Walter Smith was born in England in 1836 and started studying art at a young age. He was recognized for his work and commitment to the British method of art instruction. Accepting drawing administrative positions in Boston in 1871, Smith soon after established the Massachusetts Normal Art School which prepared art teachers. Smith also made great strides in the history of teaching drawing by organizing student exhibitions and lecturing throughout the northeastern states and Canada. His approach was comparable to American drawing instruction of lines, geometric shapes, and line drawings of copied objects. However, vocabulary and verbal description was equally important in Smith’s teaching. Under Smith’s drawing instruction, students had to learn more than just copying images. Unlike genteel art instruction, scientific principles and rules of drawing became more important than just appealing drawings. Smith’s drawing instruction was dry and rigid but contained common sense and amusing inspiration. His teaching style encouraged students and developed their self-confidence. Dictation drawing was an oral method he used in order to gain student interest and excitement. Eventually Smith developed his own series of drawing books to replace his tattered collection of drawing examples. Through these lithographic drawing books, he could effectively teach his passion--industrial drawing. Teacher's Manual for Freehand Drawing
Laurie Myers
I believe everyone can learn to draw! Through this blog, I will be presenting my research of comparing methods for teaching drawing throughout history. ArchivesCategories
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