Here’s an email sent to me yesterday:

Hi Dawn!

My name is Jeanne, and I am a new hire at an all boys school in [city removed].

I found your site and have to say you are a HUGE help to me as I am flying blind!! I have NEVER taught before.

I am an artist who has done some freelance artwork on mickey mouse programs (MS Picture It! & Print Shop), along with some freelance illustration (pen & Ink). So, now I am faced with setting up a Graphic Design 1 class (along with Art 1 and Yearbook) and I have no assistance whatsoever!!! Help! I am looking for a semester’s worth of lesson plans for Photoshop or Pagemaker. I used to use Pagemaker (while working as a graphic designer at an ad agency for 10 yrs.). I am looking for a book or site that might have printable lesson plans and lectures. I’ll have to learn as I go– and pass it on as I learn! I do have Photoshop CS2 at home.

I am sooooo overwhelmed… I was thinking of starting out not even using the computers for a couple of weeks– history of graphics, old fashioned thumbnail sketches, critiques of ads n such and study of Typography… Any thoughts??? Oh, btw I have been a stay at home mommy for the past 12 years to 3 daughters. You can check out my VERY basic website for my drawings at inkhomeillustration.com

Thanks for being a helping hand in this crazy world!!!!

Smiles,

Jeanne

Here is my reply:

Hi [name removed]!

Your website may be simple, but it’s beautiful. Your work is impressive. I’ve tried doing cityscapes and landscapes, and I find architecture to be very challenging to draw. I’m much better at people.

I’ve not taught graphic design before except within the structure of a college “Photoshop” class. I feel that in a “graphic design” class, the software comes second to design concepts. That’s why I’m essentially breaking down the year into four components, each about nine weeks long:

• pencil/pen and paper exercises
• Photoshop
• Illustrator
• InDesign

InDesign is the new industry standard for page layout. Pagemaker is no longer supported, and will have no further updates or upgrades so far as I know. InDesign is like Pagemaker all grown up; it’s far more powerful, and it’s hands-down better than the previous industry standard called Quark.

There are lots of online tutorials for Photoshop. I saw a great lesson a teacher posted online in which the students each have to go find an online tutorial, do it, then teach the rest of the class. This is best done after they get the basics. I taught Photoshop at the college level using Adobe Photoshop CS2 One-On-One by Deke McClelland. It’s fantastic, and the students enjoyed it.

Here’s a breakdown of the topics I hope to teach my students:

• Careers
• Products
• Elements & Principles
• Design Tools
• Planning
• Layout
• Color Theory
• Typography
• Scanning
• Digital Design Basics
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe InDesign
• Prepress
• Introduction to Advanced Topics

You can find what I’ve implemented so far (such as Careers and Elements & Principles) here: http://www.nhsdesigns.com/graphic/index.php.

I’ve attached a supply list I requested that the high school buy for my graphic design course [see table below].

You can see that there’s a whole lot to teach that has little to do with software! I’ve got a number of books on graphic design at home to help me build my lessons. Design Basics for Creative Results by Bryan L. Peterson (no relation) is a great place to start.

One of my online friends uploaded his entire college graphic design course materials (single semester) here on artteacherforum.com.

Good luck!

Dawn Pedersen

Here’s what I’ve asked my school to order from dickblick.com:

