tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25706629228382089622024-03-18T22:39:06.051-05:00Aurey the Art TeacherThis is where I talk about art -- some of it about my own work, but mainly about my past and current experiences in teaching art to others, both children and adults. My portfolio sites and beta/feedback group are linked here, as well as my teacher bio at the La Grange Art League where I teach on a quarterly basis.Aureantes (aka Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00934025588482263851noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570662922838208962.post-76131684132064137872010-09-11T18:50:00.003-05:002010-09-11T19:15:15.806-05:00Fall is fall...preoccupation is natural...go with the flowSo, it seems that the Fall class is a no-go at the LaGrange Art League - simple lack of interest, reflected in a total lack of registration. Fall is always a difficult time to get students for a formal class, especially if they are either A, returning to school, or B, adult students with children of their own. Either way the deck is stacked against something that is specifically another course of study, rather than being craftsy and/or directly project-oriented, where the winter holidays do give some motivation for doing creative things. Learning/working on skills themselves, though...logically, in this clime and culture, there's less of a drive there than at other times of the year. <br /><br />I'd say that Spring and Summer are the most attractive times so far as scheduling by quarters, as the seasonal instinct is more towards opening up and experimentation and testing one's limits. Fall is a cocooning and tight-focusing time, and it really takes seeing art as a personal discipline for one to include it into one's schedule as days grow shorter and time more practicality/survival-oriented.<br /><br />At least that's my somewhat-existential read of it. So far as the simple fact of school goes, <em>anyone</em> connected to formal schooling, whether teacher, parent or student, is going to be preoccupied with starting the school year off, and will not tend to be open to new projects and pursuits. I think that as a matter of efficiency, I should simply not teach a formal course through the LGAL or any other organization in the fall, and have it be strictly devoted to single-shot workshops, flexible private/small-group lessons, and catching up on my own work for display and sales. That way I don't have have to deal with either an outside school's overhead or the minimum class registration levels that it requires, at a time when a process-focused but <em>non-credit</em> art course like mine is on the lowest-possible end of seasonal demand.<br /><br />That is my thought as of tonight, and I think that it makes more sense than repeatedly scrambling for more students at the last minute - better to keep myself advertised all year long and build greater demand for organized classes, instead of dissipating it every quarter of the year. <br /><br /><br />Thoughts? Requests?<br /><br />_Aureantes (aka Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00934025588482263851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570662922838208962.post-37914436524616766062010-09-11T01:16:00.006-05:002010-09-11T01:47:35.491-05:00Same old, same old? [Updating]I don't know why it slips my mind to update my promos here before each quarter...oh right, I do - since the blog has no regular followers, there's really not any positive pressure being exerted on me. Though, the more places I link to it professionally as my "art" website/blog, the more I logically ought to be keeping up on it.<br /><br />But really, the only thing that has necessarily changed in description for this upcoming Fall session (starting Tuesday evening, Sept. 14) is the class dates. Seeing as it isn't summer, we're back to a straight eight-week course rather than a split 4+4, which is just fine with me. I have yet to figure out how to viably condense an effective drawing course, 'unlearning' and learning both, into a four-week span, as some students missed the point that it <em>was</em> a through-composed course and not a 'taster' class.<br /><br />The main point of clarity there is that I can't give a full Art History lecture on canon and anatomy and proportions the second week if that's going to also be the halfway-mark of the course. So, ditch the scheduled lecturing, give the lecture notes as a handout - and/or have available as online resource, as in posted <em>here</em> - and perhaps we won't have issues of going off on tangents then, especially when discussing the humanistic innovations of Hellenistic art and the Amarna Revolution, which always seem to lead into a general discussion of history, symbolism, cultural anthropology and religious controversies. Not that I shy away from controversy, of course...but the point of a drawing class is to draw, and I do want to make sure that in-class time is spent efficiently on that, especially since adult students who are working and/or have children of their own cannot be <em>expected</em> to do "homework" on any regular basis, making the studio of the class itself an island of time/space to actually work within.<br /><br />For the fall, though, I can be indulgent there. And if I wind up shy of the minimum number of students for Fall quarter, then we'll see how it works out to have classes (or private lessons) at the house, as well as the usual Halloween-themed workshops. It can be done, after all, and I have the wherewithal to do it.