art/vision/voice - Maryland Institute College of Art

Blind contour drawing is a drawing exercise often
employed with inexperienced artists to develop a
connection between the eye and the hand and to
eliminate the ongoing self-judgment that can
intimidate beginning artists. In this exercise, the
participant draws the outline of an object without
looking down at the paper.
case study: maryland institute of art 23
cinder The three cap team leaders, and two other mica students serving
as cap assistants, worked well together in planning and introducing
an initial activity that was very successful. Each child was asked to
design a coat of arms as a visual representation of his or her own
individual identity. These mixed-media shields were eventually
affixed to the covers of each child’s Art Club sketchbook. Following
this project, the leaders struggled with how to take turns designing
lesson plans and build a cohesive curriculum for the overall project.
I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I felt it would be healthy if they
negotiated their own relationship and figured out how best to
work together—with guidance from me as needed.
tree There was a lot of disagreement about the next project. Mari and
I wanted to do something tactile and “free,” but [the other leader] felt
strongly that the kids should practice two-dimensional drawing skills
before attempting something three-dimensional like clay. Mari and
I were worried that drawing lessons might be a little scary for kids
who had little or no previous experience with art in school.
The third leader felt it was important to employ traditional teaching
strategies and art-making techniques and materials. He objected to
anything that hinted at “arts and crafts.” After some discussion, the group
eventually agreed to implement his idea for a drawing project, which was
conducted over several sessions and weeks. Because of the complex
schedule of the team leadership, the leader who designed the project
was rarely present to direct the exercises he had designed.
tree He wanted the kids to work immediately from life by drawing each
other’s faces. We compromised and decided to start by having them
draw an object on newsprint paper. We hoped this impermanent
medium would alleviate the pressure to create something more formal.
mari I think the drawing exercises were intimidating. When kids think
about making art, they think of drawing or painting, and it can be
scary. I think eleven to fourteen is a “realist” age—if a drawing doesn’t
look like something very specific, they think it’s bad. The kids
didn’t like the fact that they couldn’t get what they were drawing
to look “right,” even when we introduced what we thought was a
less threatening idea, like blind contour drawing.
tree The blind contours confused and frustrated a lot of the kids. So
we conducted a series of demonstrations to guide them through the
process. We thought that many of the kids really “got it” and made
really beautiful blind contour drawings. But the kids didn’t understand