eLearning & Art Education

I came across this art training blog www.howtodrawblog.com and for some reason, I was really surprised to learn that people are making online videos teaching others to learn how to draw. I mean, i guess the idea isn't that far-fetched because there are tons of videos out there that will teach watercolor, oils, life drawing etc. I'm sure everyone has seen Bob Ross on PBS showing us how he paints his "happy little trees..." and "fluffy white clouds..." but I never really thought that someone could learn how to paint without being able to interact with an instructor. In my opinion, this is one field where eLearning does not belong. I learned a lot of valuable lessons by being able to ask for help when mixing paint colors or having my instructor show me how to blend pastels. I'm not saying I'm completely against the idea of learning art online, but maybe a more synchronous approach would be more beneficial to the learners. This would give the learners the opportunity to ask questions and perhaps have their work viewed by the class for feedback. Class critique is one of the best ways to learn, so we shouldn't take that experience away from budding artists. In most of the videos that I viewed from this site, there is only music in the background with no explanation of tools or methods used. I understand there are most likely more professional videos out there and I'm sure they are very helpful to intermediate-level artists, or those who already know what they're doing. I just hope that people do not become so wrapped up in the ease of eLearning that they completely neglect real face-to-face art lessons. I guess I'm a bit more old-fashioned than I thought because I'm just not ready to let art become a topic for eLearning.