Friday, November 30, 2007

Fine Art Friday

The kids asked me to post the artwork that they did this week on their blogs. Please visit them at The Far Side of the Mountain and at Sophie's Side. I'm sure they would be thrilled to get any comments! Thanks!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your kids are so perceptive about art. what curriculum do you use?

Meliss said...

Hi Anonymous

We don't have a curriculum. Right now, the kids are doing some art lessons with their piano teacher. She put together lessons from various resources. The kids enjoy the lessons, but I could do this on my own. The main way they learn is just through practice. I help them when they draw during the week. I point out shapes in the pictures, point out negative space, and talk about proportions. They are supposed to practice shading which is sometimes tedious for children. It is really a matter of taking the time to fill in what they see before them. I have been having them squint when they look at the reference picture so that they can better see the contrasts.

One of my sons has a more difficult time drawing what he sees. He still enjoys drawing. I coach him more than the others. Sometimes I take the model picture and outline the shapes that make up the object so that he can break it down into its parts. He used graph paper to draw his latest. (I made the paper myself, drawing lines with pencil and ruler.) He was having a hard time knowing how everything fit together until I talked about it almost square-by-square on the model before he drew it. He did all the shading himself, and I was pleased at his progress.