Fun Learn Though Art Works-Shops (Highlighting the Potentials of Visual Learning) Bindulika Sharma Associate Professor (Applied Art), Department of Art Education, Faculty of Fine Arts, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi- 110025 Study profile Age group: 4 to 12 years Period: Modern Times Experimental Area: India Zonal division (Urban sector) That is beautiful which is produced by the inner need, which springs from the soul. -Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1994, Russian Artists) While, a child proceeds in their journey from infancy to childhood they lay their hands on so many different kinds of visual or illustrated products like games and toys, posters, picture books, show cards and last but not the least, the audio visual media. Looking forward to experiment following the assumption that, the visuals has the power to enhance immediate attraction, and then to implant the desired concept, idea or story in the mind of their viewers especially a child. We arranged a series of interactive FUN LEARN THOUGH ART WORKS-SHOPS, with the motive to appraise, analyze and compile the readily available, research-based findings for purposeful public domain utility. This article is being based to provide a broadly outlined response of the various interpretations ranging from general observation, and to the experiences with young little participants, Art volunteers and other expertise in these particular subjects. Here the term- The visual associates with representation of an illustration of any narrative script or depiction such as, a picture, a drawing, painting, photograph, a collage, a diagram, a motif or any other image, purposefully created on some subject in order to make it appear more pleasing or easier to understand. The purpose of visuals is to illustrate, explain, clarify, or justify an idea or general information to a creative, attractive and more specific and detailed information. 52
Among the various modes of communication through speech, gestures texts and pictures -the pictorial mode is the most powerful, popular and effective as it is most easily understood. The illustrations created for children usually have instant innocence and purity of thought. Starting with the shape or form or the situation to be illustrated, mostly a livelier and comfortable and enjoyable Artwork is expected, so to let a child, feel the delight of drawn images, reasonably relating with their own perceptions.thus for these workshop we tried to select illustrations done on the concepts that could excite a child in both realistic and imaginary characterization. Out Put of the Workshop Here, for the work- shops, our collections were equipped with different style of water colours, collage, and cut-outs had in fact, found different ways to stimulate the eye, allowing a child to be excited, and fresh and comforting. Before beginning of each workshop, we exhibited tempting pictorial or visual learning references to help children spill their own thoughtful decisions. The visual references seemed to perfectly capture the spirit of little participants to frame creative ventures in a manner that bridges traditional sentiment with their own modern sensibilities. The visual result featured wildly inventive artworks both of which evoked a sense of adventure, friendship and kindness. Viewing the results, and personally talking to the participating young learners we can say Visual Learning is viewed as a journey, illustrative resources promotes to create connections between ideas and the environment. Here, we took about eight such workshops out of which I am discussing just first five in this article. Throughout these workshops, we as concerned art volunteers took keen interest to co-explore the learning experience with our little participants (children age group- 4 to 12). During these workshop sessions which worked for two to three hours each day, we had come across many interesting visual response that depicts the potentials of illustrative images to provoke ideas and engage in higher levels of thinking, among children. Fun learn Though Art Works - 1 Let s ILLUSTRATE HAPPINESS Happiness is all about thinking good thoughts, speaking kind words, taking good actions, getting good responds and enjoying the small things in life. In this Fun learn Though Art Works- Shop we, along with our Art volunteers, strived to stress the idea of happiness encouraging our young children to discuss, draw and colour their feeling of joy. We stretch to our joy remembering moments and to all those pleasure and little things that keep us sparked with smiles and thrill our heart. Here, display of the beautifully selected illustration, served as the limitless source of inspirations and happiness. Recognizing and relating the images to children own experiences the participants created their moment of happiness in a circular card provided to them. One of them acclaimed that the best moment of her life was when a baby brother was born. For another the best moment came as their trip to Paris. While few thought best happiest moments is experienced when they have a family time together. And soon the workshop was filled with positive social relationships in childhood and expression of happiness, smile and stories. 53
Fun learn Though Art Works - 2 Let s paint thanks- giving kite for Sun the great During the second Fun Learning Art Workshop we focused on Sun the greatest energy provider, to let our children recognize and appreciate the significant role of the Sun in our life. Mainly, the motive behind this workshop was not only, to make the children friendly with a subject to paint a Sun, but here we tried to evoke, the sense of curiosity, to explore the all the extra ordinary qualities residing in the big yellow hot ball in blue sky. We exposed participating young minds, to many beautifully illustrated materials which could be used to introduce the greatness of Sun in most happy manner. The effort was to create, Flying thanks giving Kite to Celebrate the Glory of Sun. To bring few interesting observation, we begin with a child, age 8( PriyankaSardar), who made the sun wearing pink coloured, heart, shaped sun glasses, as if to deduce his warmth while being friendly, shaking hands with her and her friends in the park. While, another boy, age 9, showed himself crying, as his calculator which worked with solar energy was not working due to clouds and