Sunday, January 22, 2023

Drawn In

 A commenter, Pixie, left a comment that she always wanted to be able to draw. That made me laugh. If you had asked me to draw something 15 years ago, I would have told you I couldn't. I didn't know how to draw. 

But...along came William. Keeping a small boy entertained is hard work and sometimes I'd just want to sit down a while. He loved books, so we began to read together curled up on the couch. I became rather a connoisseur of children's books. A good children's book had a good story line. A great children's book had a good story line AND great illustrations. William took a special shine to the pictures that went along with the stories. 

It is hard not to revisit your own childhood when you are seeing the world through the eyes of a the very young. Something that I remembered very vividly is how much I used to love watching Captain Kangaroo. 



Captain Kangarro, Mr. Green Jeans, Dancing Bear, the mischievious Mr. Moose and the ping pong balls, Grandfather Clock, sly Bunny Rabbit and his tricks to get carrots. I also remembered the Magic Drawing Board and how mesmerizing it was to watch the picture take shape before my very eyes as soothing music played. Bali Ha'i, for example, as Magic Drawing Board sketched a tropical paradise.

Anyway...

One day, after reading a book, on a whim, with William curled up on my lap, I got a tablet and I began to drawn. It was Splat the Cat, if you're interested, this very image. 



And lo, it was good. Recognizable. William loved watching him take shape.  We discussed the colors being added. It immediately went on the refrigerator along with all of his masterpieces and he pointed it out to people who came to the house with the same pride I pointed out his work. Soon it became a habit that when a story was completed, we'd draw a picture from what we had read.

I discovered something new about myself. 

I was a pretty good drawer. 

(Well. At least in William's eyes)

William disovered something new about himself. 

He was a pretty good drawer. 

(Well. At least in Grandma's eyes)

And that's the story of how we were drawn in. 

31 comments:

  1. Reading to kids is key for so many things especially to give them a role model for reading.

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  2. I have ability, but not the time to even remember to sit down with a pencil. In these dull days of January I've no excuse really, apart from the permanent worry over K, which rather robs me of wanting to do anything much. I am glad you and William enjoy drawing so much, as well as reading lovely books together.

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    1. Oh now that he is older, he reads. My youngest daughter suggested trying to read Harry Potter to him, and he seems to be enjoying that very much. I am rediscovering how much I enjoyed it too.

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  3. I used to work in a school for youngsters with physical disabilities and learning difficulties. The best part of it was being able to read children's books, watch cartoons and sometimes to sit on the floor and play with toys.

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    1. I worked in a daycare and loved it for the same reasons. I also learned to sing out loud there.

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  4. I'd love to be able to draw buildings but it is too late now. My hands shake too much.

    I am of course an expert and child raising. Read to them. Read to them a lot, until they can read themselves. Drawing with sounds pretty good too.

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    1. Every kid needs to feel like he has your full attention sometimes.

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  5. I, too, loved Captain Kangaroo, even when I was 13 and 14, waiting for the school bus to come along. Bunny Rabbit was my favorite. I learned a lot of show tunes, too. Surrey With the Fringe on Top was one.

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    1. We had television for probably the first seven years of my life. We then moved to a valley where television reception was iffy, and it it happened at all, the picture was poor.

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  6. I remember Captain Kangaroo and Kukla, Fran and Ollie and Miss Francis and her Ding, Dong School. I learned a lot watching those shows. As a Mom my favorite kid's show was Mr. Rogers because he would look directly into the camera and tell me, "I like you just the way you are" and I needed to hear that!
    My children loved to draw as my oldest loved to draw and the younger ones would learn from him. He is a graphic artist now but always takes time each week to draw what he wants to draw. My grandchildren love to draw too.

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    1. I remember oce, we were going for a druve in the car, and my father asked where we should go. I wanted very badly to go to Captain Kangaroo's house. My parents laughed, and I was embarrassed without knowing why. I kept my eyes open though. I knew that I would know the house as soon as I saw it.

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  7. I lived in Northern Ontario for five years as a small child and we didn't get Captain Kangaroo but when we went to visit Auntie Mary in Trenton, she had Captain Kangroo and I loved it. We had a show in Canada called Mr. Dress Up and that man was amazing at drawing. I have it in my head that I can't draw, so I can't. Perhaps I should get out of my head:)

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  8. Both of my children enjoyed Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Rogers, Mr. Dress-Up, and Bozo the Clown. I am far too old to have had any children's programs on TV because we had no TV, but Saturday morning radio gave me Sky King, and Bobby Benson and the BRB Ranch. But being an only child made books and drawing a big part of my life and they still are. At 81 I am still an avid reader and love to draw and paint watercolors.

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    1. Strangely, we had television when I was very young, but did not have it for the bulk of my growing up years. William spent most of his day drawing yesterday. He was creating a fantastical creature from his own imagination. I have not yet met the beast.

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  9. Such a beautiful post! Absolutely beautiful.

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    1. We do learn a lot when we attune to a child's world, don't we?

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  10. Art was always one of my favorite classes growing up and I always excelled at it. But for some reason, the other side of my brain took over and I became an engineer instead. Before my eldest was born, I took an adult art class in the evenings and enjoyed it tremendously. Several of my projects still adorn our walls. But time is passing me by. I still hope that someday after the kids leave, perhaps I'll get back into it again if that side of my brain hasn't rusted completely out.

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    1. Oh, I hope you doodle. That's what I do. I doodle.

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  11. Captain Kangaroo was a staple of my childhood. I LOVED that show!

    My sister was a true artist, but I'm not a bad doodler. However, I make a better Pictionary partner, since I don't go into time-consuming detail. 😉

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    1. I have never played pictionary

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    2. I don't know if they still make the game, but you could probably find one somewhere. I bet you and William would love it. (you'd need two more to play)

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    3. I see it regularly at the thrift store.

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    4. Ohhh you guys should *definitely* play Pictionary if you can find enough players!!! It’s loads of fun!!

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  12. ha! Still not able to comment as me - grrr. I am far better at painting a picture with words - and indeed appreciating the picture in the same format. When I was at uni, we played a lot of board games with friends on Sunday afternoons - including pictionary. The Art Major was definitely someone that you didn't want on your team, as he would correct your drawing and tell you how you should have done it - its a timed game and the others have to guess - he never won for the latter 2 reasons.

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  13. I used to draw and paint too, but gave it up. I wasn't great at it. My brother on the other hand is an amazing artist, but once computers took over and he found he could do more on the computer, he stopped drawing. But now we find his son is an amazing artist.

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  14. The word 'amazing' will never apply to me.

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