Sketch Books
“This is what I was hoping for when he started art with you, that he would feel free to create without rules of how to do something.” This text followed the photograph (above) sent to me by the mother of one of my 6 year old students. It’s an entry from his sketchbook of a tropical bird. This student loves to draw and he goes through so many sketchbooks…he tells me often that they are, “almost filled up.” And this makes my heart sing.
***
You see, I always encourage my students to have their own sketchbook or ‘visual journal’ and to carry it with them whenever possible. I tell them you never know when you’ll be inspired or get an idea. Sometimes sketchbook entries serve as pre-drawings or sketches and ideas for more involved works of art, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they are just sketches or doodles that capture a moment in time. What you DO with your sketches doesn’t really matter, that’s not the point. But maintaining a sketchbook encourages creative behavior and it requires us to be aware of our surroundings.
***
What if you give your child a sketchbook and they keep telling you, “I don’t know what to draw.” Well, what if I told you there are many, even endless ways, to use a sketchbook? Here are a few ideas: Use the pages to play a game (Tic-Tac toe, or a drawing game). Create a fun list or top-ten list (my husband’s favorite is top-ten coolest dinosaurs ). Create a drawing of your future….Waiting in a restaurant for your food?…Draw what you think your food will look like when it arrives in 10, 15, 20 minutes. Sketchbooks or visual journals can also be a great way for children to process their feelings or emotions. Sometimes drawing what makes you happy or sad or what you are angry, or worried about can help you confront it or work it out.
***
Now, I often see children with coloring books. This still encourages children to use materials and explore color and there can be some benefits of coloring books. But I believe coloring books, when used too often, can be a problem. Books have historically been places where we find “information” and are often written by people who “know things”. Information presented in book form seems to carry authority. So what happens when we give a child books filled with other people’s (or computer’s) drawings? They may begin to think that the images they find in these books are, “correct”. That there is only one way to draw something, like a tropical bird, for example. Coloring books can also be problematic because they encourage perfection. Everybody knows the objective of a coloring book is to “color inside the lines”. In this short article by Christine McLean she writes about why we should not banish, but be mindful, of coloring books. If you do find yourself or your child using a coloring book here are some ideas from Stephanie Rose for repurposing the finished pages!
***
So…..get your kids (and yourself) a sketchbook! And if we associated books with authority and information, what a cool way to honor childrens’ drawing collections…in a bound book. For a sketchbook with larger pages (8x11) try this Jumbo Size Book. For a smaller option for taking on the go try this travel size book. The pages in this one are great for not just drawing, but painting as well. Have fun!!