Open Drawing Session at MPPL

Colleen Seisser July 24, 2015

What is the program?

Teens that are beginners or novices at drawing (or at any level—experts can brush up on their basic skills) can come to the Library and practice different techniques at our Open Drawing Sessions. Techniques that can be practiced will include: portraiture, still life, charcoal drawing, pastels, colored pencils, shading techniques, and other skills. Teens will need to bring their own sketchbook, but drawing materials will be provided. We also tried out the 3Doodler Pen in these programs and it was a hit! Seating is limited and teens must register for each session.  The group should stay small for the staff to monitor and assist, increase the staff involved if you want to increase the patron attendance. We cap it at 15 teens and there is one staff member present. (no snacks and refreshments due to the activity)

In these Open Drawing Sessions teens will have the opportunity to practice with a variety of materials and techniques. Books will be pulled from the Library's collection that contains instruction and/or images to replicate with drawing.  iPads will also be available for teens to search for inspiration. There will also be printed coloring pages and other instructional packets curated from online resources. Teens will have the option to practice whatever they like, and the Teen Services Librarian will be on hand to help with their practice or answer their questions.  The Mount Prospect Public Library's Teen Librarian has a background in art, but this is not mandatory.  If no one (staff, volunteeer, or presenter) with instructional abilities can be at the program, just focus on the experimentation aspect of the program.  Or recruit teens that can help instruct!

Supply list at our Open Drawing Session:

  • Books from the Library's collection (how to drawing and image heavy books for inspiration)
  • iPads for searching for inspiration
  • Discarded magazines for drawing inspiration (teens could also collage with their drawings, to support that included scissors and tape/glue sticks)
  • 3Doodler pen and plastic filament.
  • Coloring pages (curated online)
  • Instructional packets for grid drawing technique, doodling ideas, and hand drawing exercise (curated online)
  • Markers, both art and Crayola
  • Colored pencils, both art and Crayola
  • Sharpies--colored, lots of fine tip black, and carious black sizes
  • Crayons
  • Pastel sets
  • Oil Pastel sets
  • Blending Stomps
  • Erasers (white, pink, and gummy)
  • Drawing pencils sets
  • Pencil Sharpener
  • Still life supplies for set up (fabric, glasware, fake fruit, boxes, etc)
  • Table covers
  • Rulers
  • Paper towels
  • Fine art ink pens
  • Mirrors for self portraits
  • Spirograph
  • Compasses
  • Extra drawing paper/pads for teens who don't bring a sketchbook
  • Tracing Paper

What is the projected cost of the program?

$100-$200 per session (as needed--often, supplies last for more than one session)

 We were able to defer cost by having our Friends of the Library sponsor the program.  This summer we had Open Drawing Sessions every Tuesday in July and the Friends sponsored the series at $200, which was enough to fund all four programs.  However, we had already built up a stash of supplies from having this program last summer too.

Approximately how many hours of staff time will the project take?

1-2 hours to gather and compile supplies and instructions for the different drawing instructions.

1-2 hours to shop for supplies as needed

1 hour to setup for each program

30 minutes-1 hour to clean up for each program

How does the program meet current community needs?

On our patron program evaluations, Teen patrons have expressed interest in having drawing classes or drawing included in our other programs. Having drawing classes at the Library will provide a space where teens can have the freedom to learn a new skill, experiment with different drawing materials, and express themselves.

How does the program fit the Library’s mission and goals?

We are providing a safe place for teens to create. We are providing instructional learning and giving teens new skills through learning the different drawing instruction and techniques we will provide. We are allowing teens to come together with other creators/artists to socialize and share ideas about different creations and art. We are allowing teens to experiment and try out new art materials, and encouraging a creative atmosphere.

Type: Self-directed
Age: High school
Optimal size: 11-20
Estimated cost: $100+
Planning time: 2-5 hours
Frequency: Weekly

Learning outcomes

Enable teens to:

  • Learn how to use new art materials
  • Experiment with expressing themselves with different drawing materials
  • Socialize with other teen artists and share ideas
  • Find a new material/drawing method that want to continue create with 
  • Practice their drawing skills and build motivation to continue drawing at home
  • Inspire teens to think creatively about materials and inspiration for drawing

Instructions

MPPL's Teen Creation Instructions Pinterest Board

Evaluation

Evaluation was done via staff observations, as well as a written program evaluation given to attendees at each session.  

Here are some of the Teen Librarian's observations:

The most popular activities were free drawing and the coloring pages.  Teens were experimenting with pastels the most, and there was also a lot of sketching.  Teens also used the books provided to find drawing inspiration.  Teens were mostly drawing in the cartooning style and the realistic style.  For the full two hours, teens were focused and very expressive in their drawings.  The 3Doodler pen was also very popular.  Three teens were interested in learning and had so much fun creating with it that the Teen Librarian had to set a time limit for each.  Additionally, once one teen got the hang of the 3Doodler, they showed the next one how to use it!  They were sharing their experiences and helping each other learn how best to draw in 3D. Teens were also using the tracing paper a lot to create drawings. The same was true for theiPads! They were snatched up right at the start and provided a lot of inspiration for teens.  One of the most exciting parts of the program was the excitement teens displayed to experiment as they reviewed all the drawing materials options they had when entering the program.

Here are some of the teen attendees' reactions:

“Super fun!”

“I like the free choice part”

“My hand hurts from drawing so much!”

“I thought that this was very fun with all of the supplies that I would want to use.”

“Maybe have iPads for people to look up things to draw and have tracing paper”—from our first session both were included in the next session.

“I loved all the supplies we got to use.”

“I liked how we could choose what you wanted to do.”

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