Drawing Lessons with the Boys

Isaac is taking a drawing class at our Friday co-op, but, as you may know, I love art and really desire for all my children to have a love for art.  All of them seem to be naturally inclined towards it.  Isaac has in the past had trouble staying calm when doing a drawing lesson with me, but he is all about watching Mark Kistler and loves his art class.  I had wrongly assumed that he had gotten over this problem due to all his success and enthusiasm for these other teachers/art projects.  We all decided to ditch Morning Time one day in exchange for an afternoon (AKA during Bobby's naptime) drawing lesson.  I picked a picture of a Macaw online and started us all out drawing line by line instruction.  Even with helping Judah with some dots for guidelines, Isaac was saying I was going too fast.  Drew was keeping up and so I kind of kept doing the next step before Isaac was totally ready.  In hindsight, this may have been the problem.  Isaac moves at a slower pace and it is sometimes hard for me to wait on him.  Ah, patience!  That virtue doth escape me!

Anyway, it soon dissolved into a teary lesson for him and eventually, I told him to take a break and work on it again another day while I finished up with the two younger boys.  Isaac did stop working on his and left it unfinished for a few days when he decided to return to it on his own and finish it up nicely.  He thought his bird was fatter than it was supposed to be initially, but when he came back to it he said it didn't look so off.  I told him repeatedly that it was looking correct to me, but he was unable to really listen because he was too upset.  I;m still trying to figure out exactly what the problem is, but I'll try slowing down next time if I can.  It may just be perfectionism rearing it's ugly head within him, and that would just take practice for him to learn how to handle it within himself.

Drew and Judah enjoyed it and keep asking when the next art lesson will be.  Judah has requested that we draw a Ninja Turtle and I think that would be a fun drawing, not to mention easier than a real Macaw.

Drew's Macaw, age 7

Judah's Macaw, age 5

Isaac's incomplete work at the end of our lesson

Isaac's finished product, age 10

Mine is unfinished because naptime ended and the boys were already done.  I'll have to finish it later, maybe while I am practicing my patience during the next art lesson. :)