Qty.	Description	Unit
6	Blick Tracing Paper, 9" x 12", 25 lb., 50-Sheet Pad	Pad/50
4	Bienfang Cross-Section Graph Paper, 8 × 8 Grid, 8½" × 11", 50-Sheet Pad	Pad/50
11	Blick Economy Construction Paper, 9" x 12", Ten Assorted Colors	Pkg/50
6	Blick White Sulphite Paper, 9" x 12", 50 lb.	Ream/500
6	Pentel Colored Pens, Fine Point, Set of 36 Colors	Set/36
6	Crayola Colored Pencils, Set of 50 Colors	Set/50
30	Blick Glue Stick, Purple, 1.27 oz.	Each
10	Blick Washable White Glue, 16 oz.	Each
1	3M Super 77 Multipurpose Adhesive, 16.5 oz. can	Each
25	Canson Colorline Art Paper, 19" x 25", Ebony	Each
30	Excel Hobby Knife, K1, Aluminum Handle, 6-1/4" Long, with #11 Blade	Each
30	Safe-T View-Thru Non-Shatter Ruler, 12"	Each
10	Blick Aluminum Ruler, 18"	Each
30	Rex Teachers’ Shears, 7" Long, 3¼" Cut	Each
10	School Pencil Compass, 5½" Nickel-Plated Steel, 6" Arc, Pencil Included	Each
10	Masonite Panel, 14" × 18"	Each

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Here’s an email I received on Sunday:

Hi Dawn,

In my search for art & design teaching information, I stumbled across your website. I’m writing in hopes that I can get some advice from you.

I’ve always been interested in teaching but never gave that career path a chance while I was in college. Now after being out of college for a few years, I’m finding myself drawn towards teaching even more.

Here’s my background: I have a BS in Communication with a focus on Advertising. Afterwards I went to a 2 year portfolio school to study advertising and design further.

I’m currently an Advertising Art Director and while I enjoy my job, I’ve always found more interest in helping others. My strengths lie in computer/graphic arts and web design. Do you have any advice for me as to how to get into teaching? Is my only option to go back to school for a Masters in Teaching? Is finding an art teaching job difficult?

Thanks in advance for your help. I think your website is great!

My reply:

I don’t know what state you are in, but here’s how it works in California:

To teach at the K-12 level (up through high school,) you need a Bachelor’s and a teaching credential. The teaching credential can take a year full-time, or a year and a half part-time at an accelerated evening program like I did. Accelerated doesn’t mean poorer quality education, but that you double-time it and get a course done in nine weeks instead of eighteen. I went to Chapman University College.

To teach at the college level, you need a master’s in a subject area (not in teaching). However, there is a loop-hole here. I got to teach part-time at the community college because I was an active professional at the time. Now that I am not actively freelancing, I do not qualify.

I’d recommend contacting your local community college district and see if they would hire you to teach a digital art class in the evenings or weekend. It was a great way for me to find out that I really do like teaching.

Finding an art teaching job is tougher than English, Science or Math. However, I found plenty of opportunities anyway. I found a great position teaching web and graphic design at a new high school. Last year I taught art and drama. It pays to be flexible. You might find out what else a BS in Communication can qualify you for, in addition to the design realm.

Good luck!

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Here’s an excerpt from an email I wrote to a woman about to be a drama teacher to high school students:

One word of advice: my students *hated* blocking. It can be a very boring and frustrating experience for any actor, let alone a high school student. But it must be done. Prepare students ahead of time for how lengthy the process may be but how it is vital. It will require their patience. Make sure they understand that the director is IN CHARGE during that time. Whether the director is you or a fellow student, the actors need to know that constant suggestions from them can be very distracting for the director. Different directors have varying degrees of tolerance for suggestions, but sometimes the students get so argumentative it’s very agonizing for everyone.

All the rest of the time, my students had lots of freedom to play with their acting and sometimes even modify or add lines. We threw in a new character with almost no lines simply because he created a comical sidekick to another boy. They had fun, which is all that many of them every wanted out of the class.

But none of this productive work with the script and characters and humor could have happened until we blocked the major movements on stage: entrances, exits, crosses, arrangement on stage, sitting, combat, etc. I wish I had stressed to them beforehand that blocking is one time when the director’s absolutely in charge. That was the hardest part of the whole year, blocking our school play. A lot of my students were upset with me because they thought I was being a malevolent dictator out of nowhere, and therefore they concluded that blocking was stupid and pointless. Other students thought it went just fine and saw the necessity of blocking. I should point out that this was further complicated by having a large cast of 20 students.

My two cents.

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