10 things I know about kids creating art

By Spramani Elaun

In this blog post I want to share something artful from my past, and some tips I know will help you when dealing with kids making art.

When I was 12 years-old my auntie bought me the most beautiful set of pastel colors while vacationing in Santa Barbra.

I had these pastels for many years, in fact I never wanted to use them because they were so beautiful to look at.

I use to imagine wonderful things I would create with them.

The box was clear hard plastic which contained 12 little 1×1 inch clear boxes with each pastel color inside each one.

You could see each color thru the box perfectly.

They were super soft pastels.

I loved this box, I kept it on my art drawing table thru my teen years.

I finally used them in art college on a penguin drawing project, I used the soft colors in the sky background like the northern lights – aurora borealis.

Recently I noticed a young student of mine looking at my art supplies.

I recognized that spark in their eye, like they were colorful jewels.

I often wonder if this is why I love making and collecting art supplies for kids.

I know this is my secret passion to why I love what I do.

I love-inspiring kids to create art, or giving them endless idea possibilities!

I wanted to share my passion to why I’m in this business, plus some useful tips I know will help you when working with kids art making.

10 things I know about kids & art making

1. All kids can explore art mediums and have lots of fun without art instruction. If you can remember just one thing – don’t tell kids they need to create something artful. Just let them explore and see what mediums feel like first before heavy instruction. It can be fun to see color marks without the expectation of what needs to be created.

2. Playing with art mediums can truly be about exploring, and not able producing anything to save or share, just art play. This will take all the pressure off, and you will be surprised when kids do decide to create something to share with you.

3. It can literally just take a few simple steps to teaching kids artist techniques. Like how to make a brushstroke, how to blend two colors, how colors complement each other, how mediums look on different surfaces, or how to create a basic shape with any medium.

4. If you set-up art supplies somewhere kids can reach and explore, they will want to try them out. If you build it, they will come!

5. Kids have a natural gift to learning new concepts, they lead with open curiosity.

6. Children love looking at colors, it’s very therapeutic and feels good. Free color therapy.

7. Kids can learn to draw with a few basic steps, like drawing shapes, textures or learning to shade. Simple steps slowly.

8. Kids can eventually hand sculpt anything they want once they’ve learned a few basic geometric or organic shapes. Teach them how to make a cube, sphere, egg or snake. These steps are basic and common to almost any form kids might want to imagine up.

9. Kids can’t see what adults see, it takes many years for kids to see light and shade the way adults see it. It takes practice to see color value. This is why all kids first draw in basic line forms. Kids like to draw in lines up until the ages of 10 years-old, then after that some take to realistic drawing, but not all. Don’t’ sweat over it, follow the child’s interest and style.

10. Kids can’t be creative when there’s expectations from adults. Be a positive mentor and only use rules and guides when necessary, but not about what to create.

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