What a paint demo in high school art classes demands...

I have some students starting an advanced exploration of the portrait...and using acrylics.  Have been sharing power points...looking at the works of fine painters, sharing various approaches...on and on, and the past couple days took remaining moments to start and continue a painting of another student, sitting...

Grabbin a 24"x 12" panel...had one minute to shoot some paint onto a palette, and three minutes to mix and lay in the blockin-

Then today...I had about ten minutes to bring it further.  My experience has been since teaching back in 1979 is that with each passing year, students have less and less ability to focus more than about ten minutes.  Funny too, that when I do adult workshops I inevitably get the question if its okay for painters to ask me questions or talk while watching a demo?  Thing is...teaching adolescents and teenagers, you have to maintain not just cognizance of the material being taught, but maintain awareness of classroom management issues, discipline, etc., aware of when restlessness is working against you.

However...its fun to find the challenge of putting something credible down...something useful, and will help the student to begin and know the path/journey they will go...

Here then is the ten minute effort today...