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Art & Tears


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I love our art prog: Phonics of Art. It teaches actual technique & isn't just arts & crafts.

 

Ds (10) loves it. He's not particularly artistic--more of an engineering mind--but puts a lot of effort into it & gets good results.

 

Dd (8) cries every time we do it. She's extremely artistic, but she gets frustrated w/ the SMALLEST instructions.

 

Today we were drawing a rose. Step one was to draw an 8" box. She drew one line & needed a new page. Before she was done adding the grid, she was literally in tears because her grid lines weren't straight enough. :001_huh:

 

I try to tell her not to worry about it, have fun, be at peace, CHILD!!! She finally got up to do chores instead of art.

 

It makes me sad because this should be her favorite subject. I picked it for today as a NICE thing. An *easing* back into school. :(

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I found Phonics of Drawing difficult for my children to succeed at. Not because the instruction is lacking or too difficult, but because the examples are *so* perfect looking. The kids got discouraged that their drawings wouldn't look like the example at all.

 

This is one of my favorite things about the Atelier program- it shows shots of what other kids their age have done. The kids find that encouraging and they just love looking at what other kids have done. They like to realize that their art is better than some but can be improved upon to look like others.

 

Sorry, not much advice, but wanting to say that I found the same with Phonics of Drawing. It's tough on those perfectionist kids. :grouphug:

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I don't know if you've tried this, but remind her that an art program is designed to give you practice in those things that may not come easily. One thing I find interesting is to look at some work by Van Gogh from the days when he didn't have a grip on perspective. Show her that practicing things that you find challenging is not about creating a great work of art. It is simply a way to make your own art better.

 

Just an idea--if she doesn't like the grid, give her a picture and a blank paper, and turn the picture upside down. Drawing upside down is freeing in many ways, because you have to let go of how things look in your mind, and instead to draw what you see. I use this tip from Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain when I need some mental relaxation.

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Just an idea--if she doesn't like the grid, give her a picture and a blank paper, and turn the picture upside down. Drawing upside down is freeing in many ways, because you have to let go of how things look in your mind, and instead to draw what you see. I use this tip from Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain when I need some mental relaxation.

 

THANK YOU!!! This worked, & she's much happier. :grouphug:

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