Block 2 is now (as of 12 midday today) officially finished, the essays have been handed in and the students are off to their next posting. We managed to finish on a high after a slight blip in the life drawing last week. As usual with these things, the attendance falls off towards the end as people realise they have more pressing things to do, so last week there wasn’t anywhere to hide. With only two students left in the class I think they were feeling a bit exposed and a slight crisis of confidence ensued. I had been racking my brains (unsuccessfully) for a stratagem to get round this for the final week, but fortunately the class was back on form on Wednesday. We have parted friends, although I did wonder, after last week….
We’ve been assessing the students’ sketchbooks in the category of “use of learning resources”, but the standard has been so high that it seems a shame to lose them under a catch-all heading. I’ve suggested we could invent a sub-category exclusively for the sketch books, and this should be in use next year. To my surprise, the idea seems to be popular with the students as well (based on a study group of two).
I’m hoping that one of the students may submit an abstract for the Graphic Medicine conference in Leeds in November, although I think a certain amount of brachial manipulation (arm-twisting to you, guv) may be required. Let’s see what the essay looks like when it’s finished, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. More info from http://www.graphicmedicine.org/
Block 2, week 3 (or 2 and a half, depending on how you count it.)
I haven’t posted anything recently as I’m rather running out of new and intelligent things to say. The current batch of students has chosen interesting topics to write about (Death, culture & anatomy, and Neuroanatomy and illustration for patients) and everyone is doing really well at the life classes. There’s a good, relaxed atmosphere in the classes which (I hope) suggests that people are enjoying the experience even if/when the actual drawing is proving frustrating.
I may have said written this before, but drawing isn’t always easy, and surely it’s better to struggle and be successful in the end than to produce slick, stereotyped accuracy. After all, if you could get it “right” first time, and every time, there wouldn’t be much point in drawing anything more than once, or possibly twice. The more you look, the more you learn (cliché, cliché).
Our professional model was on holiday during the first week of the present Block, and one of the students from the last Block volunteered to pose – fully clothed, I hasten to add. She claimed to have enjoyed it (I was giving her a lift home at the time, so she couldn’t really have said anything else), and found it difficult – as expected – and enlightening – as hoped. It is a strange experience to have people staring at you intently, and recording their thoughts about you graphically for you to inspect. Somewhat analagous to being on the examining couch, rather than standing by it?
No new drawings to add to the blog this week, but the bunting was out again on Dr. Bellyse’s memorial in Audlem. This proably wasn’t anything to do with Dr. Bellyse himself of course, but it would be nice if it were.
