From MaryAnn's perspective, she thinks things are speeding along in the direction she wants very well. Maybe a third of the class she can tell aren't spending any time at home practicing, as she'd asked them to, but the rest seem to be making good progress. I've noticed that the people in class have learned to take her sternness in stride, for the most part, and are trying to live up to her expectations to avoid further ire. And I think its showing in their work. These are a few of the studies that were done this week. I've shown a few different skill-levels here, and I wish I'd taken pictures of each student's previous work specifically so that I could demonstrate the change, but suffice it to say... they're getting better! So something must be working with what MaryAnn is teaching. It's been great for me. I was drawing a little bit early on in the class to get back in the mindset myself, but the last 2 classes I didn't even bring my tools with me. Instead, I've been walking around, calling out pose changes, and answering any questions students have had when I look at their work. Sometimes I'll stand there and ask where their head is at, and we'll start a discussion about how they feel about what they're doing, and how they could think differently about it. Sometimes it's been simple tool control or general drawing tips, but sometimes I just parrot MaryAnn and tell them to stand back so they can see how it looks when they're not so up close. Its been interesting how differently each student thinks about what's going on, and any time I can reinforce anything MaryAnn has said, I take it. She knows what she is about, and gives amazingly student-specific advice for every one she talks to while they draw. While initially she may have come across as a bit of a stern person, she's incredibly personable when 1-on-1. At this point in my shadowing, I'm hesitant to make many conclusions, but I can see more each class, some of the merits to her pedagogical style.
- sergelballif
