Since he could hold a pen/crayon/pencil/paintbrush, I have been doing art with the Angel.
He is a marvellous mess maker, but as far as I could tell he never really enjoyed drawing because he was mostly just scribbling. There is a lot to be said for using quality art materials when working with children... a cheap watercolour set which didn't share colour properly frustrated Gabe to no end, but as soon as I let him use some proper acrylics he wanted to paint every second he could.
Yesterday we sat down and because I had no other pens to hand I let him use sharpies to draw a picture. He drew this:
That's us. Ronin, Gabe, Ky, and me... I'm a cyclops with three eyebrows. Mutant mum.
I didn't tell him how to draw people, or how many eyes we had to have, though I did remind him that we needed arms and legs - and so we look like potatoes. Which is marvellous.
It was the first time that he actually tried to draw more than just a collection of shapes. Since then he's been an unstoppable drawing machine and I am super happy about it, because it means when we turn the TV off, he has more to do than making a mess with playdoh (so much mess!)
Such a cheesy guy.
It is wonderfully rewarding to see him enjoying art, I think all children like to make things and be creative and use their imaginations when given the opportunity.
I am working on a business plan to open up a shop where we will do just that. Give children (and grown ups) the opportunity and materials to get creative.
I am very excited.
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