On the first day, I'd ask students to take off their shoes before coming into the studio, this usually met with mixed reactions but heightened the sense of expectation for them. Paper and pencils were already prepared so we were ready to start once they'd been seated. I'd ask the students to make a drawing of one of their shoes from memory, the task was usually executed with moderate enthusiasm. After 10 minutes, I'd ask the students about the activity and review their work, then I'd collect the drawings.
Students were now permitted to get their shoes. The next part of the lesson focused on teaching them how to look ... and subsequently draw. Emphasis was on recording information visually through drawing ... it's necessary to learn how to look and see before considering how to draw. After about 15 minutes or so, we'd place the two drawings side-by-side and compared them. Visually, the lesson was obvious; too often we take things for granted, we think we see, think we know ... but to really see, then we need to look and look closely.
Photo: Hand-held snap-shot, discarded shoes caught in afternoon sunlight. Simply processed in ACR. Lens; 17-55mm @ 38mm. ISO 100. 1/100 @ f/8.
