The Art 1 Course I wish I had when I Started Teaching High School (in 2009)

I started teaching high school art in 2009, and if there’s one thing I can say with confidence, it’s this: my Beginning Art class has not stayed the same. Not even close.

It has been revised, rebuilt, tweaked, scrapped, resurrected, and occasionally held together with duct tape and vibes. Which, honestly, feels pretty accurate for teaching in general.

When I first started, I taught linear perspective one line at a time. On the whiteboard. With a yardstick. I’d draw a line, turn around, and half the class was already lost while the other half was painfully bored. Then I’d sprint around the room trying to catch mistakes before they became permanent. It took forever. And it was exhausting.

Then came the document camera. That felt revolutionary at the time. I could zoom in. I could use a ruler instead of a yardstick. I could demonstrate more clearly. But it was still setting the pace, and students were still stuck waiting if they didn’t get it the first time.

Later, I found YouTube videos, and that helped a lot. Students could pause and rewind, which was huge. But that also meant remembering to reserve the laptop cart, hoping all the devices worked, and praying the Wi-Fi behaved.

Now, finally, we’re 1:1 with devices. And instead of hunting for the right video, I make my own.

Not because I wanted to be on camera, but because after teaching this course for so long, I know exactly where students get stuck.

I know the back edge of their box will not always be parallel to the front.
I know their ruler will slip halfway through a long line.
I know they’ll forget to line their windows up to the vanishing point.

So now I show them how to pivot the ruler with their pencil, how to line up vanishing points quickly, and how to work smarter instead of slower. The videos are short, targeted, and built around the mistakes I’ve watched students make for over a decade.

What’s interesting is that while how I teach has changed dramatically, the core structure of my class really hasn’t.

Everything is grounded in the elements of art and principles of design. Every unit connects back to those foundations. I intentionally include artists from different cultures, backgrounds, and time periods throughout the course, not as an add-on, but as part of the fabric of the learning.

At the very beginning of the year, I ask students to adopt a new mindset: art is a skill. Just like math. Just like writing. It can be taught, practiced, and improved.

We look at Lowenfeld’s stages of artistic development, and students identify where they think they are and where they're going. We talk about schemas, why we rely on them, and why we sometimes have to ditch the schema to draw what we actually see rather than what we think we see.

That conversation alone changes everything.

When I first started teaching, a premade art curriculum was unheard of. In many districts, it still is. And in some ways, that freedom is one of the best parts of being an art teacher. We get to design our classes around our interests, our students, and our communities.

But the flip side of that freedom is how overwhelming it can be, especially at the beginning. Our standards are incredibly broad. There are countless valid ways to teach the same content, and when you’re new, that can feel paralyzing. I remember wishing I had something to start from - not a script or something rigid, just a solid foundation I could build on and revise as I figured things out.

I can’t even fathom where I might be now if something like this had existed when I was just getting started.

Over the years, through a lot of trial and error, I’ve developed a course I’m really proud of. And I continue to tweak it year after year as my students change and technology evolves.

So, Why Am I Sharing All of This?

Because I believe deeply in sharing with other teachers. Some of the best ideas I’ve ever had came from conversations in hallways, conference sessions, or late-night scrolling through what other art teachers were doing. Our profession is better when we learn from one another.

At the same time, I also believe that teachers’ work has value. This course didn’t come together overnight. It represents countless hours outside of the school day... planning, revising, filming, reworking rubrics, and adjusting lessons year after year based on what actually worked for students. Like many teachers, I built this mostly at home, on my own time.

And as a first-year teacher, I would have happily paid for something like this. Even though I shouldn’t have had to. Even though schools should provide this kind of support. Having a solid starting point would have saved me so much time, stress, and second-guessing.

My hope is that teachers who are interested have access to a professional budget they can use, or feel comfortable sharing this with their department or district so it can be purchased using instructional funds. This kind of resource is meant to support teachers, not add to their workload.

So I’ve packaged my entire Art 1 curriculum exactly as I use it in my own classroom, with an option that includes the full course already built in Canvas. Every unit. Every assignment. Every rubric. Organized, editable, and ready to use.

Not because I think everyone should teach exactly like I do, but because I know how powerful it is to start from something solid and make it your own.

Just something I wish I had when I was standing at a whiteboard in 2009, holding a yardstick, wondering why this felt so hard.

If you’re interested, you can find my course linked below:

• Beginning Art (Art 1) – Full Year Curriculum

• Beginning Art (Art 1) – Full Curriculum + Pre-Built Canvas Course

Portraits and the Power of Process

Some art projects are pretty universal.
If I say the words "portrait" and "grid," most art teachers immediately know what I'm talking about.

Many of us experienced it as students.

Most of us have taught some version of it.

And yet, over time, I’ve learned that how we teach this classic project has a tremendous impact on the learning that takes place and the success our students experience.

A Familiar Project, Revisited

The gridded portrait is often a turning point for students. It’s usually the moment when accuracy, patience, and trust in the process really start to click, or don’t.

When I first taught this unit, I did what I think a lot of us do:

• Teach facial proportions

• Jump into the grid

• Push through to the final portrait

Some students succeeded.

Some students struggled quietly.

Some rushed.

Some froze.

Some didn't pay any attention to the grid.

Over the years, I’ve revised this unit again and again, adding pieces, removing others, and slowing things down where it matters most.

What emerged is a version of the portrait unit that feels more supportive, more flexible, and more meaningful for students at every skill level.

One of the biggest shifts I made was separating skill-building from the final product.

Before students start their final portrait, they practice:

• Facial proportions

• Individual features (eyes, noses, mouths, ears)

• Hair as form first, texture second

• Shading skin using value / not outlines

This gives students space to experiment without pressure. Mistakes feel instructional instead of discouraging.

By the time we introduce the grid, students already have confidence with observation and proportion. The grid becomes a tool, not a crutch.

In this unit, students work through:

• Scrambled grids (multiple difficulty levels)

• Standard grid practice

• Grid setup and transfer

The goal isn’t perfection.

The goal is accuracy through focus.

For many students, especially those who believe they “can’t draw,” this is the moment where something shifts. They realize they can be precise. They can slow down. They can improve.

The Critique That Sticks

At the end of the unit, students step back from their own work and look closely at the work of Narsiso Martinez.

This is consistently one of the most memorable parts of the unit.

Through his portraits of farmworkers, drawn on discarded produce boxes, students begin to see how:

• Materials carry meaning

• Process reflects lived experience

• Subject matter can communicate identity, labor, and value

What’s especially powerful is how long this lesson lasts.

Even several courses later, when students reach my AP classes, I can say his name, and they remember. They remember how materials, processes, and ideas can be synthesized into a single artwork with purpose.

A Unit That Grows With You

This portrait unit didn’t come together all at once. It’s the result of years of revision - watching students work, listening to where they struggle, and adjusting the structure to support real growth.

It’s still the classic portrait project we all recognize.

It’s just structured in a way that, over years of trial and error, I've found yields a high success rate with students. 

If you’re interested in seeing how this unit is structured, from skill-building to grid work to critique, you can find the full resource linked below.

Link to Unit 7: Portraiture & Grid Drawing on Teachers Pay Teachers

As always, take what works for you, adapt what you need, and make it your own. That’s how the best versions of these “classic” projects continue to evolve.