What Does an Instructor Do During Art Workshops?
Updated: Sep 27
For participants in art workshops, the main focus is usually their own work: the sketch, the painting, choosing colors, and gradually mastering the technique. The instructor looks at the class from a slightly different perspective. They need to observe how several people are working at the same time, identify technical problems, explain each stage of the process, and decide when it is worth stepping in and when it is better to let a participant find a solution independently.
This is why teaching an art class is not simply about showing how to draw a particular object or how to use a brush. A large part of an instructor’s work involves observation and providing appropriate feedback.
What Does an Instructor Observe While a Participant Is Working?
The first few minutes of work can reveal more than the finished drawing. This is when the instructor can see, among other things, how the participant begins the composition, whether they check proportions, how they handle their lines, how they mix colors, and whether they control the amount of water and paint they use.
For example, a beginner may draw a portrait in which the individual features are carefully rendered, yet the overall result does not resemble the model. The problem does not necessarily come from an inability to draw details. It may be caused by starting with the eyes and mouth before establishing the axis of the face, the size of the head, and the relative positions of its features.
Feedback Should Explain the Cause of the Problem
The instructor’s role is to recognize precisely this kind of relationship. Simply saying, “The eye is too high,” helps correct one part of the drawing. Explaining how to compare distances and check proportions, on the other hand, gives the participant a tool they can also use in future work.
Demonstration Does Not Replace Independent Practice
During a workshop, the instructor may demonstrate how to hold a tool, make a line, apply paint, or create a tonal transition. However, the demonstration should address a specific problem.
In watercolor painting, this might involve showing the difference between wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques. In painting, it may be important to demonstrate how to mix colors without accidentally creating muddy shades. In drawing classes, the instructor may need to explain how to measure proportions or build three-dimensional form using light and shadow.
Why Does the Participant Need to Do the Exercise Independently?
Participants learn the most when they perform the exercise themselves after a short demonstration. Watching the instructor’s movements is useful, but only trying it personally makes it possible to understand how much pressure, water, or what consistency of paint produces a particular result.
When Should an Instructor Correct a Mistake, and When Should They Let It Happen?
This is one of the more important decisions an instructor has to make during a class. Correcting every imperfection immediately can cause participants to wait for the next instruction instead of learning to analyze their own work.
Not every mistake therefore requires intervention the moment it appears. If continuing the work may allow the participant to notice the problem independently, it is worth giving them time to do so. The situation is different when an early mistake could make the entire exercise more difficult. Incorrect proportions of large forms can affect the whole drawing, just as improperly prepared paper or an excessively wet surface can make watercolor more difficult to control.
Technical Mistakes vs. Individual Artistic Choices
An instructor must also distinguish between a technical mistake and a deliberate artistic decision. An unusual color, simplified form, or strongly defined outline is not automatically something that needs to be corrected. If the choice is consistent with the participant’s intention, it may be part of their developing individual artistic language.
Why Does an Instructor Ask Questions Instead of Giving the Answer Immediately?
Good feedback does not always begin by pointing out a mistake. Sometimes it is more effective to ask: “Which part of the object is the widest?”, “Where do you see the darkest value?” or “Is this area really as light as it appears in your drawing?”
Questions like these direct the participant’s attention toward a specific issue and teach careful observation. This is particularly important in drawing, where beginners can easily start depicting what they know about an object rather than what they actually see.
From Instructor Guidance to Independent Analysis
Over time, participants begin asking themselves the same questions that the instructor previously asked them. This is when feedback stops being merely a form of assistance during a single class and becomes part of an independent working process.
Each Participant May Need a Different Kind of Guidance
The fact that a group is working on the same exercise does not mean that everyone works in the same way. One person may quickly understand proportions but struggle with light and shadow. Another may observe the model accurately but draw very cautiously, repeatedly correcting every line. Someone else may have an intuitive sense of color when painting but apply too many successive layers.
The instructor should recognize these differences. A beginner does not benefit from receiving a list of everything that could be improved. It is much more useful to point out one or two elements that are most important at that particular stage.
The Scope of Feedback Changes with the Participant’s Level
In early exercises, the priority may be basic proportions and observing large shapes. Later, greater attention can be given to color temperature, edges, compositional rhythm, and more subtle tonal relationships.
The Instructor Should Not Finish the Work for the Participant
The temptation can be strong, especially when a small correction made by someone more experienced immediately improves the appearance of a painting. However, this kind of intervention does not always support the learning process.
If the instructor regularly paints or draws difficult sections for the participant, the participant may end up with a better piece of work but not necessarily better skills. Instead, feedback can involve demonstrating the solution alongside the participant’s work, giving a short demonstration on a separate sheet of paper, or indicating the direction in which a change could be made
Making Your Own Decisions Is Part of the Learning Process
It is also important to leave room for the participant’s own decisions. Two people painting the same subject do not have to produce two similar paintings. The instructor’s role is to help participants use their tools more effectively and make conscious decisions, rather than impose their own way of painting.
What Happens Before and After the Class Itself?
Running a workshop begins before the participants arrive. The exercise needs to be adapted to the group’s level, the available time, and the technique being taught. Preparing workstations and materials is also important. For watercolor, this means suitable paper, brushes, and easy access to water. For painting, it includes an appropriate surface, a palette, and proper organization of the workspace.
Discussing the Work Is Part of the Class
Once the exercise is complete, it is time for analysis. The purpose is not to give a grade, but to identify what is already working and which element is worth developing in the next piece. Effective feedback should be specific: rather than simply saying, “It looks good,” it is much more useful to explain that the participant captured the proportions accurately but still needs to work on expanding the tonal range.
How Can You Recognize a Well-Run Art Workshop?
A successful workshop is not defined only by whether participants produce aesthetically pleasing work by the end of the class. It is equally important that they understand why they used particular solutions and are able to repeat at least some of them without assistance.
A good instructor gradually reduces their level of intervention. At first, they explain each step in greater detail. Later, they increasingly direct the participant’s attention through questions or brief suggestions. Participants begin checking proportions independently, comparing values, anticipating how paint will behave, and analyzing their own mistakes.
The Goal Is Increasing Independence
This is why an instructor’s work during art workshops is largely about developing the participant’s way of seeing and thinking. The finished drawing or painting is important, but from a learning perspective, what matters even more is what the participant learned while creating it and what they will be able to apply to their next piece.
