The Importance of Drawing
If you ask many people, including myself, if they can draw they will automatically say no. However in today’s workshop, I learned that you do not have to be exceptional at drawing or be able to draw a clear object to be able to draw. In fact, by making a simple mark or dot on a piece of paper you have started a fantastic expression through drawing.
Throughout today, I learned that ‘arts integration is an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both.’ (Lynne B. Silverstein and Sean Layne, 2010).
During the workshop, Diarmuid reinforced how significant a child making a simple dot on a piece of paper can be. It is the starting point to something creative, and as the child adds to that one dot a picture starts to form. A drawing does not have to consist of lines or scribbles.
We watched a short presentation on the book, ‘The Dot’ by Peter H.Reynolds. The Dot is a picture book about a girl named Vashti who thinks she can’t draw. However, with a little encouragement from her teacher and self-belief, Vashti is able to create a piece of artwork which she is proud of and the lesson of everyone can draw is instilled in her which she can then pass on to younger children. Below is a clip of the book being read aloud.
Below is a variety of pictures showcasing that small simple marks can be interpreted into objects, animals and many other things. For this task, we were given a large piece of paper, black paint and a paint roller. The aim of this task was to use our hands to create a drawing or expression using different parts of our hand. The key aspect of learning was to realize that no two drawings would be the same, as by using different parts of my hand it made the drawing unique.
References
- ‘Defining Arts Integration’ by Lynne B. Silverstein and Sean Layne 2010, The John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts.
