drawanyway.com

Again, this is a subject I know I’m going to revisit a lot in the future, because there is so much to say.

Having a child is one of the main reasons I started drawanyway. The sheer amount of time swallowed up by parenting made me desperate to set aside some minutes for myself, doing something I used to enjoy a lot. As you’ll have noticed by now, the tasks and techniques we’ve looked at all take just a few minutes to try out - the aim is that they can be fitted into the nanoseconds between each time your toddler calls out for a drink of water.

The other thing I’ve heard from parents is that they would love to draw better for the sake of their child/ren. Not only is drawing a fun thing to do together, but also, a parent who thinks he can’t draw will often pass on that belief to a child, as if it’s a family trait.

But if you want to shine in your toddler’s eyes, you’d better learn how to draw the Teletubbies, Maisy Mouse, Thomas the Tank Engine, or whoever else is the flavour of the month.

As I’ve said elsewhere, you won’t find a more forgiving critic than a young child. Now is the time to put pen to paper - because each time you draw, you’ll get better, and by the time they are critical enough to notice mistakes, you won’t be making so many. This way, you can learn together.

Added to which, long train journeys and waits in doctors’ waiting rooms are much easier if you can pull out some paper and do some drawing together.

Here are some ideas for drawing with your child - if you haven’t got a child, just grab someone else’s.

-> Look at how your child draws. Before a certain age, it’s not by observation at all, and pictures barely resemble their subjects. Often, the child is just revelling in the pure joy of mark-making - we should all do that now and again. But also, because they haven’t yet been taught any rules, there areno rules. So the head’s six times bigger than the body - so what? It’s only a drawing.

-> Draw together. One fun thing is to draw a face and let your child draw the hair - even very young toddlers can do this. As they get older there’s all sorts of variations you can do on this: you draw the head, they draw the body. You draw a nose, they draw a mouth, you draw the eyes, and you take it in turns..

-> Enjoy childish media. Adults tend to overlook crayons, pencil crayons, poster paints or felt tips, because they are not ’serious’ media. But their simplicity can work to your advantage. Take crayons for example - they pretty much do one thing. You can’t mix them with much success; you can’t alter the line they produce very much. So you only have to think about what you can do with them.

-> Ask your child what they would like you to draw. Don’t baulk if you are not sure how to tackle the subject they suggest. Take a leaf out of your child’s book and draw it anyway. You know, just forge ahead. Forget all about technique. Forty-eight camels in a car? Easy.

-> If your kids are a bit older, why not suggest some outdoor drawing to them? Find a park, choose a view or something close-up like flowers or even people. See who draws it best.

-> Get a huge roll of wallpaper or wrapping paper, unroll it on the floor and draw huge! Or draw round your kid and then fill in the details. Then let them do you.

-> Remember chalk drawings on the pavement outside? Well, next time, don’t just give your child the chalks and stand back. Get involved. What will you draw?

-> The great thing about all this is, it’s not selfish ‘me time’. It’s time you’re spending with your child, both enjoying yourself.

Do post pictures by yourself or your child in the comments - I’d love to see them.

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I’m officially on holiday, with no internet access! But don’t worry, I’ve lined up posts for the week. I’m relying on you guys to post and to respond to one another while I’m away. Do comment on each other’s work - it’s nice to get feedback!