Creating Little Artists
February 2, 2013 § 7 Comments
A couple of months ago I pulled out my Prismacolor markers; a Christmas gift I’d received from mom a few years back, but hadn’t yet found time to play with.
Like moths to flames, my five year olds begged to use them, but I was hesitant. Prismacolors are not cheap.
At roughly $60.00 for my set ($400 or so for a real professional’s case), I tried to keep them far from little hands. But after agreeing to allow their use, all of us sitting and drawing together, the quality of the medium (and the art that resulted) made the decision to hand them over a no brainer.
Prismacolors are used by professionals for a reason. Their water-based colors are rich and vibrant, and can be layered upon each other, instead of bleeding and/or creating one blob of black (as cheaper pens and markers do).
My children’s artwork has come alive and they color and draw for hours and hours everyday (on Target’s packs of $2.00 recycled printer paper).
The key is to begin with the “kid art tools” first (Crayola markers, crayons, Target brand, etc.).
Then, when the pretty markers are pulled out, mom or dad MUST sit with the kids are go over how special the new tools are. Tops must be put back on or they will dry out. We can’t afford to buy more. These are too special not to be cared for.
The good news is that my daughters have become aware of the importance of caring for their markers much more than they ever cared for the cheaper tools that never gave them the desired effect and that always wore out too soon (we’ve only had a few sacrificial lambs….sad when you want to use a yellow, but it’s pointy tip is dead).
The best news is that I’m creating little artists who experiment freely with their hands and minds; expressing themselves in a way that words cannot, and giving me have piles of paper memories to be kept and cherished forever.
M.
Do your kids like to draw? If not, think they might with better tools?
Girl with puppies.
Doggies.
Birthday card.
Long stems. Short stems.
Above the clouds. Below the clouds.
Giraffey looking at leaves.
Big flower and names spelled without mom’s help.
Black hair Barbie.
The work space.
Love. This makes my heart soar.
Mine, too. I think having better tools makes better artists. Was hoping this could help some of my friends whose kids don’t like art.
Beyond cute. My boys are not that creative but when they put their minds to it, I do get some lovely pictures. What are these special markers which are so expensive? I just have packs which sometimes come from the Pound shop and we sort of get by on these. On the whole they are very good with the lids – so we’ve not had too many fatalities from this cause of death.
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Most art supply stores carry them, but they are really quite expensive. A much better idea to buy online. I used to use them when I was in design school. My mother thought they might inspire me to get drawing again, they’ve been commandeered! I’m too busy on this computer anyway! Thanks for the comment!
I love children’s art! One of the things I struggle with is what to do with it all? I can’t bear to throw it out, but all of it isn’t necessarily display-worthy. I came up with the idea to scan it and save it digitally. It’s easy then to create photo books (great for grandparent gifts)!
I blogged about this myself, although I didn’t share the scanned copies of the art. I should have because they look so much more beautiful than the photos of the art. I’m sure there will be more posts in the future, so stay tuned for more art from us. We just bought markers today, so a new medium to explore!
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I love the digital scanning idea. If you write that blog, definitely pass it on…. and I’ll pass it on, too. There was a Pinterest pin about that, but it wasn’t clear enough… I’d be very interested in what you come up with.
As it stands now, I have a big bin that I throw as much of their work in as I can. Some stuff does get tossed. There’s no way I could keep it all!
I LOVE their drawings!! I’m so ridiculously protective of my art tools and try not to hover too much when the kids are drawing or doing art. But it drives me batty when E doesn’t replace the caps on the markers! But more than anything, I love seeing their creative juices flow and what their imaginations come up with. Love this.
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