Kerra Taylor believes in rigorously teaching drawing fundamentals and the principles of design. She provides demonstrations, handouts, and homework to help students practice these concepts on their own. Each week, students participate in critiques where they receive feedback from the instructor and peers to help their artistic growth. The teacher uses varied still-life arrangements suited to different skill levels and engages students on how art relates to their fields to hold their interest. Regardless of skill, students must learn representational drawing from observation before advancing to more conceptual ideas to ensure success in art.

1. Kerra Taylor
Teaching Philosophy
Pedagogy is important because there is an art to teaching and a powerful sense of
accomplishment leading a group of students to success. Through trial and error, I am able to
grow as a teacher and prevent mistakes from happening again so that my students are able to
get the best education out of the course.
I am rigorous in the teaching of drawing fundamentals. The principles of design are essential in
visually describing our world around us both presently and historically. For this reason, I
introduce these essentials early in the course and discuss what constitutes a good composition
as each lesson builds upon others throughout the semester. I believe my students must have a
firm grasp on these skills before they seek professional development beyond college.
I find, some students are more stimulated by visual aids and need clarification of instructions,
so I give demos weekly and provide handouts for my lessons. I firmly believe in the disciplinary
practice beginning with homework, which determines if they are able to utilize these same
concepts on their own. It also allows room for creativity with the objects and arrangement they
choose to draw. Each week we then critique their assignments by reiterating the principles of
design. Critiques allow for students to hear feedback from their instructor, as well as, their
peers. Over time, students are able to comfortably speak in front of their classmates and learn
correct terminology. This exchange is important for both artistic growth and for acquiring how
to appropriate visual language.
I use varied still-life strategies such as setting up three smaller arrangements that are specific
to skill level. More importantly, engaging with my students on how art relates to their field is
essential to holding their interest. I encourage my students to think beyond objects, color
theory, or the figure and consider deeper meaning through their work and how their message is
conveyed to the viewer. Regardless of skill, it is important that all students draw from
observation representationally before they can move on to more advanced or conceptual ideas.
I believe that these ideas must be taught and understood from the very beginning to ensure an
individual’s success in the art field. The “art” is how I instill these values.