Teaching children to draw.

1. 61

   Penelope Princessposted 13 years ago

   I think that there should be alot more programs offered in this area.  My son is 11 and loves drawing.  He is quite talented with it, and I don't know how to further him along in something he is so gifted at.
   
   Does anyone have any ideas for me?
   
   Someone told me about a community college, but I don't know much about these things.

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   1. 72

      livewithrichardposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Check on Craigslist.org under Services/Lessons for an art tutor, or post on Craigslist.org under Gigs/Creative to hire an art tutor.

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   2. 57

      Dave Barnettposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Bring this to the attention of his teachers and guidance personnel in school. Really.

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   3. 69

      waynetposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Imagination is the key to drive your sons inspiration and by learning whilst drawing as much as he can he will be in a better position to develop his skill as an artist.
      
      Books offer great learning, as does the internet with many free lessons and offline lessons with college and other government sponsored teaching programs.

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   4. 61

      drewgoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      My main advice with drawing is always practice, but books and courses can be invaluable for getting to a whole new level or even just getting inspiration when you have "stalled". I'm sure your son draws often, so finding books that suit his particular style of drawing would take him a long way I think.

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   5. 57

      stoneyyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Lots of good suggestions here.  You don't mention where his main interests are, but that's ok.   
      
      You might take him to a park, mall, zoo, art museum/gallery and challenge him to sketch or draw what catches his fancy.

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2. 85

   rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

   some communities post information in the newspaper about low cost or free drawing classes.  check your library's website or any local art centers.
   does his school have art classes?  often the teacher will be able to help with information or may give lessons off hours.
   
   encourage him to enter any contests for students. you can search online to see if there are any contests for his age group.
   
   keep plenty of drawing paper around the house and continue to encourage him. it's a talent that could end up being a career or a healthy outlet for him to be creative.

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3. 84

   psycheskinnerposted 13 years ago

   I don't think I would hire a stranger off the internet to teach a kid.  But colleges often have good summer programs in this area.  There are also some good instructional books and videos.

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4. 67

   Flightkeeperposted 13 years ago

   You might want to ask an art student in college if he or she is willing to teach your son at home for a small fee.  Better yet, maybe you can organize it and ask one of the art students to volunteer to become an art teacher to kids at your church as part of an after school program.

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5. 70

   kids-toy-boxposted 13 years ago

   I agree with Drewgo--Books can be useful for refining techniques--same as classes would do but the best way to develop drawings skills is to practice--get plenty of sketch books and pencils are good to start with. I keep a small pocket sized sketchbook---to make a note of anything intersting I may come across. Looking at books will help refine techniques but developing your own style can only come from plenty of practice.

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6. 54

   DaisyGirl28posted 13 years ago

   Hope you guys can find time to post some instructions and maybe a starte set of basic drawings that my 5 year can follow and do as she loves to draw. maybe, this could set her to find more complex works later on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jXLEa0-3Wc

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7. 61

   Lisa HWposted 13 years ago

   My daughter is great with drawing and art.  She got into Montserrat (focus is on art there) in Massachusetts but decided to major in something else (and use her artistic talent on the side).  Other than her public school art classes and art classes in college (but not an art college) most of what she's learned has come from us providing her with art books and lots of art supplies.  Good drawing books can help a kid who has a natural ability learn some of the techniques of drawing one kind of thing or another.
   
   I'm confident in saying that I think if a kid has a natural talent for drawing/art some books, supplies, and support at home (and whatever art classes are available at school) can be enough for that kid to get into a college that focuses on art (or else decide not to go and, instead, to do something with his art as a side (and earning) endeavor.  Knowing the kinds of things a child is interested in drawing can be a guide to which books s/he will find most helpful and interesting.
   
   He might also like videos or programs that offer one kind of drawing course or another.
   
   As a kid, my only interest in art was drawing.  I found myself waiting to get to one kind of drawing or another, and otherwise not all that interested in the rest of the art course.  My thing has always been only figure drawing - nothing else, for the most part.  When I was out of school and grown up I decided to "finally" look for a drawing course (as opposed to all those "overall art" courses I'd gotten in school).  I took the drawing course, but it turned out I didn't learn anything I didn't already know how to do. At that point, I'd already been practicing and drawing for - like - 20 or so years.  Point is, I'm not sure there's a lot of use for drawing courses when the same techniques can be learned by an interested kid from books.
   
   I don't know if this is at all useful here, but here's a link to Montserrat's page (some discussion about the overall aspects of art education).  I just thought it may be a starting point for ideas on what else to look for online:
   
   http://www.montserrat.edu/academics/art-education/

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8. 59

   richtwfposted 13 years ago

   It's probably better to let him just draw for fun and see where his creative mind takes him. If someone mentors or guides him then this can also be useful if they can nurture him and encourage him to find his own style otherwise they might train out of him any unique creative skill that he might have.
   
   When I was in Africa, I started an art project in a local primary school and I was absolutely stunned by the children's abilities to draw. They had an incredible natural talent to draw, unlike children in the West who on the whole feel they're unable to draw. Kids in the West have this "I can't draw attitude' but if they tried and were encouraged from a young age then they wouldn't have this mental block.

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