Art Teachers

[[Faelan]]

I've heard from a lot of people that the reason they never became artists was because an art teacher crushed their dreams in some way.

There are obviously really good art teachers. I personally have had really good art teacher experiences and really bad ones. Generally, the art teachers who are teaching adult classes are better and more liberating than high school teachers.

What were some of your worst art teacher experiences and why were they so gosh-darned bad? What do you think are the biggest reasons why art teachers turn potential artists away from the trade?

 

[Chinchillin Villain]

I was blessed to have both supportive and unsupportive art teachers in school. I feel as if both kinds are necessary for a good artist. The unsupportive types helped me realize that not everyone is going to appreciate my style. And no matter how good you draw, not everyone is going to like it. It's something that every artist needs to come to terms with one day. Artists who give up because of a critical or down right vicious critic, are just artists who haven't come to terms with the whole "not everyone is going to like your work."

It's unfortunate that school teachers don't encourage and nourish a creative mind, but secretly, and probably unintentionally, they're teaching another valuable lesson to aspiring artists. Art is subjective, not everyone's going to like it.

I personally had a teacher in grade 8 tell me to stop drawing, that I'll never succeed in a art related career. And I've proven her wrong. She told me that and it t*cked me off so much I made it my mission to prove her wrong. She probably shouldn't have said that to a student, especially at such a young age, but she did. Thankfully it didn't discourage me too much.

The other discouraging thing I've heard through ALL of my art training is "If you're in it for the money, get out now." It's discouraging knowing that in an art related career it's very difficult to make a comfortable amount of money. But I believe that most of us pursue an art related career in order to enjoy our work. Not so much to make millions.  

[theannacracker]

I only had one art teacher in high school, and she was horrible. However, that never really stopped me from going to lifedrawing sessions, digital painting, and improving. I think the people who are really passionate and know they are going to be an artist are a bit harder to turn off from the craft. I can understand how a hobbyist can be discouraged easily from drawing.  

[ChaoticOasis]

The worst experience I've ever had wasn't even with an art teacher. It was with a teacher at a stop motion animation class I took when I was 12. We were put into groups and we were asked to draw characters that we could put into our short movies. In my group, one boy and I were the best artists, but I was better (a better understanding of anatomy, design, and cleanliness to the characters I made). I had an anime-influenced style, and he a western-comic-strip style. The teacher chose his over mine because she said my characters were unoriginal because they had big eyes and colourful hair. Haha, I remember I almost started crying.

I learned nothing from that experience unfortunately. I simply went on with my anime-influenced artwork. Now my style has developed to a point were I believe I'm on the edge of western and eastern art, as both have inspired me. I really like the artwork I'm doing, and I am and will always strive to be even better.  

[Freiheit]

I never had a "bad" experience and to be honest, I encourage art teachers to beat their students and make them give up art; art is just not for those who need cuddles and constant reassurance. I would describe my general experience with art teachers as "blah". None of them, whether at highschool or university were talented and only one or two were good pedagogue. On their defense, I always kept myself a step ahead and their classes were well adapted to the rest of the class.  

[Joojoo Bug]

I personally LOVE art classes. I have been taking classes from my teacher since 8th grade, and I have grown rapidly from her training. She takes classes from Watts Atelier, so she knows her stuff. I have been taught how to really "see," the planes of the face, soft/hard edges, line quality, coloring skin tones...TONS. I absorb it like a sponge. It's great.

But sculpture classes, I've had bad experiences. I went to CSSSA, which runs a summer program at CalArts, and I was forced to take sculpture classes. I always considered sculpture like molding clay or using plaster or chipping away marble or something. But here, it was cardboard in a workshop. And the teacher wanted us to make something that "made music" or whatever. Most boring class ever. I don't like breaking my back to go out of my way to cut things out, hot glue things, etc...all that masculine hands-on work for something I'm not inspired to do.

Now I want nothing to do with sculpture. Dx  

[TwIsTeD_Animator_90]

I've had some pretty good art teachers, I remember this one that gave me nothing but -A and it made me strive to progress so I could get that +A, lol that sounds a bit weird oh well. I did have this one paint teacher though, she was more with the yelling and pointing out every tiny mistake I made, then she was was with trying to help me fix the mistakes...... yeah, I don't go near paint anymore, always reminds me of... her.... lol.  

[Pepe Nameless]

I had some pretty good experiences from art teachers.


On the other end. During student teaching I can see how students can find a art classroom rewarding or crushing.

I had an assignment where students were to draw a rough draft of a book/comic cover, then draw the final version on a nicer sheet of paper.

This girl draw a full figure person with the feet cut off the end of the paper. She wanted to turn in the rough draft as the finished piece. I suggested she make the final version and draw the figure with the feet in the picture as well. She can use the redraw as an opportunity to improve her rough draft.
She was very upset by this. She didn't want to have to draw the figure all over again.
(Eventually she complained to the cooperating teacher, and the teacher interfered and allowed the rough to be her final. Or wait... I think she cut it out and glued it to the final...)
I hate to think that I was too hard on her. I just thought if you are going to have a rough draft then a final draft you change your work from rough to final.

I think that's why I'm not really trying to get a art teaching job right now. It's not like if the student doesn't listen to a critical critique mean that they will be graded down. (Actually it's the Middle and High school students that turn in late or not at all that receive low grades. Everything else is A's and B's.)



I wonder what art teachers people hate more... the kind that give critical critiques or the kind that give boring assignments?

I think boring assignments get me down.  

[Copic-Kun]

One of my pretty bad art teachers was a few years ago I was taking a summer class, and the art teacher would always compare my art from a better students. Then she told me to my face "I dont think you can accomplish your artistic goal" She said that to me in front of the whole class. I was really close to crying. I didn't learn anything from her.
One of my best art teachers was in 6th-8th grade at my school. She let me do a art mural on the school walls. I loved her she was really nice.  

[Noses Sniff Roses]

I've never actually been to an art class but I think art isn't for people who can't take critisism. Not everyone is going to like your work.  

[Princess Serikiyo]

I totally agree, I was one of those kids.

I remember in 10th grade I took a computer art class. I wasn't very good at it, so I was expecting to actually learn how to use photoshop better and learn some new techniques, right? Well, he was a great computer artist, but a very poor teacher. Rather than teach us HOW to use the program, he just assigned us macs and said to EXPLORE photoshop on our own. Sure I learned a few new things on my own, but I feel I could have learned so much more if he had actually sat down an demonstrated the program. There just wasn't enough direction or structure for me.

That and he would turn around and mark me poorly on assignments and did not give any constructive criticism on how I could do better when I didn't know what the heck I was doing in the first place cuz he didn't teach photoshop! Ugh! stressed

This was def my worst art experience. I had always excelled in art, so I was very discouraged after that class. I can handle getting a bad grade, but I'd like to be able to learn my mistakes and get better; very frustrating with having no feedback. It turned me off of any other art classes for the rest of high school.

I'm only now coming back to art and have been taking a few classes throughout college. They've been great! Excellent teachers, very challenging. I haven't been getting the best grades, but I'm learning so many things that I missed out on in high school and you can see a significant improvement in my work. I'll actually be switching my major to Art when I get back. smile