<br /><br />_________________________________<br /><br />For reference if seen in a timely manner, here's the link to the LaGrange Art League's current class brochure:<br /><a href="http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/Classes.html">http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/Classes.html</a> - mine is #8 this time around.<br /><br />__Aureantes (aka Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00934025588482263851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570662922838208962.post-36687724554724218432010-06-13T05:12:00.006-05:002010-06-13T05:42:09.620-05:00"Real People Have Curves (...)" - Summer Session starts this coming Tuesday, June 15<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDh50NOvV_PuLxLfKrzhq31JCGic4bALCFyOddYDrewk5mgWaLN07RD-30wka_NYOOhdXpWZBOZNXNEYEYum2JiGCtF2DtY5UU88627v3JZhU6kudeshzadu-yffeZgZQHOEZtCdHauz0/s1600/Phantom1.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 154px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482201773742127554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDh50NOvV_PuLxLfKrzhq31JCGic4bALCFyOddYDrewk5mgWaLN07RD-30wka_NYOOhdXpWZBOZNXNEYEYum2JiGCtF2DtY5UU88627v3JZhU6kudeshzadu-yffeZgZQHOEZtCdHauz0/s320/Phantom1.jpg" /></a> (Things can really get down to the wire when you forget how many places there are to post online...)<br /><br />This time I have two sessions with half a month in between....they are contiguous, but you can choose just Session A if you need just a foundation, and just Session B if you already have a foundation but want to focus more on projects and feedback. Either way - students wanted, no experience necessary. Evening classes, teens and adults, convenient for summer scheduling.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8Uy4FGJSoud-6YOVZ22EXRr45RWlLvkWp_TNjYmozJgg6-ihAp7ZTg16Su3iClN2lUwTsuPdIU6Gxv47w3m9DnYSgc9TUB_5yvk-kCYDW8fnyaS5JT8ONn_vs0ihvbaSpxL3ELikJPA/s1600/DMS-Character_Drawing-%5Bcharcoal%5D-700w.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 233px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482201759021178482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8Uy4FGJSoud-6YOVZ22EXRr45RWlLvkWp_TNjYmozJgg6-ihAp7ZTg16Su3iClN2lUwTsuPdIU6Gxv47w3m9DnYSgc9TUB_5yvk-kCYDW8fnyaS5JT8ONn_vs0ihvbaSpxL3ELikJPA/s320/DMS-Character_Drawing-%5Bcharcoal%5D-700w.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnCY-SSFAeY4CW2DeD3KjH8ZZFsjGwDma2EamGyIo2cLyyQaXCPQRJ0PhDVNGzZKeysx3YG7D4UwAVoCxAM0di_UueqKha39QdlK0YDZaJh3OdmkA6h5rsdIpRZ5Df4CK4I2HxnvViUU/s1600/HelloSplitWill-crop_only-%5B5'x7'-180dpi%5D.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 217px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482204605540729346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnCY-SSFAeY4CW2DeD3KjH8ZZFsjGwDma2EamGyIo2cLyyQaXCPQRJ0PhDVNGzZKeysx3YG7D4UwAVoCxAM0di_UueqKha39QdlK0YDZaJh3OdmkA6h5rsdIpRZ5Df4CK4I2HxnvViUU/s320/HelloSplitWill-crop_only-%5B5'x7'-180dpi%5D.jpg" /></a><br /><br />#07 Real People Have Curves (& Bulk & Tension & Shading)<br />Beginner to Intermediate<br />Instructor: Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr<br /><br />Session A: 6/15, 6/22, 6/29, 7/6<br />Session B: 7/27, 8/3, 8/10, 8/17<br /><br />Time: 6:30 – 9 pm ground floor gallery<br /><br />Whether you’re a beginner in art or a continuing student of the human face and form, this multi-medium drawing class will jumpstart and challenge your powers of observation and conveying what you see onto the page. Anatomy and proportion, shading and color rendering, capturing gesture and likeness from both live poses and media resources — stretch your artistic muscles, gain confidence and amaze your friends and family. Weekly assignments, personal project options & critiques. Supply list available at registration (media include crayons, coloured pencils, charcoal and oil pastels, as well as pencils and pen/ink if interested).<br /><br />Session A is 4 weeks $60 m / $68 nm<br />Session B is 4 weeks $60 m/ $68 nm<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/Classes.html">http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/Classes.html</a> <br />(full listing and registration info)<br /><br />La Grange Art League<br />122 Calendar Ave<br />La Grange, IL 60525<br />708-352-3101<br /><br />_______________________________________________<br /><br />KAGEN AURENCZ ZETHMAYR has taught at the La Grange Art League since 2006, and has been active as a freelance artist for over twenty years, doing everything from concert/theatre programs to commissioned portraits of pets and people, fantasy art/illustration, set paintings for stage productions, elaborate Halloween décor of lifelike (deathlike?) dummies and masks, and even period-accurate costume design for a courtier at the Bristol Renaissance Fair. With both performance and technical experience in live theatre, he focuses on the conjunction of human face, form and character, emphasizing both the psychological and the physical aspects of capturing a convincing likeness. His education includes Columbia College Chicago (BA) and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, with prior experience as a staff artist for The Lion and Menagerie at Lyons Township H.S. As an instructor, he emphasizes the importance of “unlearning” assumptions, dismantling mental blocks and strengthening observational skills, and in personal practice he believes in creating/showing character and mood as effectively as possible, whatever the scene and whatever the medium.