I don't remember whether i had the qualities to draw until I was in sixth standard or so , art is something which I have inherited from my father , lost him at the age of seven , "he used to draw beautifully" , this is what I heard from others and have hardly seen two or three of his drawings . Being a single mom busy with office and home , my mother was unable to identify a teacher to hone my skills.
After completing my school , the Holidays in between joining a college helped me to identify a teacher in my town. I went to him for enquiry and when he told me to draw whatever i knew , I drew a landscape with a house , well,mountain , river and a tree. When i looked through his class , all the students were seated in different places of the living room and they have been told to draw whatever they see ( observational drawing ) I didn't went to the class from next day because just for seeing and drawing( which I thought I can do myself in home ) I didnt wanted to pay him the amount and waste my time travelling to and fro .
After 12 years , a mom of two , after quitting my bank job , I wanted to pursue my passion , so enrolled myself In a fine art institute for a diploma course . First day in the class my tutor told me to draw whatever I know , again it was the same , I drew a landscape with a house , well,mountain , river and a tree.Nothing came to my mind other than this , but when I saw the other student ,a kid who was around 8 years old , for him it happened to be the first class too, he was drawing a temple scene with so many details , that moment gave me a jerk, helped me to realise what made the difference , I was just a copy cat when it comes to art , I used to draw from references from the net and other mediums .
After completing my course , When I have decided to start teaching art to kids at my home, the first thing I did is designing an art program based on observational drawing .
It's been nearly 4 years after I have started teaching art to kids , more than fifty percent of the parents haven't either liked or supported my way of teaching . This statement may sound negative but it is true .
Reason most of them have seen Art as one of the subjects in school which requires a teacher and a book designed based on some curriculum .
They wanted me to teach sun, moon, trees, houses , clouds , mountains etc as it is ,and their colours ,always we had a problem with apple , Parents need only red apples , but most of the kids will colour purple, orange and sometimes lot of mix and match . Every alternate day I see a parent complaining "you are not scolding them, see there colour of tree trunk is orange , always her/his colour goes out of lines or borders " and most importantly Every week there will be a drawing competition in some of the school
and parents come with a circular and a topic they decide by themselves and which children has to draw . Reason for the selection of topic according to the parents were because of tough competitions they face and for some , obviously the medal .
No wonder I was also once a mom who was sailing in the same boat , striving for medals , struggling for competitions and calculating the value for money I pay , for every after school activities to be apt..
But my experience as a student changed my view towards art ( drawing and painting) ,and these are the reasons based on my personal experience (with my students in these four years ) why I think observational drawing is most important ..
Confidence : When the kids are allowed to observe and draw , it will be a fresh drawing not a replicated one , this gives them a sense of achievement . Instead in a copied one they always have the feeling that original one is more beautiful than their work , which lowers their confidence .
Mistakes : When they attempt to draw something they have explored for the first time , and even though if it's not perfect they won't mind , most of the kids will try to observe the thing again and again in various ways and try to correct their drawing , so they get a feeling that mistakes are common and everyone learns from their mistakes .
So if the lines are not perfect and the colours are messy let it be, kids will try themselves to make it perfect , Even after lot of practice if they are unable to make it , don't compare , may be Drawing and painting is not their cup of tea.
It's better try to understand them than changing them , which will make our journey as a parent easier.
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