Mama Geek Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 My dd is 4 and loves to draw and is more artistic than either parent. She wants to learn how to draw people so that they look like people (not cartoons) including clothing etc. Can anyone suggest a how to book or a good source on the internet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 I don't have a book for you, but I would beware of your child's desire to draw at a higher level than is developmentally likely.Most young children draw draw draw draw draw. And then, most young people stop drawing around 2nd or 3rd grade because they can't draw on a level they want to. They are tired of drawing stick figures, and they have had no instruction to draw anything else. They have nothing to replace the stick figures with, so they stop drawing. Our public school art programs emphasize an amorphous "be creative" over "learn how to draw, and here is some instruction." Some kids teach themselves how to draw, in the same way that some kids teach themselves to read or can do early math effortlessly: it just makes sense to them. The rest of us need instruction.I would really hate for you daughter to lose her enthusiasm for drawing by falling into this category of loving and wanting to draw, but lacking instruction when and how she needs it. --Drawing is a good skill to have in the workplace, because our culture is so visually inclined. Even those in the sciences use drawing skills to create models of what they are working on. --Drawing is good for the brain. It uses the right side of the brain, which taps into creativity to be applied to solving other problems. --Drawing is a relatively cheap lifelong hobby. A pencil and some paper will work for most situations.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Now, the advice part:If you want to encourage this in your dd (and I assume you do, because you posted about it):1)Read the introduction and beginning chapters of the following books. If your library doesn't have them, they can order them for you from Inter-Library Loan.a) Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes b ) Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards c) Mark Kistler's Draw Squad They all discuss some level of the psychology of learning to draw.2) Drawing Books: These books teach step-by-step drawing that even a 4yo can do. The library should have at least a few of them. a) Ed Emberley Books b )Usborne drawing books--I Can Draw Animals --What Shall I Draw? --I Can Draw People 3) I believe it is less what you are drawing and more about HOW you are learning to draw.Our experience:a) I purchased two big sketch books from Hobby Lobby. One for dd, the other for myself. (I am NOT a draw-er!!!!) b )We are currently working through Usborne's "What Shall I Draw?" (See above). c) Using vocabulary and philosophies learned from the drawing instruction books in Advice #1 section, I walk dd through the drawing. d) *****We each draw the item THREE times, using a separate piece of paper in our sketch books each time. ***** This allows for: --it's okay if it's not perfect. You will draw it two more times. --Practice is good for improving your drawings, and to remember how to draw the item in the future. --Creativity: Draw an owl on a perch, an owl with babies, and a flying owl. Draw a wizard under the stars, a wizard conjuring a serpent from a cauldron, and a wizard with an owl in the background. Draw a clown, a pair of clowns, and a pyramid of six clowns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 My kids love the Usborne drawing books! We have a few and get other how to draw books from the library. We have done some of drawing with children and the first part about seeing the shapes has been great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted November 12, 2014 Author Share Posted November 12, 2014 how to draw people for kids step by step This is the type of thing that I was thinking about. I am going to look at the Usborne books and I like the looks of Ed Emberley book. So far I have done some of the Draw Write Now stuff and a few how to draw_______ in several steps that I have found on Pinterest. I am not formally teaching it at this time and will keep the other books in mind. I want something that is not super detailed that I can sit with her when she asks and help her to walk through it a few times. My MIL has more artistic ability than I do by far and i was also thinking it might be a good starting point for them to do some together too. I was pretty amazed 2 days ago when she showed me a picture of a heart shaped face with hair, eyes, a smiling mouth with teeth and I couldn't entirely make out the body because she drew it on a magna doodle and didn't really leave enough space but she did try to give it arms and legs. I am expecting that she will get a sketch pad for Christmas, whether it is from us or from grandparents I don't know yet. I am still happy to hear more recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 The Draw Write Now figure drawing instructions are pretty good. Similar to that is 1-2-3 Draw Knights, Castles and Dragons and 1-2-3 Draw People. The Draw People instructions are a bit more advanced than those in the Knights, Castle book. I usually suggest Ed Amberley Fingerprint or Funprint book for easy to draw facial expressions, but they sound like they might be too easy for her, already, if she is drawing teeth. I think they are useful to everyone, though, when drawing something tiny and needing just a few strokes to illustrate something complex like emotion. The FREE New Augsburg Drawing books include action drawing lessons that include people and animals that would be good. It is in either grade 2 or 3 that the lessons graduate from stick figure to fleshed in bodies, but I think the grade 1 lessons are important. Stick figuring isn't babyish and of no use to adults, just because ALSO being able to do more is preferable. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/359033-augsburg-drawing-free-and-awesome-and-complete-1-8/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 I don't think she is ready for it yet, But I like Chapman's Elementary Drawing and Prang's Art Education for High School after Aufmann for free books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 These people are maybe too cartoony for her, but they are so adorable maybe she would like them anyways: Illustration School: Let's Draw Happy People http://www.amazon.com/Illustration-School-Lets-Happy-People/dp/1592536468/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y I thought I couldn't draw anything, but as it turns out I can draw the people in this book very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 These people are maybe too cartoony for her, but they are so adorable maybe she would like them anyways: Illustration School: Let's Draw Happy People http://www.amazon.com/Illustration-School-Lets-Happy-People/dp/1592536468/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y I thought I couldn't draw anything, but as it turns out I can draw the people in this book very well. I like the entire Illustration School series, including the newest color book. http://www.amazon.com/Illustration-School-Lets-Magical-Color/dp/1592539173/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1AZ5VM9B05MKV2HAB1V5 Using Color in Your Art is good too. http://www.amazon.com/Using-Color-Your-Art-Williamson/dp/0824967542/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415804652&sr=1-1&keywords=using+color+in+your+art And the "Crayon Paintings" in the Augsburg books that I linked above. When students are not ready to move ahead in drawing, you can camp out doing some color lessons, until they developmentally mature a bit more. For more FREE stuff that is not figure drawing Prang's Primary course in form study. http://books.google.com/books?id=KnUoAAAAYAAJ&dq=prang+sphere&source=gbs_navlinks_s http://books.google.com/books?id=L8IBAAAAYAAJ&dq=prang+sphere&source=gbs_book_similarbooks Followed By Outlines of Industrial Drawing https://archive.org/details/outlinesindustr00garigoog Constructive Form Work https://archive.org/details/constructivefor00hailgoog Mechanical Drawing for High School by French https://archive.org/details/mechanicaldrawi00svengoog Chapters 1 and 2, and the "problems" on lettering that start on page 146. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 b )Usborne drawing books --I Can Draw Animals --What Shall I Draw? --I Can Draw People We love the ones of these that we have. My ds#2 has had a ball with them. I picked up all the Draw Write Now books as he liked the one we already had. My dd#2 is "beyond" these and has a lot of more difficult ones. She's one of those who has been able to get somewhat past the frustration point of not being able to draw what you see in your mind. Great resource links, duckens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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