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/Teachers.html">http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/Teachers.html</a>Aureantes (aka Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00934025588482263851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570662922838208962.post-10248979054378519202010-01-05T07:23:00.003-06:002010-01-05T08:04:19.653-06:00Regarding the class title change.......I almost asked for it to be switched back before the Winter brochure went out, but it was such a minor and apparently-frivolous request to make that I let it stand as I'd revised it. And later received a favourable comment -- thanks, even -- for having changed it. <br /><br />As you might recall if you've followed my class-promo posts here or elsewhere, my original class title was "How to Draw Real Live People" -- which works aptly enough as a general description and makes no confusion as to the subject. It is a bit simplistic, though, and more suited to kids' classes than to ones courting older and more self-directed attention, so when the idea came to me I basically recomposed both the title and the course description within an hour at most. It's more witty, more knowing, more concrete....not quite so spelled out, but then, if I had had a class title from the start that was (as most instructors' are) simply denotative, it'd have been a rather dry "Dry Media Figure Drawing and Portraiture I/II" or something of the sort.<br /><br />Most fine art classes, outside of college, are either life drawing or portraiture, rather than trying to address both at once. But when you have both the need for accurate foundational anatomy and the emphasis on characterization overall within the face and body and gesture, to call it just one or the other would be inaccurate. And, as I always point out, what we <em>think</em> we know about the way people look is often a bare shorthand reduction (and effectively a distortion) of what is actually there to be observed and conveyed. Real people have curves -- not straight lines for legs and spines and arms and mouths. <em>Bulk</em>, not stick-figure leanness/paper-doll flatness or weightlessness against the ground...<em>tension</em>, not blankness or total passivity (even in repose)...<em>shading</em>, not just lines and fillings-in of the most-apparent colour, relying upon the telegraphing of detail to take the place of real rendering of detail. <br /><br />In order to see what is there, we must break down the assumptions of what has always been enough to go on in the usual mostly-subconscious way of recognizing and "reading" people, and bring our thought-processes forward so that we actually can <em>see </em>what we are seeing, perceiving it on the physical level as well as the plane of psychological and emotional interpretation whereon we interact as persons -- and illuminating the latter more clearly as well.<br /><br />Which is all a bit complexly analytical-sounding, no doubt (typical for me, if not unavoidable)...but it works, it really does. And hopefully this change of name gives a good upfront idea of the gist of my deeper-developing method.Aureantes (aka Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00934025588482263851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570662922838208962.post-36708319062328802262010-01-05T06:26:00.002-06:002010-01-05T06:33:26.874-06:00How flies the time - just one week left to register for my Winter class!Winter Quarter for my portraiture/life drawing class starts January 12 at the La Grange Art League Gallery & Studio, and is open to teens (8th grade+) and adults of all experience levels with an interest in naturalistic (i.e., non-cartoon) human depiction and characterization.<br /><br />==============================================<br /><br />REAL PEOPLE HAVE CURVES<br />(& Bulk, & Tension, & Shading)<br />Level I & II<br /><br />Instructor: Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr<br /><br />Dates: 1/12, 1/19, 1/26, 2/2, 2/9, 2/16, 2/23, 3/2<br /><br />Time: 6:30 – 9:00 pm ground floor gallery<br /><br />Whether you’re a beginner in art or a continuing student of the human face and form, this drawing class will jump-start and challenge your powers of observation and conveying what you see onto the page. Anatomy and proportion, shading and colour rendering, capturing gesture and likeness from both live poses and media resources – stretch your artistic muscles, gain confidence and amaze your friends and family. Weekly assignments and critiques; supply list available in gallery. Fee: $120M/ $136NM 8 weeks<br /><br />[Supply list includes: large drawing pad (at least 11"x14"), pencils & drawing eraser, pocket folder for handouts and photos, and (recommended) own sets of oil pastels, crayons and colored pencils, any size. Newsprint pad optional but very useful. Brown and colored construction papers will also be used in assignments. Recommended stores: Carlson's, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's, Michael's and/or the office & school supplies aisle in any general-purpose store.]<br /><br />__________________________________________<br /><br /><br />KAGEN AURENCZ ZETHMAYR has been active as a freelance artist for over twenty years, doing everything from concert/theatre programs to commissioned portraits, fantasy art/illustration, set paintings, elaborate Halloween décor and even period-accurate costume design for a member of court at the Bristol Renaissance Fair. His education includes Columbia College Chicago (BA) and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, with prior experience as a staff artist for The Lion and Menagerie at Lyons Township H.S. As an instructor, he emphasizes the importance of “unlearning” assumptions, dismantling mental blocks and strengthening observational skills, and in personal practice he believes in creating/showing character and mood as effectively as possible, whatever the scene and whatever the medium.