thunder disturbances, thence he wanted one more Sun. Others thanked Sun the great to bring nature and colours to their life. There visual creation were meant to prove that education is not only about gaining knowledge but nurturing brilliance in every child either to shine like a sun so bright or help little minds to take creative wings soaring high and high in the sky with gratitude and courtesy for all. Fun learn Though Art Works - 3 Let s Illustrate Endless Cards The purpose for creating Endless or Never-Ending, Cards, aims to focus on the creative thinking and making a child understand the importance of visuals, and how it communicates. These cards could be flipped over and over coming back to the same visual we started with. Here, in the beginning, we displayed plenty of homemade Endless - Card ideas for reference and inspiration so that the child can actually make them themselves. We also showed them the video which inspired them the most. We thence told them to create a mother s day card or father s day card, to appreciate all that they do for them. Nowfor the curious beginners, we provided them cards with pencil drawn nose& eye brow (T- structure) on the main folds, so that a child could easily understand and take pleasure with all the possible option to create faces of their own choice and colour them according to their wish. Soon,the tricks to make these overwhelming cards could be understood by the young learners. And soon, the card-making activities sprinted- up, with every moment of excitement. Few of them created the image of the parents, father and mother thanking them for their kindness in the same card. 54
But the best part came when they gifted these cards to their parents. Most of the parents were happy and appreciated that these cards were the best gift they had ever received. These endless cards serve as an easy actionable ways to raise creative impulse among their little ones and also a great way to use children Artwork to oblige and get recognition from friends and family. Fun learn Though Art Works - 4 Let s Paint the Dream Horse Riding The Dream Horse Riding It is being observed that even for once, if a child gets a chance to climb actually almost brittle looking, muscular, real good horse, that thrilling sensation and excitement is registered in his memory for a long span of life. Yet, to draw or express their excitement in visual media was challenging for the little Artist. Here, when we took up the difficult challenges into consideration particularly with the concept like this of painting a dream horse. Now understanding very well drawing animals are not the easiest subject to perceive in twodimensional forms. Hence, our Art- volunteers, with easy- step- by step, demonstrated to draw simplified horse image, following which this difficult challenges was taken into easy consideration. Thus, with the little guidance and encouragement, we also allowed children to make collage through draw, cut and paste technique. For the little toddlers, fun was to past the different cut-outs of the simplified horse body parts, in to the paper as they decide and colour the background. Whereas, the group 6 to 12 where asked to draw their dream horse as they desire. Certainly our guidance and efforts was to water the seed to grow their creative fragmenting flowers by themselves. And within few minutes many different stories of, The Dream Horse Riding were successfully crafted among the creative participants. Their journey visually accompanied with free flowing hair, wings, tails, and motion of the horse. Here, few depicted their desire to travel to sky castle, few wanted to fly to the top of the water wall- Mountain, few showed themselves flying in the snow and some desired to chase the rainbow or simply tame their flying horse to travel to their native place whenever they decide upon. Parents were astonished, seeing the visual responds of their children; they appreciated and praised their efforts. Fun learn Though Art moves - 5 Let s Draw and Paint the Things You Hate the Most Through this particular, Art- work shop- Let s Draw and Paint the Things You Hate The Most, we strived to bring out most of the adverse hidden feelings through visual expressions. Here, we knew that we are likely to find many negative assumption expressing stories of strong denial, distracted with fear, anguish, and lack of trust. Actually 55
expressing visually brings an alternative and supportive approach to any problematic situation that can turn down the acute adverse effects into compensative and satisfactory solution. Here, in the workshop we tempted to display few selective visual representation of wild spirit, demons, devils, darkness and monsters into comically amusing funny and hilarious interpretations that could absorbs the most fearful experiences opening out the welcoming vibes with relaxing free mind. In this particular workshop, we had provided them a closed paper window, where they drew themselves in the outer flaps of the window while their most awkward hatred feeling, came as a dark secret inside the window, which a child is otherwise shy or hesitant to speak about. Their visual response depicted they are scared of lizard, insects or cockroaches, graveyards, ghost, T.V negative characters like Ravana or Mahisasurs or other raksha but one of them showed her hatred for scary jack- in the box spring -toy that jumps out. Hence, we may say, this kind of fun learn, Art activity may bring lot of stunning surprises to discover the sensitive and remote moods of our child. It was amusing to find, through good imageries, all ugly seems to be meaningful, everything in dark comes to spot lights and anything annoying resolves to laughter, and happy ending that surely satisfies the Childs extinguishing mind. Moreover, putting forward to the visual results of all these little participants of these experimental workshop done at different at places, with different sets of children involved in different part of the society, we can definitely say, the world of lovely little book filled with illustrations and other visual medias, essentially revolve around the emotions interaction and efforts to communicate with ultimate positive results. Hence, as a parent, and concerned adults we must take privilege to boost our children's learning potential, simply by making picture- books and visual all other references, an integral part of their lives. 56