The decline of observational drawing instruction in secondary art education
Written by: Connie Viney
5 min read
CONNIE VINEY, TEACHER OF ART, ST MICHAEL’S CATHOLIC GRAMMAR SCHOOL, UK
I recently attended a GCSE art and design training event. An excellent opportunity to speak to and share experiences with fellow secondary school art teachers, it was also a chance to browse a multitude of student portfolios displaying GCSE coursework and exam material. From paintings to textiles to photography, we marvelled at the diversity and creativity of student outcomes. While these types of events are valuable in gaining an insight into the creative trends of the 14- to 16-year-old demographic, one thing stood out. Within the abundance of enticing sketchbooks, research pages and refined artworks, there was a distinct lack of observational drawing. Once a stalwart of secondary art education (reflecting on my personal experience of the obligatory tonal Coke-can pencil drawings), this drawing technique, where students simply look, observe and record on paper what is right in front of them, now appears to be
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