<br /><br />========================================<br /><br />You can download a PDF brochure+registration form at <a href="http://lagrangeartleague.org/Classes.html">http://lagrangeartleague.org/Classes.html</a> and mail it in, or register in person at the gallery or over the phone (w/ credit card) at 708-352-3101 -- "Real People Have Curves" is class #8 this term. The La Grange Art League Gallery & Studio is located at 122 Calendar Avenue in downtown La Grange, and map and directions are provided at <a href="http://lagrangeartleague.org/Directions.html">http://lagrangeartleague.org/Directions.html</a> .<br /><br /><br />Note: Although I'm also available for private lessons or special-occasion workshops, this particular class needs an absolute minimum enrollment of three students by next week to go on as scheduled in the LGAL brochure, and I am personally looking for at least five-six students to make sure of a good number for group and partner studio activities. Couples and child/parent combinations welcome!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://aurey-the-art-teacher.blogspot.com/">http://aurey-the-art-teacher.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aureantesrealm">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aureantesrealm</a>Aureantes (aka Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00934025588482263851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570662922838208962.post-48044568789199550842009-12-14T07:12:00.002-06:002009-12-14T07:18:57.535-06:00Teacherly correspondence...<em></em><br /><em>...in which I elucidate my current highly-psychological angle and methodology for my class in response to a prospective student:</em><br /><br /><br />I'm responding to your request for more information on my portraiture/figure-drawing class -- also attached as supplement is last quarter's syllabus, from before I changed the title, and a full list of concepts and activities to be addressed during the course of the quarter.<br /><br />Basically, what we'll be doing is initially going to be aimed at loosening up and disinhibiting from the way that we normally tend to look at things and worry about how they're going to look on the page. Things like working in crayons and all in colors, without reliance on outlines, without looking at the page (much), without seeing the subject right-side-up, and working on non-white backgrounds, while focusing in on light and shadow, gesture, bulk/weight and balance, and apparent mood and character. The most "technical" aspects of the class will be in learning and working with the standard proportions of the human body and face, which change considerably from birth through adulthood, and in learning how to use page space most effectively in forming a composition. Activities are both accessible and challenging at the same time, because there is no single right or wrong way for one's artwork to come out -- the emphasis is on strengthening your instincts and making the most of the conscious artistic process.<br /><br />Drawing will mostly be from life (posed modeling or partner drawing), from statuary (usually just the first and second sessions) or from photographs (either yours or from my extensive collection), though some projects will call for drawing from imagination based on a verbal character description, or on changing the subject of a pose. The overall idea is to "unlearn" stylistic assumptions and habits, opening the way for clearer observation and awareness of how one sees and how to get it onto the paper most effectively and realistically. This is particularly important when it comes to drawing (or painting, or sculpting) people, because (as people ourselves) how we typically see each other stops with personal recognition, evaluation of attractiveness and interpretation of emotions and intent, rather than actually observing the qualities of the human face and form as a physical object in space <em>and</em> as an individual person.<br /><br />I hope this succeeds in clarifying my class content and methods, and do feel free to contact me directly with any further questions.<br /><br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br /><br />Kagen Aurencz ZethmayrAureantes (aka Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00934025588482263851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570662922838208962.post-10283118077510354892009-09-08T07:47:00.002-05:002009-09-08T07:52:07.247-05:00Visual ad for my class, Fall 2009<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuRHvvSaG_jjeC40GM07RTMzve3yY5RecTI6dyhpeHuZeh4xQhSuCyY-5tN8APjK8vuGHS3JPzEXKx_My2n_5lO5D8uhB7OcwzKdJTbAHtnodkLlHyQPiUZK1BnetKOBx7os2vq7t8BM/s1600-h/Art+Class+Handbills+-+Fall+2009-web96dpi.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 294px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379077831271178850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtuRHvvSaG_jjeC40GM07RTMzve3yY5RecTI6dyhpeHuZeh4xQhSuCyY-5tN8APjK8vuGHS3JPzEXKx_My2n_5lO5D8uhB7OcwzKdJTbAHtnodkLlHyQPiUZK1BnetKOBx7os2vq7t8BM/s400/Art+Class+Handbills+-+Fall+2009-web96dpi.jpg" /></a><br /><div> </div><div>I'll post the fullsize flier later today, to show everything that <em>it</em> has....</div><div> </div>Aureantes (aka Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00934025588482263851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570662922838208962.post-55019482082792219052009-09-08T07:28:00.010-05:002009-09-08T07:53:42.971-05:00Art Students Wanted - No Experience Necessary[Crossposted from <a href="http://aureantes.livejournal.com/130184.html">http://aureantes.livejournal.com/130184.html</a><br />_______________________________________________<br /><br /><br /><div align="left">Just one week left to register......