Sketch Tuesday

Sketch Tuesday is something we started about 2 year ago... did for a while... then, you know, life got more insane... and we stopped.  However, last week... we started again!  You may wonder, "WHAT is Sketch Tuesday?"  I learned about Sketch Tuesday from this blog which I follow.  She has a lot of wonderful homeschool ideas which I've used... others I just imagine I do them.  ;0)  But Harmony Art Mom is the one who came up with Sketch Tuesday which you can learn more about by following that link.  As you may gather from the blog's name, she's an artistic woman.

Sketch Tuesday, in a nutshell, is an assignment to draw something on a particular topic then send in the sketches to Harmony Art Mom.  She then posts them at flickr, and the kids can watch a slide show of their "published" art along with the art of other children.  The only requirement is to have fun!  =0)  I like that!  The kids LOVE watching the slide show even though our internet connection here makes it REALLY slow!    

My kids are very artistic... they LOVE to draw and create.  Can I be honest with you??  Art is NOT an area I am strong in... in being artistic OR in teaching.  I never had a REAL art class... and it is just not a gift...  in any area of the arts.  I am VERY left-brained!  However, God has given me these right-brained children!  They are a gift!  They teach me!  So I want to do Sketch Tuesday for them... so they have an assignment to complete (okay that part is for me) and so they have something that maybe stretches them.  I *hope* to one day expand the teaching part of this area when we do this to teach them about shading and contours and other things I really know nothing about, but for now... I just want to give the opportunity to use as many different mediums as they want to complete it with it still falling under the "sketch" category.  

I'm really awful at letting them get out the art supplies... you know... they make big messes!  But REALLY, I am getting better!  Right now they have the options of JUST a pencil sketch, coloring with crayons, markers, color pencils, watercolor color pencils, oil pastels (you know those really weird crayon things that are so messy),  or painting with watercolors.  We have poster paints, too, but that REALLY takes major adult supervision with the younger ones.  Maybe one week we'll do a special poster paint project... but not this week!  ;0)   

Anyway... I thought maybe I would post last week's pictures and this week's pictures that the kids did.  I really like them...  but of course, I am their mom.  But I thought their aunts and uncles and grandparents and others who know them might enjoy seeing them, too.  PLUS... I was thinking this would be a "quick" post... but look at all that typing I've already done... gee!  Next time it shouldn't be such a long post because I won't have to explain WHAT we're doing!  =0)  

Last week the topic was "Kitchen Drawer" which can be interpreted however the artist wants to!    This week the topic was "Athlete."  

Derek (9) chose to sketch things from a kitchen drawer and added some bowls to his picture.  I’m not sure if you can see it online, but one of the bowls has a silly face on the side of it.  Derek cracks me up!  He used his watercolor color pencils.  I’m not sure which technique he used… but I think he probably colored his sketch then added water with a paint brush to soften it.  

Emma (7) took out a fork, spoon, & knife to sketch them.  Then she drew a draw around them.  She added her color with markers.  I think it is beautiful.  She has an “eye” for things.  

Olivia (10.5) who LOVES everything in the kitchen drawers chose some of the items she often uses and sketched them.  She then used the watercolors to add color and a plaid table cloth.  

Virginia (3) joined us for the first sketch.  She insisted when she saw the others.  Olivia gave her the instructions.  She sketched a bowl & plate… not exactly what we have in the drawers… but they are from the kitchen!  Later she came back and added the black marker drawing on top.   I’m pretty sure she said it was a plane.  

Wesley (5) went through several sheets of paper and a lot of frustration before he was able to get on paper what he wanted.  His fits were discouraging, but his perseverance was encouraging!  He REALLY wanted to paint with the watercolors!  He drew a fork and spoon (rather large) with a plate in between.  The plate has chicken and something else on it… but now I forget!  

Derek’s athlete picture is just a pencil sketch of the “tools” used by an athlete.  

Emma’s sketch and watercolor painting is of a soccer game with some beautiful mountains in the background.  

Olivia’s drawing, “Football with Friends” is a picture of her and Derek and two of their expat friends playing soccer with two local friends they often played soccer with in our “yard” on the other island.  She included many details that were in our yard and on the house next door!

Wesley’s athlete drawing is adorable in my opinion!  LOL!  It is Gators vs. Panthers…literally, I guess!