Recently, my son, Seth, and Kai spent some father-son time drawing together. It reminded me of a time when I was a child, and my babysitter drew pictures with me. I remember how entertaining it was.
Sketching can be as structured or unstructured as a person wants it to be. However, if you’re thinking of spending time with your grandchild drawing and are looking for a little guidance, here are a couple of ideas.
Make a World
Kai and I have drawn together a little. He loves to draw and is good at it, too. But even though Kai is very comfortable on his own, I thought I’d introduce him to Ed Emberley.
If you are around my age, you may remember Emberley. He wrote and illustrated many books, including Drummer Hoff, which he won the Caldecott Medal for in 1968. However, as a child, I recognized him as the author of drawing books like Make a World. Even though it was published in 1972, some of my kids also used this book as a guide when they were young.
The thing about Emberley is that he makes a pretty intimidating goal – drawing a world – doable. At the beginning of the book, he gives the reader a lot of confidence by showing some simple shapes, letters, lines, and a couple of dots. “If you can draw these,” he says, “you can draw all the objects in this book.”
As well, I love his philosophy for practicing art. “This book will show you how to make enough things to draw a world of your own. I hope you will try this way, continue to draw your own way, and keep looking for new ways….”
So the last time I was at Kai’s house, as we were all hanging around late one afternoon, I pulled out Make a World. We talked about it and I drew a bit, then Kai took off drawing with a pencil and paper. He seemed genuinely happy with the results.
Art for Kids Hub
My daughter, who was an art teacher, mentioned that some of her students enjoyed Art for Kids Hub on YouTube. It’s been around for a while, and Seth said that Kai likes it too. On this channel, Rob and Teryn Jensen, with their four kids, teach drawing and origami. The family’s art lessons are fun, rewarding, and can be completed in less than ten minutes.
I’m looking forward to drawing again with Kai. What kind of art do you like to do with your grandkids?