</div><div align="center"><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc6600;">How to Draw Real Live People</span><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Fall Session starts September 15 - Tuesday evening classes!</div><div align="center"><br />Instructor: Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr</div><br />Learn how to portray anyone you want to, with firm technical knowledge and feedback to help you develop your style and portfolio. We’ll cover basic anatomy and proportions, light/shadow rendering, creative use of color (crayon, colored pencil, pastels and oil pastels), arranging and extracting poses, conveying personality through visual details, and creating dynamic portraits using live sittings, photographs, imagination and everyday character observation. This is an ideal course for young students who want to focus on ‘drawing people’ realistically, as well as for older beginners and practicing artists seeking to hone their skills and focus on the finer points of getting a convincing likeness.<br /><br />Bring a large (at least 11” x 14”) sketchbook, drawing pencils, art eraser and two-pocket folder, plus own colored pencils, crayons, soft/oil pastels and pens if desired — in-classroom supplies will be provided; full/optional supplies list available in gallery.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><br />September 15 through November 3 (8 weeks) - Teen through adult</div><div align="center"><br />Time: Tuesday 6:30 pm —9:00 pm - Fee: $120M $136NM </div><div align="center"><br />------- </div><div align="center"><br />Classes are held at the La Grange Art League<br />122 Calendar Avenue, La Grange IL 60525<br />708-352-3101 <a href="http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/">http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/</a> _____________________________________________<br />To download a class registration form (PDF): </div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/Classes">www.lagrangeartleague.org/Classes</a> </div><div align="center">or call above number to register by phone — </div><div align="center">class is #8 on the Fall 2009 schedule</div><div align="center"><br />To contact instructor directly for private lessons/commissions: </div><div align="center">708-579-0787 - aureantyev @ yahoo.com </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">============================================= </div><br /><strong>Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr</strong> has been active as a freelance artist for over twenty years, doing everything from concert/theatre programs to commissioned portraits, fantasy art/illustration, set paintings, elaborate Halloween décor and even period-accurate costume design intended for a member of court at the Bristol Renaissance Fair. His education includes Columbia College Chicago (BA) and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, with prior experience as a staff artist for <em>The Lion</em> and <em>Menagerie</em> at Lyons Township H.S. As an instructor, he emphasizes the importance of “unlearning” assumptions, dismantling mental blocks and strengthening observational skills, and in personal practice he believes in creating/showing character and mood as effectively as possible, whatever the scene and whatever the medium.<br /><br /><br />Of course, this will be thoroughly crossposted everywhere online that I have IRL contacts or audience....and yes, I'm working on the logistics of online instruction too -- just keep nudging me there.<br /><br /><br />_Aureantes (aka Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00934025588482263851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570662922838208962.post-66068256131718454782009-06-13T04:14:00.002-05:002009-06-13T04:57:08.224-05:00Well, perhaps this is a change in the weather....It will be a new thing, to have just teenagers and/or adults in my class when it starts on Monday. I've always had a principle of letting anyone into my class who was seriously interested in the subject, and I dislike leaving anyone out on purely technical grounds -- especially since I myself would have hated to be excluded from a class based solely on my age. Yes, I was precocious, and not every child with an interest is capable of sustaining it through specialized training. But I'd rather give someone a chance to prove themself if they're determined than tell them to wait until they've met some arbitrary requirement...and even if they're not yet capable of the finest hand-eye coordination or appreciation of scale or shading, it's still possible to plant the seeds of solid technique and see them start to sprout, and know that if that mental and practical trajectory continues then yes, the student will progress and one will have done one's part.<br /><br />And on the other hand, sometimes there are older students who have become so self-consciously attached to what pleases others and suffices well-enough for them that they have a dire phobia of taking risks and exploring, of letting go of the safety that's served them well -- even greater than the young child's fear of letting go of the circle heads, round eyes and triangular noses that everyone understands as adequately shorthanded information to decipher a human face. This stylistic rigidity is a frustrating (for the teacher at least) plateau, even though it's far easier then to grasp and understand the naturalistic and dynamic techniques once one dares to let go and actually <em>do</em> the experimentation.