Beginner's book of drawing

[underthebridge]

Could someone recommend an introductory book of drawing for DD5? I thought that she didn't like to draw, but I am realizing that she needs more direction. For example, she needs help when copying another drawing to see that the drawing is made of simple shapes - a bike is 2 circles, straight lines, etc. I have seen Draw Write Now, The Big Yellow Book of Drawing and Mark Kistler books recommended. Which one, or another book, would you recommend for learning the very basics?

[jaderbee]

You know, Hunter posted a book from google books that had drawing lessons by grade level with lots of hand holding. I need to go look for the title.

 

ETA: Ausburg's Drawing http://books.google.com/books/about/The_New_Augsburg_s_Drawing.html?id=EaBpAAAAMAAJ

[underthebridge]

You know, Hunter posted a book from google books that had drawing lessons by grade level with lots of hand holding. I need to go look for the title.

 

ETA: Ausburg's Drawing http://books.google.com/books/about/The_New_Augsburg_s_Drawing.html?id=EaBpAAAAMAAJ

Thank you, this looks promising! Any others? I would love to see one that is like a workbook that you can draw in.

[Hunter]

Drawing Textbook

http://dreamsteep.com/component/docman/cat_view/130-ebooks.html?Itemid=30

I promise this is safe to download.

This is still a bit ahead of a 5 year old, but next year, you can start it.

 

I like Ed Emberley for 5 year olds. I like the Prada People and the Scribble Trees in The Green Book, the Feelings and Bean Buddies in the Fingerprint book, and the Make a World Book.

[Hunter]

You know, Hunter posted a book from google books that had drawing lessons by grade level with lots of hand holding. I need to go look for the title.

 

ETA: Ausburg's Drawing http://books.google.com/books/about/The_New_Augsburg_s_Drawing.html?id=EaBpAAAAMAAJ

 

Make sure to check out the "Crayon Paintings". I'd use them next year, but they are an awesome free set of lessons.

[rochenan]

I bought Draw Write Now for my DS5. You don't actually write in the book. You draw a picture and write the sentence in a copybook. It has space for the picture above and lines for the sentence below. Technically, you don't need the copybook. You could just use blank paper or buy a notepad of picture story paper. The instructions are very clear and simple. It is nice that more than one child can use it.

 

[TechWife]

Have you looked at the library? They usually have at least a few different choices for kids that age. Usborne usually has some decent books as well. I wouldn't push too much at 5 years old, though. It may be that she doesn't like to draw because her hand isn't quite strong enough to sustain effort. How are her fine motor skills in general? She might benefit from some more general craft work and go back to drawing when she is just a little bit older. Activities for Fine Motor Skills Development is a really great book with a lot of hands on activities. 

 

On the drawing side, I have heard great things about Drawing with Children. The previews look really good. I didn't come across this book until well after my son took off on his own with his interest in drawing and other forms of art. I think I could have gotten a lot out of it, though. It seems to cover not only drawing basics, but how to foster an environment that encourages creativity in general. 

 

 

[Hunter]

 

 

[Hunter]

Prada people are at the top of this picture.

 

[jaderbee]

I love the Ed Emberly. I need to get DD#2 the Purple Drawing Book for Christmas. Thanks Hunter. Is this what you meant about crayon painting: http://artchoo.com/crayon-painting

[twoxcell]

I like the Usborne Playtime books called, I Can Draw Animals and I Can Draw People for beginning drawing. Draw Write Now is a step up from these. 

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

My kids love Draw Write Now, and it gives them confidence of what to draw and imitate.  But it is more imitation for specific pictures that a how-to in drawing.  However, I am starting Drawing with Children with them this year.  I am very tempted by Artistic Pursuits.

[duckens]

Another vote for Ed Emberley.

Usborne's drawing books are good, too.
 

With the Ed Emberley books, you may need to sit down with her and teach her how to read the drawings.  New strokes are always listed at the bottom.

