Mommie_Jen Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 I have zero artistic ability, and my 5 yr old's pictures look like a 2-3 year old did them. They mainly consist of scribbles with very little form whatsoever to them. I'd like to find some sort of (cheap) what to help his artwork look a little better, to teach him that people/animals/whatever have shapes, not just scribbles with eyes. I have Drawing With Children, and it looks intimidating to me. I just don't think I will have the time this year to try to implement it. Would DWN work for us? Do you just start at book 1 and take it 1 year at a time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 I think DWN would work fine for kindergarten. My ds used it when he was six, and he loved it. You don't have to use the books in order. Each one is centered around a theme, such as farm animals or the ocean. We used DWN when we did FIAR. We chose what to draw based on the book we were reading at the time. Here are the lists we used: http://www.homeschoolshare.com/DWN_FIAR1.php http://www.homeschoolshare.com/DWN_FIAR2.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommie_Jen Posted June 15, 2012 Author Share Posted June 15, 2012 Thanks, I am looking at the books. I there anything else I could use? I know that it is just kindergarten and h e doesn't need a full blown art curriculum, but I feel like I need something to guide me/us seeing as how he struggles to draw simple shapes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swiegers Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 You can let him practice drawing basic shapes first - circles, triangles, rectangles, curvy lines, etc. Then you use those basic shapes to construct a picture. I've used "How to teach art to children" by Evan Moor before and it works really great. There's also learn to draw books by Ed Emberley. He uses those basic shapes to draw bigger pictures. Might be worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uff Da! Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 (edited) nm Edited February 6, 2015 by Brightening Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekfk Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 I used Draw Write Now and Watch Me Draw for 1st grade drawing. I definitely saw a big improvement in drawing skills from the beginning of the grade to the end. My daughter really struggled at first and needed constant help with drawing the shapes but now she can easily follow the instructions by herself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 I think they're a great place to start! :) I would encourage you to sit with him, set up the book where you can both see it, and each draw together. Talk out loud while you draw. "Okay, I'm going to start with the oval in the first picture. Oh, oops! Mine's a little wobbly. What do you think? I think I'm just going to try to make it work, even though it's not just like the one in the picture. Oh, are you drawing yours now? Cool. That looks pretty good. Do you see how the next part is that smaller circle we have to draw? I think it's about half the size of the first one, so I'm actually going to move my pencil down a little farther before I start. Do you think that's where you want to start yours?" Just chatter away. Talk about the shapes. Talk about the things you think you did well or didn't get right. Model coping with frustration and imperfection for him. "Okay, well, that's not what I wanted it to look like. I wonder if I can fix it a bit? Well, that's not what I meant, but it looks pretty good!" ... With some kids you might emphasize not worrying about perfection -- with others you might emphasize taking your time and putting forth your best effort... Laugh at the silly parts. When you finish the drawing from the page, choose something to add to your drawing. "I'm going to put a bandana on this pig!" Or a silly hat. Or add some trees in the background. Ask what he wants to add. Make it a fun experience *together*. You'll build good memories together and both of you will improve your art skills. You'll be working on academic skills as well as you model perseverance, patience, attention to detail, and a good attitude along with building fine motor skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 PS - Don't worry about the writing part. Just focus on the drawing. If he wants to do the writing, that's fine, but it's absolutely not essential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Of the list below: http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/homeschool-art-music-curriculum/ My kids at the K stage loved Mark Kistler's online courses and the Imagination Station DVDs. :001_smile: Be sure you have a set of colored pencils, regular pencils and a pencil sharpener for the online course. For the DVDs, pencils, puff balls, google eyes and pipe cleaners are essential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 (edited) Follow the Directions & Draw It All by Yourself is on sale for $3.00. If you wait awhile it's sure to go on sale for $1. Little Kids...Draw $2. Little Kids... Mold and Paint. $1 Little Kids...Cut $2. Little Kids...Cook is on sale for $1 Edited June 15, 2012 by Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 That does look fun Hunter, thanks. I just remembered that my slightly older kids are enjoying this book, free to download: http://archive.org/details/whattodrawhowtod00lutz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Not drawing, but I like it. I'd definitely wait for a $1 sale for this one. Follow the Direction Art: Nursery Rhymes $5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 That does look fun Hunter, thanks. I just remembered that my slightly older kids are enjoying this book, free to download: http://archive.org/details/whattodrawhowtod00lutz I like this one. We have used it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommie_Jen Posted June 15, 2012 Author Share Posted June 15, 2012 Follow the Directions & Draw It All by Yourself is on sale for $3.00. If you wait awhile it's sure to go on sale for $1. Little Kids...Draw $2. Little Kids... Mold and Paint. $1 Little Kids...Cut $2. Little Kids...Cook is on sale for $1 Oh, these look great greats front us, I really like them. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Oh, these look great greats front us, I really like them. Thanks! I thought that was what you were looking for :-) Gradually start collecting the Draw Write Now books. I use them so much now that I have them. It's crazy how much I use them. I never hear anyone else talk about the backgrounds, but it's the backgrounds we use the most. Sometimes formally as a biome lesson, but often just as a reference when I or a student want to add a background to a picture based on another curriculum or just free drawing. Some of us do the outlines, but some of use just use the shapes and colors as proportions as a guide, to produce something totally different looking. I think of Draw Write Now as a drawing REFERENCE. And the facial expression in Ed Emberley's funprint book. We use those SO much. I have scanned the pages and I seem to be printing them out for a student constantly. It's about the only thing I print in color. But for now, the above linked lessons are totally open and go, and cheap, and there is no shipping :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 We really like the DWN books. They may be a bit hard for your 5 year old at first. I also own this book that I used with my dd before she could do the DWN books. It looks like they have one for drawing people as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kemilie Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 I plan to use Draw Write Now as a more "fun" supplement to the other writing I do with the kids... and if it teaches them some art (which it sounds like it will from this thread!) that's a great bonus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 My dc have really enjoyed the DWN books. I just keep them very accessible and they pull them out for fun whenever they want. For actual drawing skill, I think a subscription to Mark Kistler's online Draw Squad has been fantastic. He does give step by step instruction, but includes a lot of information about shading, perspective, and making objects look 3D. We've used it for over a year now, and both my dd6 and ds4 have shown vast improvements in their drawings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I plan to use Draw Write Now as a more "fun" supplement to the other writing I do with the kids... and if it teaches them some art (which it sounds like it will from this thread!) that's a great bonus! I always forget that DWN is meant for handwriting practice :-0 I frequently use the sentences for copywork, but...in my messed up head, I'm just doing that on my own, like I lift sentences from all sorts of other books. I think especially because I'm teaching cursive and not manuscript. When someone posts DWN for handwriting, I first think :001_huh: before I remember that it IS a handwriting curriculum. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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