A recent comment on Facebook about how wonderful YouTube videos are for beginners, plus— ”they are free!” prompted a knee jerk response from me that I felt, on reflection, could stand some more thought. So here goes the first in a short series of comments:
YouTube is a great resource and I’d like to make and share a video of my own there in the near future. It’s a good way to reinforce class skills, though I notice many of the videos seem to be very short segments. Sometimes, the videos are teasers before the ask to sign up for a class. l have no problems with that.
But the downside to videos is there’s no immediate, hands-on feedback: no teacher checking your brush angle, application technique, paint viscosity, etc. I like to circulate constantly in my classes, to catch these potential stumbling blocks before they create a problem for my students. Hands-on instruction has the advantage of personalized attention. It is possible to tailor a comment to the student’s level of experience. This requires mindfulness on my part and close observation to details. Little things—like angling the easel so it is in good light but not glare, being sure the painting is adjusted to the right height—make a difference in how easy it will be to apply paint.
I especially enjoy working with beginners, there are usually no bad habits to overcome. But this is where good instruction is especially crucial and can make a learning curve a bit less steep and less long, saving time, frustration, and expensive materials.
To be continued...
YouTube is a great resource and I’d like to make and share a video of my own there in the near future. It’s a good way to reinforce class skills, though I notice many of the videos seem to be very short segments. Sometimes, the videos are teasers before the ask to sign up for a class. l have no problems with that.
But the downside to videos is there’s no immediate, hands-on feedback: no teacher checking your brush angle, application technique, paint viscosity, etc. I like to circulate constantly in my classes, to catch these potential stumbling blocks before they create a problem for my students. Hands-on instruction has the advantage of personalized attention. It is possible to tailor a comment to the student’s level of experience. This requires mindfulness on my part and close observation to details. Little things—like angling the easel so it is in good light but not glare, being sure the painting is adjusted to the right height—make a difference in how easy it will be to apply paint.
I especially enjoy working with beginners, there are usually no bad habits to overcome. But this is where good instruction is especially crucial and can make a learning curve a bit less steep and less long, saving time, frustration, and expensive materials.
To be continued...