<br /><br />When it comes to having an evening class, though, there's a lot less room to bend the age limits. Whether for the sake of a regular bedtime or of social protocols or of studio management, it's hard to countenance having unaccompanied 8-11 year-olds in a class that runs from 6:30 to 9:00 at night -- especially when older students are all too easily neglected in favour of nurturing and supporting the younger artists in their fledgling phases. <br /><br />I do have some apprehensions about teaching solely to a teens-plus audience this quarter. I hope that they aren't too jaded to see the value of foundational and refreshing, mentally-jumpstarting artistic exercise. I hope that they have enough of a capacity for the fantastic and fascinating to not regard my eclectically-rambling lectures and examples as too childish for their attention. I hope that the energy and flexibility that I've had to develop in dealing mainly with children (and their overburdened schedules) has not deprived me of the firmness to guide and set standards and expect visible results from those who are better able to direct their own time. I hope they have enough originality to not just slavishly copy from my vast morgue of photographs...but I also hope that they've got enough self-discipline to see the value in working from both ends and all ends of media vs. live 3D sittings.<br /><br />And of course, I certainly hope that enough of them sign up for the class to make up a decent number for partner-drawing activities, as I don't know where I'm likely to find an art model with reasonable rates on this short notice....Aureantes (aka Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00934025588482263851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570662922838208962.post-11391095247563479362009-06-13T02:29:00.004-05:002009-06-13T03:57:51.543-05:00Now on Monday evenings, we bring you the Summer session of "How to Draw Real Live People"....Summer Session 2009 is on Monday nights downstairs in the La Grange Art League Gallery from 6:30-9:00 pm -- this is a <em>totally new day and time and studio space</em>, angled for teens through adults for an older and more mature "all ages" format, with more determined emphasis on portfolio-building and producing finished works for exhibition. This is an ideal intensive course for younger artists who are developing a greater interest in 'drawing people' realistically, as well as for more-experienced artists seeking to hone their observational skills and focus on the finer points of getting a convincing likeness. <br /><br />We will cover anatomy, proportions and the figure-drawing canons; light/shadow rendering and creative use of color (crayon, colored pencil, pastels and oil pastels); arranging and extracting poses; conveying personality through visual details, and creating dynamic portraits using live sittings, photographs, imagination and everyday character observation. Bring a large (at least 11" x 14") sketchbook, drawing pencils and two-pocket folder, plus your own drawing pencils, colored pencils, crayons and/or pens if desired — in-classroom supplies will be provided; full/optional supplies list available in gallery.<br /><br /><br />Classes run 8 weeks, from June 15 to August 3. For further details and downloadable PDF registration form, go to <a onmousedown="'UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this)," href="http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/Classes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/Classes</a> - or register via telephone or in person at the La Grange Art League, 122 Calendar Avenue, La Grange, IL 60525; Telephone: 708-352-3101.<br /><br /><br /><strong>About the Instructor</strong><br /><br /> Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr has been active as a freelance artist for over twenty years, doing everything from concert/theatre programs to commissioned portraits to period costume design. Education includes Columbia College Chicago (BA) and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, with prior experience as a staff artist for <em>The Lion</em> and <em>Menagerie </em>at Lyons Township H.S. Personal artistic emphasis: creating/showing character and mood as effectively as possible, whatever the scene.<br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRoP7DknjRkKRblTTyCtYY_d_FmGRbQd2sT4fWqabzGhuaInrFKTCe9_6hVRuJ3OrQ6SSXwunWuoB7JRqyrx2CZ6Z1YqSYeehoE4ASyNJVG5DlSX510cc7JK8Q-kXkYn-bZx6e5u2ZTSI/s1600-h/Art+Class+Flier+-+New+2009.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 515px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 613px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346712208538660418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRoP7DknjRkKRblTTyCtYY_d_FmGRbQd2sT4fWqabzGhuaInrFKTCe9_6hVRuJ3OrQ6SSXwunWuoB7JRqyrx2CZ6Z1YqSYeehoE4ASyNJVG5DlSX510cc7JK8Q-kXkYn-bZx6e5u2ZTSI/s400/Art+Class+Flier+-+New+2009.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-size:85%;">"How to Draw Real Live People" - fullsize flier (Summer 2009).<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7H9wUJBK6zxF4HyIsqYUUA0ULtI0GJT4yo9WAEfMAsgTdmyhKnzo5pE7ho-7GnPuxKQ1ax_YHJpjkymQoec3FBqkIdSsPZ-fxMRQZ31xN5563VWZt_cpfBRjs6c2g3gNZdVmgR5RwV1s/s1600-h/Art+Class+Handbills+-+New+2009.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 367px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 459px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346712205630140834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7H9wUJBK6zxF4HyIsqYUUA0ULtI0GJT4yo9WAEfMAsgTdmyhKnzo5pE7ho-7GnPuxKQ1ax_YHJpjkymQoec3FBqkIdSsPZ-fxMRQZ31xN5563VWZt_cpfBRjs6c2g3gNZdVmgR5RwV1s/s400/Art+Class+Handbills+-+New+2009.