teaching

[egypturnash]

I had an interesting experience just now. I got to truly understand the joy there is in teaching. Puzzling out the drama that tabriscoonz' latest picture accidentally generated, I saw someone praising her work and Illustrator-handling, which got a self-effacing reply that referenced the fact that (I think) my stuff is part of why she got into the program, and that I've given her advice when she's asked for it.

Dunno how much she might consider myself an explicit student of mine or anything like that. She's mostly picked it up on her own, I've given her directions, offered technique when she asked for some, tried to give useful answers to "that effect is so cool, how did you DO it?". Loose, disconnected, on and off mentoring, not any formal teacher/student relationship. Explaining how and why I work, but trying to never say "this is the one true way".

An informal student of mine, sort of, is off on her own path. Sue, I think you've pretty much drifted from apprentice to journeywoman with regards to AI, you're finding your own match between its strengths as a tool and yours as an artist. One of these days you'll be boggled to hear me ask you how you did some technical effect. Sure, you don't know all the uses of the tool. Neither do I. Just don't sit back on your ass and stop experimenting and learning now that I've waved my Vector Goddess of Furry Art hand (a dubious title at best, and one I apply to myself sarcastically) and said you're good. 'Cause somewhere after journeyman comes mastery. And there's probably something after that too but it doesn't have any formal title. I dunno if I'm a master of my artistic idiom or not; it's not something you can tell from the inside. I'm somewhere past 'doesn't suck'. It's only five years since the first piece I did in AI. Far longer since I started drawing, of course. Mastering one tool is not the same as a whole craft.

And it feels really good to tell someone they're no longer a student but a younger colleague, that you're not sure there's anything you have left to formally teach them about this arcane knowledge you've filled up on and shared. Swap tips, yeah, but the fundamentals are passed on, it's all artistic decisions now.

---

I was going to say some stuff about teaching in general here, but my thoughts aren't quite organized on that, and I need to get away from the computer for a bit before spending all night on Flash. Again. (Tangent on that: I know part of why some past co-workers hate me now. The constant ire Flash produces in me because it just doesn't work with my brain in some deep way makes me a very unpleasant person to be around when the purpose of being together is to wrestle Flash. And I don't want to stick around the place of pain afterwards to interact on other subjects, I just want to vanish home... so they never know anything but a dark cloud beaming hate and stress at a monitor.)

Comments

[tabriscoonz.livejournal.com]

aw, I almost started to cry.

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

So did I.

[ourasquirrel.livejournal.com]

Yep. My girl rules. ::nod:: And so do you.

[paka.livejournal.com]

Just in case you wanted or needed to know, you've had a profound influence on my drawing, even though I haven't really messed with computer coloring yet. Anyone can rip someone a new asshole, far fewer people would do it and still be kind and polite, and nearly nobody would respond by xeroxing and mailing their course handouts about drawing figures. Thanks, again.

[hydra-velsen.livejournal.com]

It's also a sad thing to let go, and it's also hard to accept when the student surpasses the master, but it happens, and one should be proud when it does.

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

Nah, it's good to let go, it's an accomplishment, it means the mentor did something right when they get to say "you're a junior colleague now, not an apprentice'. And the mentor should be pretty damn embarassed if any but the most astoundingly brilliant student surpasses them, because it means the mentor's been sitting on her ass...

Being around Spümcø meant working on a daily basis with people who were better artists than I am now fifteen years ago. I still felt like a know-nothing can't-draw, until one day when Jim Smith brought in some of his really ancient stuff, a few back in high school. Jim's a master of solid drawing and muscle stuff; he knows every muscle in the body, he can construct anything from just about first principles. And then here was this drawing by him that was mediocre superhero ripoff copy art. And I realized, hey! Jim's art sucked once too! There's hope for me yet. Man has that many years of practice on me, of course he kicks my ass. He'd better. Only way I should ever draw something better than him is if his brain starts to cave in, or if he has to switch to the left hand because the right one stops working, or because he up and dies, and I happen to live rather longer. Which I probably won't, given the assorted unique risks of my life.

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

Not that you need any more ego boosting, but I learned not to stress so much about perfect vectoring when doodling from your Revar you did a while back. That made me feel so less stressful about Illustrator.

... Not that it really matters, but how did you get fandangoed into the Flash Project anyway? If you can say anything that doesn't tell us what the said project is, that is.

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

Being broke had a little something to do with it! Then just as I was getting started I got a flu, and this put a monkeywrench in the works.

And thanks. *grin*

[dv-girl.livejournal.com]

Ohohoh! Can I join the School of Peg?