Art Lesson One: Scribbling

 This exercise is as simple as it sounds and as you might think. In fact I admit, 99% of the adults out there could have written this tutorial themselves. 

Kids need to build key hand muscles and learn hand eye coordination if they are going to be successful at learning to draw and paint. Because this is a computer format, most of my exercises will have been created using a computer. I use a simple Wacom Intuous Stylus and a basic laptop for most lessons, but I have next to me nearly 100s of art tablets that I have drawn in over the years.

So the first step is to find a nice place for your child(or you) would like to draw. I will just refer to child from now on..but adults can follow along too. Now that you have found the place you would like to draw, be it a kitchen table or a desk, make sure you don't mind if it gets drawn on. 

DO NOT DO THIS WITH A CHILD AT YOU FINE DINING ROOM TABLE! If you do not have another spot, place newspaper or other materials under the child's paper. KIDS LOVE TO BE CREATIVE in the worst spots. For example, when I was a kid, I took a crayon and wrote our address all over the house..1818 on the patio, and 1818 on the left side of the house, and on the backside...needless to say, may parents had to have the entire house repainted because of me. They were not happy. You need to let your children know that there are times that they are free to express their creativity, and there are other places that they need to hold that creative impulse in check.

Okay, now that you have paper and pencil, pen or crayons...all you are going to do is encourage the child to hold the instrument in their hand and scribble....THAT'S IT!

Here is some scribbling I did, and the final abstract I created from my scribbles.

Here is the final piece I created using my computer drawing. Now obviously I have advanced drawing software to do this with, you wouldn't do this with paper. Again, the main purpose of this art is to teach kids eye hand coordination, strengthen their fine motor skills, and learn to hold objects.

See you next time.