Sketching with a 4 Year Old

My four year old loves to draw and probably draws more than I do. Our neighbor once gave her a pad of old, yellow forms from work and it's her favorite medium. I drew these with her markers. The sketch on the far right vaguely resembles her. I find it a distinct challenge to draw people in my family. I think I know their faces so well that I always see the flaws that in sketches of others I would overlook.

"One of my favorite outside crafts to do"

A Glimpse Into Our Life from m lumpkin on Vimeo.

This is a video of my oldest daughter drawing with chalk. She draws at least as much as she plays, if not more. In this video she says that drawing with chalk is "one of my favorite outside crafts to do." For her, a craft is anything involving drawing or making something. Often they involve messes but most days I'm happy this is how she chooses to spend her time.

Next week I'm helping a friend do a workshop on drawing with a particular emphasis on sketching. One of the ideas I hope to get across is that drawing, sketching and all kinds of art can be a wonderful part of life that fit in without demanding a lot of time energy and preparation. And, it can be a wonderful way to spend a breezy California afternoon on the porch.

Yosemite for the Weekend

This is my favorite photo from my weekend trip to Yosemite. Cheers to the Gedderts of Fresno (soon to be San Francisco) for hosting all of us and for planning a wonderful weekend away.

You should look at the rest of the album here.