Sketchbook Summer School - Write and Draw from Life!

    A few months ago I purchased an artist's sketchbook off of ebay. I thought it was unusual to find somebody else's sketchbook for sale and I was thrilled to buy it. Just seeing the pen and pencil drawings brought back memories of art school and how we were encouraged to draw from life. My classmates and I could be seen all over the Loop, sketching people as they rushed to and from work or commuted on the train. Unfortunately, I only have a handful of pages saved from the one sketchbook I kept while I was a student.

   My old portfolios are filled with assignments from The American Academy of Art in Chicago – projects from Mr. Stake's fundamentals class and studies in watercolor made under Irving Shapiro's instruction. They’re stored in the garage and every now and then I dust them off and show them to my would-be artists, hoping to inspire them. But my kids never seem to be really excited about my work. They sort of take it for granted that their mom is an artist, so I wasn't prepared for the response that I got when I showed them the sketchbook from ebay. They loved it - absolutely loved it! Something about H. Birch's 1970’s artwork caught their eye...and REALY inspired them! The yellowed pages filled with sketches of shoreline scenes, barns, trees, cows, faces, figures, the artist’s hands, and even his studio were enough to make them want to keep sketchbooks of their own. Even though I've been storing all their drawings in binders for years, there was something special about that large sketchbook format that got their attention. It was a size of paper that I had overlooked in lieu of a good storage system. After hearing them say, “I want my own sketchbook!” I rushed to the store and bought each of them the largest sketchbook I could find. I’m happy to say that when they decide to draw, they grab their sketchbooks and go to it. Whether their drawing from life or out of their imaginations, there’s a cumulative effect of encouragement – “I really am an artist, I really can draw” – and personal ownership.   

    So how do you get your children to want to sketch regularly? Check out books from the library on sketching (there is nothing like viewing the art of different artists to plant the seeds of creativity), buy the right supplies (see below), and encourage your child to draw from life.
Here are a few subjects for your children to draw:

1. Draw their favorite things

2. Draw their pets

3. Draw each other (5-minute poses to start). Tasha Tudor used to pay the boys with chocolate to make them pose, the girls "posed out of sheer vanity."

4. Draw nature

5. Draw the furniture in your house

6.    Draw what you think a character or scene looks like out of a book your reading (Norman Rockwell did this as a child).

Bring a sketchbook where ever you go. New surroundings and experiences can be recorded in your sketchbooks.
 
   If you’re looking for a way to inspire your children to write and draw from life, read my blogs on The Basic Supply List for Nature Journaling and Growing Authors and Illustrators - Part 1. Visit our website and check out the links for nature journaling and figure drawing for the homeschool. http://www.giftoffamilywriting.com.

All Material Copyright © 2005

Jill Novak
All Rights Reserved

8:14 PM - Jun. 16, 2005 - post comment

Hi there!

You've been tagged...please go to my blog for instructions :-)

lovemygirls - 9:22 PM - Jun. 16, 2005

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I'm so glad I found your blog tonight! I've loved reading through your posts. This one particularly caught my eye. My children have a love for drawing and do it daily, but it is usually on notebook or typing paper. I need to get a sketchbook, too!

KeepingtheHome - 9:16 PM - Jun. 28, 2005

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