"Random Selection"

TUESDAY TIPS & TRICKS

As a visual person, I have often wondered why two or more people can look at the same object and have a wide range of opposing reactions. Take for example the gas meter and construction site below:

Reactions to these photos might be mixed, ranging from "that thing is ugly!" to "so what?" Perhaps the only person who might think of the gas meter as a thing of beauty is the guy who designed it. How you think about something as mundane as gas meters or construction sites is largely dependent on your personal experience with them. Now let's look at each of them as a sketch:

Did your reaction change at all? Of course I am hoping that your reaction was a positive one. It reminds me of my favorite fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen called "The Ugly Duckling." When I chose to sketch this gas meter, I must have passed it a hundred times to and from picking up lunch, but one day something caught my eye. Did this gas meter suddenly become beautiful or interesting? Or was it always interesting but I had failed to see it before? According to Denis Dutton in his TED Talk "A Darwinian Theory of Beauty," he suggests that "beauty is an adaptive effect which we extend and intensify in the creation and enjoyment of works of art and entertainment."

How about these other boring or ugly scenes?

What would happen if, instead of walking up to a sketching location and pacing for a half hour (in search of the perfect subject to sketch), we just closed our eyes, spun around and sketched the first thing we saw when we opened our eyes? Regardless of its beauty or ugliness you have to sketch it. Imagine how that soiled plastic bag and paper coffee cup sitting in that murky puddle will look as a sketch by you? 

I would love to see the "swan" that comes out of your "ugly duckling."

The Ugly Duckling" (Danish: Den grimme ælling) is a literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen (1805 – 1875). The story tells of a homely little bird born in a barnyard who suffers abuse from the others around him until, much to his delight (and to the surprise of others), he matures into a beautiful swan, the most beautiful bird of all. 

References: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ugly_Duckling

https://www.ted.com/talks/denis_dutton_a_darwinian_theory_of_beauty#t-283839

Tuesday Tips & Tricks: "Some Advice on Giving Feedback Online"

Tuesday Tips & Tricks: "Some Advice on Giving Feedback Online"

Artists love to learn how they can get better at their skill or learn a new technique from another artist with a better idea. A big reason why we started this regular weekly post, "Tuesday Tips & Tricks" was so that we could offer free tips to this community of artists all trying to get a little bit better at some aspect of their artistic endeavor. Artists love to read how they can get better and readers love to make comments. Here's how you can make comments without being disregarded or hurting feelings.

First, let me clear up a misconception about the social media space. That "like" or "heart" button does not count as offering feedback. In fact those two buttons should really be relabeled "I Acknowledge" buttons. If you want to offer comments that will really help another artist, you are going to have to type it in.

There is a formalized critiquing process: "Describe, Analyze, Interpret and Evaluate"

http://diversifiedarts.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/artistic-criticism-how-to-critique-art/. 

The following are some more simple things to keep in mind.

"Destructive Feedback" or failed, well-intentioned sentiments can oftentimes be misinterpreted online.

• Short, incomplete sentences sound stern and agitated.
• ALL CAPS LOOKS LIKE YELLING or SCREAMING
• Sarcasm is never as funny in different cultures as you might think. It all depends on how well you know the person with whom you are joking.
• Basically, if someone cannot read your comments and work on fixing something about their art that will improve their skill or art, then you are better off not commenting at all, no matter how much the temptation.

First, start with praise:

• "I really like your choice of colors."
• "Your lines are confident and the composition is wonderful."
• "I can tell that you are really passionate about this subject..."
• Starting with a compliment will make a person more receptive to your helpful feedback.

Second, "Constructive Feedback" can sound like this:

• Ask questions for clarification before you make assumptions or offer critique
• Offering constructive feedback does not mean say whatever you want without compassion for the others' feelings.
• "Would you be open to some feedback on your piece?" The key here is to make sure the other person first responds with a "yes" before you offer critique.
• "Have you ever given any thought to using...?"
• "What I find that has helped me in a situation like this is..." Putting your comment in first person will sound like you are sharing information as opposed to commanding the other person "YOU should do this."

Lastly, make yourself available to answer any questions or clarify your comments. I would love to hear what kind of critiquing experiences you have had and what you have learned from them.

Hope for the "technical zombie?"

I heard an interesting quote at a user experience workshop last week: "Our smart devices and screens are making stupid decisions on our behalf all of the time...We are not in control. We are at odds with social etiquette. They are starting to shift our social norms. Walking zombies are now the social norm...Our devices are making us miss out. We are experiencing life through a filter." 

Thankfully the act of carrying and sketching in a notebook has the opposite effect. We become more observant to our surroundings. We look up at the world around us. We bring focus to the mundane and common objects. And what we record in our sketchbooks are there for our enjoyment forever.

Urban Sketching (USk) is a global community of artists that practice drawing on location in cities, towns, and villages in which they live, work or have traveled. It is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to raising the artistic, storytelling and educational value of location drawing, promoting its practice and connecting people around the world who draw on location.

USk Chicago is the local community of diverse artists united by a passion for sketching, discussions, socializing and sharing their unique visions of the world around them with others. In fact, the Urban Sketchers motto is "we see the world, one drawing at a time."

Details and examples of sketches are available on the following links:

Urban Sketchers Chicago Blog: http://urbansketchers-chicago.blogspot.com

Urban Sketchers Chicago Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/UrbanSketchersChicago/

Urban Sketchers Chicago Twitter: @USk_Chicago

Urban Sketchers Chicago Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=USkChicago

Urban Sketchers Chicago Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/USkChicago/

Urban Sketchers Chicago Instagram:  http://instagram.com/uskchicago