I was teaching a studio class in drawing some years ago. That semester the class was small, so I was able to concentrate students on using drawing to create and express their personal voices. When we got to portrait drawing, one of the students was grateful that I did not criticize their “anime” style of drawing. I explained that while it was important to know how to draw realistically, it was just as important to create artworks in the style(s) that personally resonated with them. The student proceeded to tell me about a previous experience with a class where they were actively discouraged from drawing in this anime style. It isn’t unusual for students to report that prior art instructors were judgmental about their work; for many students, there is a destructive lasting effect. 

In my appreciation course most of my students are not art majors; many of them have not had art classes since elementary school. When an assignment requires them to produce art, some of my students apologize for not being able to draw well. Others squirm in their seats for most of the class time before they draw a single line. And a few will wait until they get home to complete the assignment.

In both these scenarios the students were self-conscious about their abilities due to previous experiences and society’s expectations of what good art looks like. Early exposure to what is defined as art often centers around European visual standards from the Renaissance and beyond.  For students who lack a natural ability to easily create representational art, or the technical expertise to discuss it in the expected jargon-laden fashion, they are distressingly quick to downplay their artistic abilities…and importantly, their interest. 

Much of what we can offer, whether in the introductory appreciation class or in more advanced studios classes, is liberation from the judgements—from teachers, family, friends, and internally—that have limited students from taking artistic (and by extension, other personal and academic) risks.

So… how do we build their confidence? What can we do to get non-majors to think like artists, and get art majors to be confident enough in their vision to take risks and grow?

Here are a couple techniques I try, depending on the students and the class.

To begin…Start small. The first assignments I give are simple and usually require very little thinking. For my appreciation students, the first assignment is related to the visual elements and principles of design. I have them section their paper into ten squares and label them with each visual element from the textbook (e.g., line, color, etc.).  Next, they create quick drawings that represent each visual element. Sometimes I ask them to write traits associated with each visual element, drawn from the chapter reading. To finish up and build meta-awareness, students take pictures of their work, put them in a document, and answer self-reflective questions related to their experience. Typical questions might be What was a challenge for you? and What was easy for you? Most of the time, students discover that they can draw something! 

In my studio classes, we start with the traditional still life assignments. The first one or two assignments, I have them create with as little interference as possible, unless they ask for help. Of course, I’m walking around and giving them suggestions (I can’t help it!), asking questions, perhaps reminding them about what they learned in art appreciation. The goal is to get them comfortable with me, with creating, and with talking about what they are doing.

Next level…add a new layer of thinking. Once I get students comfortable with the idea that they can create something and that I’m not expecting the next Leonardo da Vinci, I add instructions that require them to think. For my appreciation class the next assignment gives students a short list of themes to draw: a chaotic city scape that’s asymmetrical in its design; a piece that uses shape and color to show hierarchical scale. Students have to describe how they used the visual elements and principles of design to shape their work. They must explain to me what color scheme they used and why. In future assignments I allow them to choose themes that matter to them. But in all cases students are required to use what they have learned in class both to create their art and to write about the work and their creative process… beyond “I drew a cat.”  Instead, I get answers like “The cat symbolizes my goal to be a vet. I chose an analogous color scheme of blue, green, and yellow-green to show how comfortable I am with working with cats.” 

In my studio class we spend more time discussing their choices, exploring the objects they are working with, and the different techniques that can be used to create art.

These are just a couple of strategies I use to encourage students to explore the artist within themselves. By starting with simple assignments and slowly adding more complicated instructions, students can see their growth over the semester. It builds confidence in most students…and for some, it sparks a thrilling new interest in the arts.

Activities for students:

  1. Research an art movement that developed before the 1900s or that is non-Western, and choose a work of art from that movement to analyze. What theme is present in the artwork? Create an original work of art that follows the same theme but uses modern-day imagery. Explain how your original piece reflects the art movement but uses a modern style.

  2. Select still life or genre paintings from the Northern Renaissance or Baroque period and compare them with Modern or Contemporary versions. Analyze the works formally using the visual elements and principles of design.

  3. After completing question 2 or discussing it, find objects to create your own still life using the media of your choice. Objects should be significant to you or to contemporary society. Explain what the objects symbolize once you have completed your piece.