Spontaneous Sketching

So far this year Friday's is my only day off work. Tilly and I spend Fridays together, just us girls. Next term, Tilly starts going to Pre-School 5 days a week! I am hoping that this will assist her with the transition to school next year. Spending a term getting used to 5 days, in a familiar environment. She is very ready for it, but boy am I going to miss our Fridays together.

On our final Friday as a duo, we decided to go to the National Gallery. Tilly has been spending much of her time sketching. Her drawings have become detailed and are providing an amazing insight into her thinking.

When drawing this one apparently the 'bobbies'
were the essential element to include.

We headed for the Sculpture Garden which, to me, is an amazing place to introduce children to 'formal' art. They can run, touch and explore the art, really connecting with it. I happened to have some paper and pencils with us and was delighted at the ways Matilda choose to explore and spontaneously sketch the sculptures in the space.

She first wanted to feel them with her body, but not by touching them. She copied the sculptures with her body, felt the positions, and then sat down to draw them. She would have one go, watch me as I had a go and then do another, refining her ideas and techniques.

She engaged in so many area and elements of the garden. The sun was shining, the Spring blooms were out. It was delicious.

Here are some of the ways she engaged with the space, spontaneously sketching...

Feeling the positions before drawing them.

Really looking, observing, studying before drawing 

Colour matching the pencils to the wattle

Her first wattle sketch

Noticing the shadows created by the sun and the wattle.
Asking me to hold it and then sketching the shadow in 'real colours'.

Watching her body move in the reflection

Playing with her reflection

Pure joy and self amusement at how her body gets distorted in the different angles of the sculpture.

Drawing her response to the experience.

After our garden visit, we went and had some lunch and meandered through the exhibitions. We got talking about John Pollock's techniques when he created the Blue Poles, the brush strokes and colour pallet Monet used and how Picasso was a "little mixed up". She had so many ideas. So much insight. So great to have a conversation with. 

She thought the plain white canvases were a 'bit funny - maybe they only had white paint left" and that the Pop Art pictures looked like ads, selling you something.

I am by no means educated in the way of artistic theory, but on this day we experienced 'art appreciation' that was authentic and joyful. I just love that I experienced it with a 4 year old.