[underthebridge]

Thanks for all the replies! I think I will go with Drawing with Children and Ed Emberley for now. DD's fine motor skills seem on track for her age. She loves perler beads, dot to dot puzzles, and modeling clay. Her handwriting is, to my eye, normal for her age.

 

I plan to leave one of the books open on her table and see if she dives in on her own!

[Hunter]

I love the Ed Emberly. I need to get DD#2 the Purple Drawing Book for Christmas. Thanks Hunter. Is this what you meant about crayon painting: http://artchoo.com/crayon-painting

The crayon "paintings" start on page 85 in the section on color. The student is taught to make a "wash" with crayons. The student is just merely taught how to USE crayons to make art, instead of thinking of them as a toy.

http://books.google.com/books?id=EaBpAAAAMAAJ&vq=color&source=gbs_navlinks_s

[Hunter]

I had the Draw Write Now books and they are good, but I wasn't using them as much as I knew someone else would, and I gave them away.

[alisoncooks]

I like the 1-2-3 Draw series.  It has helped my 2 girls become more confident at drawing/breaking pictures down into shapes.

[Hunter]

I like the 1-2-3 Draw series.  It has helped my 2 girls become more confident at drawing/breaking pictures down into shapes.

 

I used to have some of these, too. They are good. Some books are easier than others.

[Walking-Iris]

Thanks for all the replies! I think I will go with Drawing with Children and Ed Emberley for now. DD's fine motor skills seem on track for her age. She loves perler beads, dot to dot puzzles, and modeling clay. Her handwriting is, to my eye, normal for her age.

 

I plan to leave one of the books open on her table and see if she dives in on her own!

 

Your dd can't dive into Drawing With Children on her own. The book is meant for you to read, cover to cover,and then to go through the lessons, preferably with the child. It's more systematic then a simple "learn to draw  a thing" book.

 

But I highly recommend it. My children can draw, not merely copy.  And I've only ever used DWC lessons.

[Coco_Clark]

Walking Iris, do you have any advice on Drawing With Children as to application.  I have the book, and I've read it, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around exactly how to translate it into lessons.  Do you do a warm up every day?  How many days do you work on a lesson (like leo the lion, for example)?  I saw Donna Young's files, but I think they further confused me.

[underthebridge]

Your dd can't dive into Drawing With Children on her own. The book is meant for you to read, cover to cover,and then to go through the lessons, preferably with the child. It's more systematic then a simple "learn to draw  a thing" book.

 

But I highly recommend it. My children can draw, not merely copy.  And I've only ever used DWC lessons.

 

Ah, ok, thanks for the tip. I am not very comfortable teaching drawing, even with a book. I think I will start with something more basic for now and see how it progresses. So either 1-2-3 Draw or Draw Write Now?

 

[Hunter]

Drawing with Children didn't work for me.

 

In my experience, students at a 5 year old level really are not capable of any self-instruction quite yet.

 

At 5 year old level, I teach the Prada People, Bean Buddies and Feelings pages from the Ed Emberly books, and grass and trees, and a little about color. Self-instruction from a book comes at about age 7 level.

 

If a mom doesn't have time to offer explicit instruction, it is okay to wait for the student to be more ready for self-instruction. Just supply them with supplies and let them play. It's okay to play until 7. 

[LostintheCosmos]

Walking Iris, do you have any advice on Drawing With Children as to application.  I have the book, and I've read it, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around exactly how to translate it into lessons.  Do you do a warm up every day?  How many days do you work on a lesson (like leo the lion, for example)?  I saw Donna Young's files, but I think they further confused me.

 

I'm using these lesson plans this year. Not far enough in yet to say how it's going, but at least the book isn't just sitting on my shelf any more.

[underthebridge]

I can definitely sit down with her and help her out, but art is not my strong suit, so I wouldn't feel comfortable tackling a whole curriculum. I had a "how to draw farm animals" book when I was her age and I remember just going through it on my own. It helped me start with basic shapes when drawing. I think I will give 1-2-3 Draw and Ed Emberley a try and see how she likes it. Thanks everyone!

