copycat
JBug did art yesterday.
This is Pablo Picasso’s “Child with a Dove” on the left. JBug’s version on the right.
To say I am pleased with the result would be a major understatement. This one is getting framed and hung, for sure!
But let me talk with you about the process, which to me is so much more important than the product (with the caveat that I am no artist nor a trained art teacher, as is probably obvious by now!LOL!).
As I explained in an earlier post, I had set out a display with a few art cards and some art supplies and explained to the kiddos that they could use them (or any other supplies they wanted) to copy the pictures. They agreed that sounded like fun.
The materials sat there untouched for over a week. Disappointing, but completely okay, because the kids were obviously highly engaged in other creative pursuits of their own design; namely, architecture. And when it comes to creativity I do not push. I offer, I suggest, I entice, but I do NOT push. I figure if they don’t bite, then the time is just not right. So when one set of materials sits unused, after awhile I usually just put them away and offer something else.
And that is what I was in the process of doing when I decided to try one last time and I offered oil pastels and a sheet of green paper to JBug and suggested she copy this particular piece of art. And she bit!
So we sat down and I asked her to look closely at the artwork for awhile before she began. We talked about color and looked at brushstrokes. Then I helped her sketch out a basic outline on the paper for her to work with. I even sketched a bit of the tricky parts (like the hands holding the bird) for her myself. Is this cheating? Is this helping too much? I don’t think so. This is the kind of support my 7yr old needs in order to feel successful and not overwhelmed.
Besides, the sketching wasn’t the point. The point of this work was observing the use of color and the thickness and direction of Picasso’s brush strokes. If we had gotten bogged down in her having to get the sketching just right, she would have gotten frustrated and we might have missed an opportunity to learn some neat lessons. But by offering her the support she needed, she had the confidence to proceed from that point on her own, adding details, choosing colors, imitating the brush strokes, and finalizing the picture herself. And I think she did a fabulous job, far beyond my expectations.
Now, as I said, I am no artist nor an art teacher. But I love art and I love to be creative. This is what I want for my children. Not that they become artists (though that would be fine) but that they feel free to express themselves creatively. A trained artist may look at my methods of bringing art to my children and cringe, insisting I’ve got it all wrong. And that may be the case. I am new at this art game and I’m always open to suggestions from those who know more than me. But for now, I am just pleased that I have children who look at a box full of art supplies with the same gleam in their eyes as if it were a box of candy and they can’t wait to dig in. I count that a success right there.
Filed under: Curriculum or Lack Thereof..., JBug, art
JBug is a really gifted artist.
Theresa, Is there a good place you’d recommend to order art cards like the ones you used?
Go JBug – your artwork is awesome.
Emma
Thanks, Mama. The cards are from the “Child size Masterpieces” series. I got them from Amazon.
Love JB version, you have a little artist in the making. I usually lurk through blogs and never make any comments but I just had to ask you a question. Im a HS mom of 3 and I would love to leave the traditional school at home idea and start doing more creative type of teaching. You are definitely and inspiration. I was just wondering where do you get most of your ideas from and how do you plan to carry them out. I guess I struggle mostly with planning. I know you are a busy mom but Ill take any tips. You make it seem so easy. Thank you. and Blessings.
Sheila
Lapazfarm says: I am not ignoring you, Sheila. I am just trying to formulate a coherent answer for you. That could take awhile!LOL!
JBug did an amazing job!
Will you email me when you get the chance? I looked on here for a way to contact you and I didn’t see it. I just have some questions about how to implement your ways into mine.
TY
Amazing JBug, very beautiful!
That was a beautiful copy of the original work. Great job, JBug! And, I think your method of teaching art is wonderful!
Your children *are* artists. The question is will they stay artists as they grow up?
Beautiful work!
That is a fantastic copy of the original!! Great job JBug
My son is really into painting and drawing so I’m going to have to show him this tomorrow 
Whoa! That is tremendous!
I think your approach is excellent. But then I’m no art teacher either. But I know from teaching other things (as you do) that you can’t focus on all the new bits of something at once. Focusing on brush strokes and colour seems like a really good start.
One thing I notice is that her skirt looks different from the original. The folds are different. As an idea, you might get some fabric (could just be a sheet) and drape it over a chair in different ways and talk with her about how the shadow works and how that might be used to show a breeze or movement or something in a painting. Something to keep on the back burner. Also, some of Renoir’s still lifes will have interesting draping of the tablecloth if you wanted to do anything with that (they also have great colours — vivid reds and purples; there is one in the Chicago Art Institute that is mostly peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, etc.)
She did an amazing job. Leave that basket of pastels and art cards lying around a bit longer
I wrote a blog post about how I have used modeling and “copying” as a way to teach things for my children (or they discovered it on their own). It’s found here: http://lifewithoutschool.typepad.com/lifewithoutschool/2008/08/to-copy-is-to-c.html We have just been told it’s “cheating”, but who says?
Great painting by JBug!
Cindy
She is so very talented! Awesome job!
Wow, that is an amazing painting!
Wow. That is just beautiful!
Oh my goodness, that is amazing! JBug, you are a very talented artist—keep it up! And Theresa, you are a very talented mom.
OH MY WORD! I will so add this to my list of things to do with my children. I have a huge running list.
I need more than one lifetime with my children. *sigh*
Lady, your daughter was in the zone with this one! BEAUTIFUL!
…beautiful work by JBug! I would definitely have to frame that one too!
wow. i don’t know if i’m ready for the snow yet. :^) but it looks like your walk to get the mail is similar to ours!
Wow! I am highly impressed!
Incredible! She’s very talented.
Picasso would have loved to have met JBug! He would have wanted to copy HER artwork for sure.
This is a wonderful thing to inspire in your child, an eye for art, how to see colors, etc…. You young moms have so many more resources than I did when bringing up my children. I wish I had thought of this idea. Thanks for posting as other mothers can catch onto your great idea here.
Such a beautiful picture, especially from a 7-year-old. We did a similar project when my sisters and I were in 6th grade, and my mom got them custom-framed and the pictures hung on our living room walls the whole time I was growing up.
We are studying Picasso right now. This is a great rendition, and I enjoyed the narrative of how it came about.
This is beautiful, well done JBug! I am definitely going to try this with my daughter! Thanks for sharing
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