‘Year 2 - ED6353 The Teaching of Art and Design 2’

"A sketchbook is a place where I can discuss ideas with myself, a place I work through and refine an idea for a good while before I will let it run around the studio, and then the world. A sketchbook is an airlock for visual thoughts. "

(Perry 2016)

I resonate completely with this Grayson Perry quote in regards a sketchbook. My sketchbooks have never been neat, or ordered but they are a visual representation of my thoughts and future plans.. writings on feelings, experiments through media and exploration through the elements. 

Here is my sketchbook for YEAR 2 ED6353 -"The Teaching of Art and Design 2"

I found this sketchbook to be therapeutic space to explore disciplines and plans that i would be doing with my classes. 

The sketchbook is broken up into a few different projects, through portraiture, theme work and art history. 

Exploring Art History themes in my sketchbook, through making short quick sketches of works from the Renaissance to jog memory regarding the movement. 

When i was in school a great deal of emphasis would have been placed on literacy skills around Art Vocabulary in Art history. The vocabulary can be quite difficult so I wanted to write some passages out to familiarize myself with them. 

A big focus for my second year group was projects dealing with Self portraiture and Experimental Portraiture. I wanted to explore different ways to capture someone in my own Sketchbook also. 

Looking at Pablo Picasso's style of Portraiture i wanted to explore perception and shape with the Second Year group. I explored this in my sketchbook. 

Before Christmas I was asked to design a backdrop for the T.Y Show " A New York Tale" based on West Side Story. This was something I had never done before but i really enjoyed it. I used the sketchbook to flesh out ideas for the backdrop. 

It was fantastic to create this with a team of two other students from the fourth year group and to see it come alive on the stage on the night. It is something i never thought I would experience and it was a great task to take on in the year. 

It was a great feeling for the students for their hard work to pay off on the opening night. 

Throughout the year a put a great emphasis on the importance of gathering ideas for your theme. Using primary source objects but also developing ideas from Music, movies, movements in time. 

Using the sketchbook for a space for experiments was also quite helpful for me to explore things like shape through print and explorative work to develop project themes. 

Developing theme work was very helpful for the the students to see how there is not a set way to work. i wanted to show the 2nd and 3rd year group that the examination booklet can be a great way to explore and experiment through disciplines and to make mistakes. the mistakes and ideas show great progress and process. 

A big interest of mine is developing students individual ideas, a great vehicle for that can be self produced zines. I decided to explore that idea in my sketchbook.

Upon reflection of this Sketchbook If i had to complete it again I would make sure i am developing ideas in a more completed way, I have always viewed sketchbooks as visual diaries a space to explore many different ideas. Yet for the students I may have to endorse a more focused in depth look at their work in a sketchbook. It has been a great tool to connect with what the students are doing in the class.

7/4/20