A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words!

We placed an old frame and some drawing materials out today in the hopes of enticing some children into drawing each other's portraits. We hoped they would take the time to observe the small details of their peers and represent their thinking on paper.

Here is our first model! It's not an easy task sitting still with your face in a frame while your peers deliberate what you look like and how to best draw you! Much patience is required.

Two children are hard at work, each drawing what they perceive in the frame.

They stop and take time to discuss what each of their pictures looks like, commenting on the similarities and differences.

Roles reverse and the artist now wants to be the object of the art!

This artist takes his time, paying attention to every detail!  He even draws the frame!

This activity proved to be more than just an exercise in drawing - children engaged in rich, descriptive language as they explained why they drew their friends the way they did. It was very interesting to observe!