I believe the start of the year can make or break the rest of the year. It’s the time to establish classroom procedures and expectations. There is no better time to show students what you expect with craftmanship. First, let’s nail down precisely what good craftmanship is and then what it looks like in action. Craftmanship is defined as the skill with which something was made or done. Craftsmanship includes how we handle our artworks and media and present the work. Most importantly, craftsmanship is developed over time through practice and attention to detail.
It Takes Time and Practice
One of the things we need to stress regarding craftsmanship is that good craftsmanship takes time! In this world full of immediate gratification, we need to teach and nurture patience in our students. “Trust in the process” is a phrase you will hear repeatedly in art and life. Your more experienced art students and their work are some of the best people to showcase trust in the process. It’s hard for students to see their progress from project to project, but when they know what more advanced classes are doing, it’s easier for them to see that the “proof is in the pudding,” so to speak.
One year, a scheduling accident resulted in some advanced AP 3-D students being scheduled for the same period as my Intro to Ceramics class. I feared this could be a disaster, but it worked out surprisingly well. My advanced students became wonderful mentors to my intro students, and my intro students were excited to see the projects they could tackle after mastering the basic skills. Art shows are another way for students to see the “big picture” growth as they work from intro to advanced classes.
On a more granule level, craftsmanship looks like practicing and taking great care with your work, and it’s important to build in practice and work up to a cumulative project. What does that look like to teach? Like many teachers, I have students create a value scale with seven steps from white to black when I teach value. Having taught this many times before, I talk and demonstrate what good craftsmanship looks like when crosshatching and what shortcuts I see students take. For example, I see students who put a few marks down and then try to smudge the media to create value. It’s a standard shortcut, I see. We talk about why this approach isn’t successful. Often, this type of rushing leads to poor results, which causes the student frustration, and out of that frustration grows a belief that they aren’t “good” at art. It’s important to understand that craftmanship is something that can be learned.
On YouTube, you can find many artists participating in what they call the 10-minute/1-minute/10-second drawing challenge. Showing your class one could be another good reminder that you have to invest your time in learning to draw. Even very proficient artists need time to develop their drawings.
Learn by Example
In my rubrics for projects, I have students self-evaluate on several topics, including craftmanship. After they self-evaluate, I evaluate the student. While my grade goes into the grade book, I can see if students are self-aware. In most cases, students have a good sense of their performance on a project. If not, that becomes apparent, and I can work on that with the student.
Many teachers, myself included, use project exemplars. Even if I haven’t done a project before, I like to show them a range of artworks that demonstrate how a concept can be applied. For example, if I am teaching drawing negative space, I can use examples from students, famous artists, and lesser-known artists and even include other applications, like graphic design with logos.
Art teacher Julie Yesner Gold has started creating a “Visual rubric.” She achieves this by
Photographing student work that illustrates what Exemplary, Proficient, and Approaching Proficient looks like. I treat it like a game. I let my students decide which image falls under what category and then we have an informal critique of WHY. This seems to have eliminated some of those questions. I post the images with my Learning Target and criteria for success, so when I get the ‘am I done yet?’ or ‘Is this good enough?’ I just point to the wall and respond, ‘You decide.’
Art Teacher Kendra Fairchild uses her rubric to counter the dreaded “Am I done?” question. She writes:
I hate ‘Am I done?’ Or worse ‘What grade will this get?’ I tell them ‘I don’t know, I’m not grading projects right now. But, check Schoology, there is a rubric posted, grade it yourself or have a classmate grade it.’
Critiques
Critiques can be another way to check craftmanship. I know I had a student who didn’t believe some feedback I gave her on a piece until she brought it to a Portfolio Day and received the exact same feedback from the college representative. In a different school, I invited a school or two to come in and talk about their program and give portfolio critiques to students who wanted one. I have also heard of art teachers pairing students up with community artists for feedback on their artwork.
You might consider using the TAG critique method. Tag is an anacronym broken down below.
T= Tell the artist something you like about their piece.
A=Ask a question about their piece or process.
G= Give a constructive suggestion.
I also recommend an excellent critique video from PBS. You can find that video HERE. Whatever critique style you opt for, Ask about craftsmanship and work ethic: time spent, evidence of hard work, process, and/or refinement.
In what ways do you teach craftsmanship? Share in the comments.