 

[Walking-Iris]

Walking Iris, do you have any advice on Drawing With Children as to application.  I have the book, and I've read it, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around exactly how to translate it into lessons.  Do you do a warm up every day?  How many days do you work on a lesson (like leo the lion, for example)?  I saw Donna Young's files, but I think they further confused me.

 

It doesn't seem to be what the OP is looking for, but I'll answer this real quick here. I simply started at the beginning and have been working straight through. We haven't even scratched the surface yet .I keep going back to the beginning again for my younger ds, but the repetition hasn't hurt my older ds's efforts.   

 

I have Friday set aside as art day in our weekly routine. It's not always DWC that we do however. We've used HFA and Artistic Pursuits as well. Or an activity from Pinterest or KinderArt. .And my kids are free to explore art whenever. So any art lesson I want to explore with them is done on Friday. We didn't do anything else on Friday except a short math lesson, art, and a Friday Freewrite. This is the same routine we will pick up again this Fall.

 

First you want to work through level 1 exercises regardless of age or ability. Do the assessment in the beginning and also work in some level 2 or even 3 activities if your child seems ready. The assessment helps you know that. But there's no harm in just sticking with level 1 activities first. We haven't done any level 3 (yet). We don't do a warm up every time, just occasionally when we want to. Although when first starting out, it's best to really explore that first basics lesson in detail. The lion we did in one sitting. Most of our art projects get done on Friday. But you can break it up into two different times if you want. Draw one sitting, color it the next time. Usually my time is just spent gathering supplies, and re reading the book. You kind of have to like the book to do it. ;) Finding objects for still lifes or pictures to study/copy can takes some advance planning,  but we're always on the look out for objects or pictures etc so it's not something I overly plan. 

 

One thing: there were times my children didn't want to draw the thing in the lesson, or to finish it. Don't try to make them. I let my kids stop when they are happy with it, or when they are tired of it. Just pack it up and try again another day. Or do something else. 

 

I'm never great at answering these questions about scheduling because I just simply don't plan in this way. I don't think in terms of how long, how many days, etc. We just simply do it. Setting aside a day for it helps. Art gets done because it's Friday!! I don't think DWC needs to be translated into "lessons" because from my standpoint the book is already written in sequential lessons. I've tried to look over "lesson plans" online for DWC as well, and imho most of them are reinventing the wheel.

 

Often my kids ask to do a lesson again because drawing that bird was so fun, and I really then just provide the materials. I let them do any art anything they want whenever they want. The biggest thing I've noticed from using DWC is that it has enhanced their observation skills. It's a natural part of our conversation to find the 5 shapes in things we are looking at. Of course implementing The Private Eye into our routine has enhanced that as well. 

 

The best thing to do is closely read it, and to mark sections with tabs. I mark inspirational passages with one color and have another color tabbed at the current lesson we just finished. Read it with a highlighter, and also place a small colored ink dot at a successfully finished project and tab at a project to attempt again. I don't make detailed lesson plans with anything usually, but I am highly organized about my materials so I can pick anything up and jump in. (or jump back in)

 

I wouldn't even worry about trying to make the entire book fit into a 36 week school year, for such amount of time.  Honestly, I wouldn't see the point in trying. Also I try to do every activity with the kids myself, or sometimes even before them on my own to be sure I understand. They're better than me. It's humbling. ;)

[pitterpatter]

I didn't make it through all of the posts, but the easiest drawing books I've found are these. They are not formal education, but more for fun.

 

Easiest! (Others in the series...Magical Creatures, Cars & Trucks, and Dinosaurs.)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/084314548X/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

One step up, but still easy. There's several in this series.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=watch%20me%20draw&sprefix=watch+me+%2Cstripbooks&rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Awatch%20me%20draw