My child really enjoys drawing and making art. But, how should help them grow artistically?

Here are three activities in which you can encourage your art-loving children.

Practice drawing realistically and creatively.
Exposure to good artwork.
Exploration of many art mediums.

Draw Realistically

Realistic drawing is a skill, like piano, that has concrete techniques that can be practiced and mastered. Learning to be an excellent observer is really what realistic drawing mostly entails. Just think, how much richer the world becomes when you see i; REALLY see it. Drawing opens up a side of us that slows, reflects, and delights in the world around us. It helps us notice what is happening and see the wonder in the ordinary.

There are so many techniques to help us become better observers. Some of these techniques, like using a grid, have been used for centuries and have no limit on ability or age. Many coloring books use grid puzzels, as well as, many artists who have their work in museums, such as Chuck Close and Antonio Mancini. Library books, art class, and video channels can give your child many of these techniques and they practice observing and drawing on their own.

Draw Creatively

It is also important to draw creatively. Keep the play in learning and there is no pinnacle. No end. The learning and exploring just keep going. I think this is probably why you see so many master artists have several periods of work with different characteristics. You may not know that Picasso was an excellent realistic painter as a child and later said “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” But we know him mostly for his later Cubist works. He continued to play and explore creatively.

Draw Every Day

And of course, the more you draw, good drawings, bad drawings, interesting drawings, boring drawings; the better you get! Give your children time to draw, encouragement when drawing is frustrating, permission to not like or keep a drawing, and praise when they like their work.

Here are a few ways I’m encouraging my children to draw: