank you so much for these kind words. It was a delight to work with you. I hope your classes with Carol take you to the next level. We will meet again. - Bobbi

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    Bobbi - Painter. Sketcher. Teacher. Boat and Dog Lover.

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  • Home
  • Shop
    • Kitchen Paintings
    • Mini Landscapes
    • Plein Air
    • On the Water
    • Note Card Sets >
      • Dinghy Note Card Set 1
      • Dinghy Note Card Set 2
      • Boats Note Card Set
      • Summer Note Card Set
      • Winter Note Card Set
    • How to Buy a Painting
    • Your Own Custom Painting
    • Gallery Representation
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Classes
    • Classes Login
    • Values Download
    • Classes and Workshops
    • What's It Like to Study With Bobbi
    • Materials Lists
  • Resources
    • Beginning Painting Tips
    • Managing Multiple Projects
    • Framing
    • Your First Plein Air
    • Notes - Confident Drawing
    • Test Page
    • Videos
  • About Bobbi
  • Contact