5 Week Flex - How to Draw Realistic Birds (and Think Like an Artist) - (Age 11-15)

FALL SEASON DISCOUNT----- Get $10 off this class for any age with coupon code CLAIRFLEX10 until Nov 30, 2022. 

For ages 6-10: https://outschool.com/classes/5-week-flex-how-to-draw-realistic-birds-kOxYuSVY?usid=agXTcdYm&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link

For ages 11- 15: https://outschool.com/classes/5-week-flex-how-to-draw-realistic-birds-and-think-like-an-artist-age-11-15-ACOjZhmt and enter the coupon code at checkout.
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This is an extended version of my one-hour Drawing Realistic Birds course.
That class is a great starting point, but there is so much to learn for a short hour. 

In this flex class, I want to take students who already have a passion and are ready to get serious about their skill, and give them an opportunity to slow down, take in all of the information I have to share, and see their skills and their confidence grow over the weeks.  This class will be fun and rewarding for all students, but it is best for those who are serious about spending time growing into an artist's mentality and improving their skills. That does not mean it won't be fun, or that students must have a certain level of skill, but it might not be the best for students who are looking just to follow along and complete a nice bird drawing.

Students will do more than simply follow along with a drawing. Each lesson will be split into two videos- a learning video and then a guided drawing video.
We start our learning with the "Think like an Artist" section, where students will be given tools and concepts to understand what gives a skilled artist the ability to bring art off the page. Each lesson, students will be given a prompt related to the concepts I have introduced to look for between classes in their daily life. This will help to create the habit of seeing the world through artist eyes, even when they are not putting pencil to paper. I will also introduce the skills and concepts of art that we will learn in this video.

From there, students can move to the guided drawing practice video. I will begin the practice video with a speed drawing of the process we will take from start to finish, so that students can see where we are headed before they begin drawing. And finally, it will be on to the guided drawing where we will see those skills and concepts implemented. Unlike the live course, students can slow down and work on the skills in their practice because they are able to pause and go at their own pace. I recommend pausing at any moment necessary.


FLEX FORMAT: 
To make up for loss of the important teacher-artist connection and encouragement in a live class, students will engage in the following:

DISCUSSION PROMPT/QUESTION/CHECK IN: Students will respond to a weekly discussion prompt and/or question(s) posted by the teacher. The prompts will vary week to week but each week will include a prompt:
-To look for the concepts they’ve learned between classes in their daily life. These prompts will re-enforce the information and improve they way they draw by learning to think like an artist.

-Questions to ask themselves about what they are experiencing internally. These are questions that I would normally prompt in a live class to assess how students are feeling about the process. I use these questions try to spot any areas of discouragement or lack of confidence since I am not able to catch it and address it face to face. Students will answer, and encourage or discuss with other students.

SUBMIT ARTWORK: Students should post photos of the completed drawings on the weekly post. If the student doesn’t feel comfortable sharing, they can post privately to the teacher as well. Sharing artwork is recommended in a flex class, but it is okay to build up to confidence in our drawings. The goal would be that they are willing to share by the end of the course.

FEEDBACK: The teacher and  the students will post feedback on each other’s work and posts.  Students are asked to post their self-assessment (critique) with their drawing each week. The teacher will also respond with a critique- one thing they did well, and one area they could improve. 

FINAL ASSIGNMENT: At the end of the last class students will be asked to film a 1-2 minute video teaching the teacher and fellow students something they have learned or discovered in the 5 weeks. This is to support the idea that if you really want to improve at something, you should teach it to someone else. (If for technical reasons a student cannot record a video they can provide us with a drawing of something that displays what they have learned with a short description.)


We will learn and practice using a series of interesting birds from around the world. 
We will visit:
North America - Black Capped Chickadee
South America - Paradise Tanager
Asia - Blue Throated Barbet
Africa - Lilac Breasted Roller
Australia - Rainbow Lorikeet

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5 week Breakdown:

Week 1: 
Part 1: Getting started, Learn to see basic shapes
Think like an Artist: 
"Safe place to fail"- Why we start with a sketch, and "Draw what you SEE, not what you KNOW"
Part 2: Guided drawing - Chickadee

Week 2: 
Part 1: Proportion
Think like an Artist:
"Warming up" connect the pencil to the eyes 
Part 2: Guided Drawing - Paradise Tanager

Week 3: 
Part 1: Shading and contrast, 3D shapes
Think like an Artist:
"Seeing shape"- Shadows and Highlights
Part 2: Guided Drawing - Blue Throated Barbet

Week 4: 
Part 1: Observation skills, Using lines and other tricks to get an accurate sketch
Think like an Artist:
"Contour line drawing"- The difference in LOOKING and SEEING
Part 2: Guided Drawing - Lilac Breasted Roller

Week 5:
Part 1: Putting it all together
Think like an Artist:
"Every drawing is practice for the next." and "Sketch like a Master"- Using straight lines to draw curves
Part  2: Guided Drawing - Rainbow Lorikeet
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Whether your student is five, or fifteen; whether they’re a long time artist or a beginner— I believe that they have the ability to be a skilled artist. The secret is simply that the skill is there for anyone to master, what it takes to be a great artist is passion and practice.

“Every drawing is practice for the next.” 
John Muir Laws