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-size:85%;">"How to Draw Real Live People" - quarter-size handbill (Summer 2009).</span></p><p>Also posted to Starving Artists' Forum (on both <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12766634290">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Starving_Artists_Forum/message/307">YahooGroups</a>) and the <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AureantesRealm">Aureantes' Realm</a> portfolio/career updates group.</p><p> </p>Aureantes (aka Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00934025588482263851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570662922838208962.post-1112089849428062762009-04-10T07:54:00.002-05:002009-04-13T00:35:30.011-05:00Just in case some potential students happen to run across this...I still have openings for my Saturday afternoon studio class, and am accepting late registrations over the next week, until April 18 (third scheduled class session for the quarter). If you're an artist (or know an artist) wanting to develop/improve/polish figure drawing and portraiture skills, don't miss out on this opportunity!<br />______________________________________________________<br /><br /><strong>Class Description - "How to Draw Real Live People" (#19 in La Grange Art League class brochure)<br /></strong><br />Learn how to portray anyone you want to, with firm technical knowledge and feedback to help you develop your style and portfolio. We'll cover basic anatomy and proportions, light/shadow rendering, creative use of color (crayon, colored pencil, pastels and oil pastels), arranging and extracting poses, conveying personality through visual details, and creating dynamic portraits using live sittings, photographs, imagination and everyday character observation.<br /><br />This is an ideal intensive course for younger students just getting firmly interested in `drawing people' realistically, as well as for more-experienced artists seeking to hone their skills and focus on the finer points of getting a convincing likeness.<br /><br />Bring a large (11" x 14"+) sketchbook and standard two-pocket folder, plus your own drawing pencils, colored pencils, crayons and/or pens if desired — in-classroom supplies will be provided; full/optional supplies list available in gallery.<br />__________________________________________________________<br /><br />Ages: 12 through adult — younger students accepted if prior students or seriously interested<br /><br />Dates: April 4 through May 23 (8 weeks)<br />Time: Saturday 12:30—3:00<br />Fee: $132 (for the full 8 weeks; late registrations prorated at $16.50/class session)<br />__________________________________________________________<br /><br /><strong>About the Instructor</strong><br /><br />Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr has been active as a freelance artist for over twenty years, doing everything from concert/theatre programs to commissioned portraits to period costume design. Education includes Columbia College Chicago (BA) and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, with prior experience as a staff artist for The Lion and Menagerie at Lyons Township H.S. Personal artistic emphasis: creating/showing character and mood as effectively as possible, whatever the scene.<br /><br />For private lessons, commissions and projects: 708-579-0787 <a href="mailto:aureantyev@yahoo.com">aureantyev@yahoo.com</a><br /><br /><br />Classes are held upstairs at the La Grange Art League 122 Calendar Avenue, La Grange IL 60525 708-352-3101 <a href="http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/">http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/</a><br /><br />Registration forms may be downloaded at <a href="http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/classes.html">http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/classes.html</a>, or register via phone or in person at the LGAL Gallery.<br /><br /><br />[Also listed at <a href="http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/cls/1115691613.html">http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/cls/1115691613.html</a> until 4/18]<br />______________________________________________________Aureantes (aka Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00934025588482263851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2570662922838208962.post-64252855858805865282008-11-19T05:13:00.002-06:002008-11-19T05:37:48.830-06:00"How to Draw Real Live People" -- the latest iteration-<br />As an opening slice of a view into my current teaching career and its background, here's the most recent correspondence, regarding the brochure listing for the class I teach:<br /><br /><em>Hello, Max --<br /><br />Here are my revisions for the Winter brochure, semi-formatted and as close as possible to the previous length; I was advised by the new class coordinator to clarify that my class is an all-ages course including adults fully, and so I have revised things to underline that this is a serious life drawing/portraiture class -- especially so that serious students will not get scared away by the possibility/presence of younger and less self-motivated children. This will mean adding the Member/Non-Member tuition info as applicable. If there's any other issue with changing the age parameters, please contact me -- my phone number is (708) ***-****, in case I'm not online during the day.</em><br /><br />(Class Info)<br /><br />#16 HOW TO DRAW REAL LIVE PEOPLE<br />All Levels 12 and Up; Younger Students on Approval<br />Instructor: K. Aurencz Zethmayr<br />Dates: January 17 through March 7<br />Time: Saturdays 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.