In the art room I see children draw things in ways that seem strange to me, but I always find out that their approach makes perfect sense to them. Because children have less experience with their world, they look deeper, they feel things that we've long blocked from our senses. It would do us good to notice a bit more. As Julia Cameron states in our quote of the month, " The capasity for delight is the gift of paying attention." Most children know how to do that.   

 

The Drawing Based on Other Senses

 

Any child may be more attuned to the senses of touch or hearing than they are to seeing. This is usually truer in the younger ages. A child may show Mom a picture of herself, which Mom thinks is great, but wonders what the weird lumps at the bottom of the ears are. Mom might tend to correct what she sees as a mistake. This says to the child that the parent's experience of what she looks like is more valid than her own. A better response would be to speak about a quality in a positive way, either the lines they used or the curly hair or the colors. Then, speak positively about the ears. "You even remembered to put in the ears. What is this part of the ear?" Now the child hears that Mom approves of her drawing and is willing to show Mom the part of her ear that she's asked about. She reaches up and touches her earlobe and tells Mom it felt like that. The child has gathered information from feeling something rather than looking at it and included that into the picture.   

  

While sitting on the carpet, my five year old decided to draw a picture of me partially reclining on the couch. She was very aware of the texture of the carpet through her sense of touch, and when I saw the drawing, the top half showed a great line drawing of Mommy on the couch, but the bottom was filled with vertical scribbles. When I asked her about it she replied, "That's the carpet."  How cleaver! I wouldn't have noticed the carpet.

Artists strive to make us feel something in their pictures and these things are often obtained by using all of the senses, not merely copying what we see. Adults may limit themselves artistically by thinking that art is only dealing with what they see. Children are less likely to limit themselves in this way.

 
None of us are perfect parents in our responses, but I must admit I like the challenge of becoming one. I hope these wild and wonderful ways of making art and the responses that follow have opened up new ways of thinking about art. Childrens sometimes odd and awkward ways of presenting objects onto paper are really valid ways of interpreting their world. Once we see this, that's when the enjoyment and appreciation of their art really takes root in our soul and positive remarks become the norm of how we respond to each and every work.

This article has been rewritten from a work by the same title and author,  published first in 1999.

 

 

Vine charcoal is a medium you may want to try for a fun change. It is a stick of burnt willow vine, held in the hand, and applied directly to the paper. To erase charcoal, we use a kneaded eraser. The eraser must be kneaded before use and can be formed into a point or flat edge. In the first stages of the drawing, rather than erasing unwanted lines, a cotton ball can be used to wipe out the lines. This creates a soft value effect on the paper. In the drawing below you can see that the bear was first drawn in with circles to get the rounded shapes. These first lines were then rubbed out with a cotton ball, leaving a soft area of value instead of a harsh line. A line was then drawn to establish the outside edge or contour. Wiping out areas of lines is a very fast process and why so many people enjoy the immediacy of charcoal drawing.
Next the values and details are put in as the artist continues to put lines on paper and wiping out with the cotton ball as needed. The kneaded eraser can be used to pull up areas of dark value and soften or lighten the value. This is seen in the nose and mouth area to create highlights.

A young child may not put this much detail into a charcoal drawing, but he or she can still enjoy the processes involved. For more instruction on charcoal you can check out ARTistic Pursuits Senior High Book One, The Elements of Art and Composition.

Click for Senior High Book One
Coates Willow Charcoal from MisterArt
(willow and vine charcoal are the same materials)
Kneaded Eraser from MisterArt
Newsprint Paper Pad

Sincerely,