art class with still life

Our friend Molly is an artist. Not only a born-with-scads-of-talent kind of artist, but a bona fide educated artist, with degrees and everything.  She also loves working with children and misses being the 24/7 homeschooling mama since she took on full-time teaching at the university, and we are greatly benefitting from her impulse to offer art to our kids!  This week they were drawing.

They started out learning about the tools - which pencils to use to get each effect, which eraser works best for what.  And smudge sticks.  "I've wondered what to do with those!" Now we know.

Molly talked them through the proportions of a face, and gave some tips on doing a quick sketch of the person across from them.  The kids were so squirrely and restless and it quickly got goofy.  Next she suggested she set up a still life, hoping, I think, for a bit more focus.  It's so much easier to draw a plant than the face of the person who is staring at you!

The kids - ages six through twelve - were silent for a good 20 minutes. Silent and intent on their drawings.

Ani's bowl

Noah's still life

Ani loves this class.  When we're out in the world and she sees art, she exclaims, "We could do that in Molly's class! I bet Molly knows how to do that!"  She was so inspired that on the way home she told me that she would be looking at kitchen implements totally differently now, and that maybe she would be drawing them.  A couple of days later she set up her own still life, making sure there was ample shadow to work with. She was very happy with it, particularly with the shape she arrived at with the vase.

Another post for November!