<br /><br />Learn how to portray anyone you want to, with firm technical knowledge and feedback to help you develop your style and portfolio. Basic anatomy and proportions, lighting and rendering techniques (dry media), arranging and extracting poses, and capturing personality and likeness, working from live sittings and photos/media. Bring large (11"x14"+) sketchbook, drawing pencils, pocket folder; full/optional supplies list on file. Fee: $112 8 Weeks<br /><br />(Bio)<br /><br />KAGEN AURENCZ (AUREY) ZETHMAYR is a freelance artist/designer who emphasizes mood, character portrayal/psychology and the dramatic nature of scenes. Holds a BA Degree from Columbia College Chicago, with major focus on theatrical design. Has been doing portraiture, illustration and promotional art for over 20 years, ever since acquiring the reputation of being “a really good drawer.”<br /><br /><br /><em>Thanks as always for your work on the brochure,<br /><br />Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr</em><br /><br /><br /><br />Now, I have to say, the twelve-years-and-up general age limit is a major change in setting some firm standards for this class. Originally I had the lower limit set at eight years old (which is also the general kids' classes' lower limit), because my primary concern was that my students needed to be able to read reasonably well and have the capacity to focus on their projects without excessive hand-holding and classroom management.<br /><br />(I suppose I should have realized, back then, that I was hardly an average eight-year-old...)<br /><br />Since then, I've actually let kids as young as six take my class so long as they clearly were interested in learning to draw (and had to deal with their emotional frustration at not knowing how to draw <em>already)</em>; I've had eight & nine-year-olds with little/no attention span who disrupted the class by stealing each others' shoes and kneadable erasers and trying to hijack the classroom radio, and one eight-year-old who impressed me greatly by her concentration in tackling the challenges of foreshortening and realistic colour rendering. I've had fourteen-year-olds who were too inhibited and stylized to "loosen up" within the span of an eight-week term, and a twelve-year-old anime fan who surprised herself when she actually focused in during our partner-drawing exercises and captured a naturalistic likeness.<br /><br />My class has always been an "all ages" class without arbitrary child vs. adult divisions, because I don't think that there is any hard and fast difference that ought to separate the two -- not in terms of technique and practice, at least -- and I think that there are more benefits to be gained by seeing what a wider range of fellow-students are doing and able to do. The main <em>obstacles</em> to this communalism in application don't lie in any general difference of ability, but mainly in the self-consciousness of young children, pre-teens, teenagers and adults in each other's company, when they are not used to dealing with each other on such an equal footing as classmates. The youngest children are the least inhibited, naturally, but their presence sometimes inhibits older students or shifts them into "must impress" mode (rather than willingness to explore and experiment), and it is a challenge to adults who feel that they need to be able to assert parental-type authority or else must hold their tongues.<br /><br />There is also the minor detail that I am younger than any adult student I have yet taught, which poses its own challenges in terms of my having to balance my role as "teacher" with my similarity and accessibility to each age-group. Seeing me interact with younger students, I'm sure that some of my adult students have thought that I act too young, too much like one of them instead of like one of the grownups -- i.e., as a teacher is supposed to be by definition. It isn't a consistent demeanour, just one that I shift as needed to talk to each individual student or pair of partners, seeing as I'm not accustomed to 'talking down' to kids in official grownup fashion. I'm sure that I could use a <em>slightly</em> more stable classroom persona just for the sake of self-introduction, but so far the variation between Professor Lupin, "Professor Logan" and Peter Pan hasn't been a problem in itself. More on all of that in its time, though.<br /><br />At the moment (for this week, that is), I am waiting on the arrival of the finished class brochures at the gallery, so that I can post them places, hand them out to people I know, and compose flyers to do the same with -- seeing as the La Grange Art League has never been very thorough about saturating its own local area with effective advertising for the <a href="http://www.lagrangeartleague.org/classes.html">studio classes</a>. The gallery gets most of the attention both in the public marketing and in the member newsletter, and even that is nowhere near as aggressive as it can or should be, considering how long the LGAL has been around and active. They need more young blood and tech-savvy grassroots attention-getting...I'm presently about the youngest <em>serious</em> young blood on board.<br /><br />Which I shall say more about in due time, seeing as I am unabashedly vocal about all manner of issues, always seeking out -- both as an artist and as an instructor -- ways that conditions and public visibility could be made better than they currently are.<br /><br />_Aureantes (aka Kagen Aurencz Zethmayr)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00934025588482263851noreply@blogger.com0