A Very Slow Month

And by slow I mean not much art has been getting done. Horribly busy.

I've mentioned my second job before, but I don't think I got around to saying what it actually is. I've been teaching an online class for the Academy of Art. I enjoy it a lot. It's very rewarding personally, but it is time intensive.

Billiam Franzem

The online environment is interesting and effective if the students are studious and committed; they're pretty much on their own when it comes to doing the work. It's not like a real classroom situation where I have face to face contact-- if someone doesn't turn in their homework in person I can raise the eyebrow at them, let them know that ain't right. Online, you don't have those loaded non-verbal weapons to use on the slacking student. Perhaps there's an emoticon for that...

A simplified description of the class is:

1) Students read the lessons online, and they get a homework assignment that pertains to what they've read. There is one lesson for them a week, which also involves a quiz pertaining to that lesson.

2) I answer questions the students may have about what they have read; they often come up with some real puzzlers, so I have to know what I'm doing... or I have to scramble quick and go find the answers.

3) The homework is submitted to a message board where I critique and encourage, with the students (hopefully) joining in and doing the same. In effect, I am a message board moderator that all participants sort of feel they have to be nice to. Pretty good situation!

I stray off-topic a bit and try to get some chatter going about... whatever. Mostly art, of course, but I think it gets pretty dull when we only type about homework. I try to turn it into the art-conversation forum I would like to post in.

All kidding aside it is a lot of fun, and I feel great about it when I see a student progress and improve over the semester. Can't beat it.

It does, as I said, take a lot of time, but this week is the last for me until the Summer semester begins (although I'm not sure if I'm going to do it-- I feel like I need to get some personal artwork going again! I'd rather take time off from my real job, but reality intercedes...) I have a couple of household projects that need to be addressed, but I hope to get in some artwork, too.

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Oscar Fentwick Zimm

These heads have been sitting here for some time, ready to go. I started to write a story about them, but I realized the story wasn't about either of these guys; so, I drew a couple more pictures for the story and the story grew.

I'm still working on that post. Should be done soon.

So, here are these heads. No story, but at least I gave them names.

Pencil, brush and P-shop.