Magnolias in May by Mom
I love to watercolor with the kids. Every time we make it happen, the results are beautiful and satisfying. I used to be able to let the "art mood" just strike and when it did, I'd put everything aside and immerse us in the moment. It happened regularly enough that art got its due attention in this house. But with a growing group of children in this house, a wider variation in age ranges, and a baby on the way, I have found myself less and less able to let the art mood just strike when it will. I think about it, then am reluctant to give up the chore time, or want to wait until little ones are napping and then am too tired myself, or open the supply cabinet and all my energy wanes at the thought of breaking everything out and then putting it all away again.
I'm disappointed in myself for feeling this way. I've always been the mom to encourage creative exploration, no matter how messy. I've always been willing to cast off the plan when the day demands we focus on beauty instead. My family tends to have a lot of natural artistic ability and my kids show signs of the same tendencies. I want them to express themselves artistically as much as possible. Creativity is woven into much of our daily learning, with the focus we keep on main lesson book work, narration, and using lovely mediums to display what we are learning. However, I am recommiting myself to art for art's sake, as a way to connect with the beauty in the world around us and make a conscious effort to portray that beauty using the abilities God has given us.
So I have planned a combined art and nature block for the next year in which we spend our Friday mornings watercoloring the seasons. We'll focus on a particular subject each month, and each week vary the technique and colors we use to portray that topic. My plan is to bind each child's work into a book of his own at the end of the year. I think a placing this focus as part of our learning plans will help me stay more committed to it, and if the boys like it as I expect they will and come to expect it, they won't let me off the hook. And even if we skip a week here and there, they'll still produce a nice body of work to display in the end.
Magnolias in May by Quinn, 10
Here are my monthly plans (I'm listing them beginning in August, because that's how our school year rotation is planned, but I hope to start before then):
August: Sand and Seashells September: Apples
October: Fall Leaves
- Wet on Wet: Yellows, Oranges, Reds
- Creating Detail: Leaf Veins and Stems
- Sketching Leaves Close-Up
- Painting Leaves
November: Pumpkins and Gourds
- Wet on Wet: Orange
- Focus on Defining Detail with One Color
- Sketching the Pumpkin Pile
- Painting the Pumpkin Pile
December: Conifers and Evergreens
- Wet on Wet: Greens and Browns
- Creating Linear Shapes, needles and branches
- Sketching the Trees at the Tree Farm
- Painting Christmas Trees
Magnolias in May by Gabriel, 8
January: Winter Landscapes
- Wet on Wet: Whites, Grays, Light Blue
- Creating Depth with a Horizon Line
- Sketching the Woods in Winter
- Painting the Woods in Winter
February: Night Sky
- Wet on Wet: Black
- Adding Elements Over a Background, stars and moon in the sky
- Painting the Night Sky Background
- Adding Stars and Moon
March: Birds and Feathers
- Wet on Wet: Pastels
- Realism: Imitating Audubon
- Birdwatching and Sketching
- Painting a Bird
April: Grass and Insects
- Wet on Wet: Greens and Yellows
- Combining Sketching and Washes
- Painting a Grass Background
- Sketching and Painting Insects Over Background
May: Flowers
- Wet on Wet: Bright Colors
- Looking More Closely: Imitating O'Keefe
- Sketching Detail of A Flower
- Painting a Flower
Magnolia Tree by Brendan, 5