Master strokes and tiny hands: Child Art

As an aspiring painter, I routinely browse Google Images to get inspired by masterpieces, everyday painters, blogs on drawing and painting and even try to learn from
videos online.

For years though, I have struggled to push myself, to paint. Somehow, the anxiety to create has been overwhelming. You may wonder why I am writing this post on my craft blog.

Crafting, is about creating, just like painting is. Someone who I admire greatly - an illustrator colleague with decades of experience from my earlier workplace, nudges me on each time I talk. He took to painting full time after retirement.

What he told me during my call two months back struck me the most. It prompted me to just grab the canvas and apply colour, without thinking much.

`Paint like a child. Don't wonder or fear how the painting will turn out. It has to be something that comes with your own discovery,'' he said.

This colleague went on to tell me how some painter friends, lament not being able to paint like a child, having honed themselves over the years thoroughly with techniques.

I have barely used two canvases since then, because my Artist table has been acting funny. But I started. Finally. Because I did not care how the paintings would turn out.

But am pasting here some pieces by kids of my friends and family, to make that point. Before I proceed though, here is a confession. These pictures have been sitting in my gadgets for quite a while. Apologies, dear senders, for this big a delay.

That is a picture of Snowman, by my neighbour's son Sarvesh. I love the buttons on Snowman's snow-shirt. Sarvesh, is a pre-schooler. The picture below is by my niece Smritti, who lives in Dubai. I loved her desk full of her art work. But this drawing floored me the most.

I had clicked this in her bedroom. After a few weeks, my niece sketched her dad's pic in pencil. And here it is.

Don't these pics make you fall in love with the kids even more? Straight from the heart, uncorrupted, full of love!

There is more...Scroll on.

Dia, my friend Nisha's daughter, made me want to hug her when I saw her drawing. Dia made a picture of herself among flowers in a garden.

Notice the sun, the flowers, the grass and the `V's. The big Vs are apparently Eagles, according to Dia. And the small Vs, little birds! Love you Dia, for this!

Her next one:

It is a garden picture. But also has a cat to go with it, besides a tree, and a bird flock flying above Dia's head. Love her perception. Pasted below is a self potrait. Priceless.

Refinement may make one polished with technique and craft. But watch these pictures and you marvel at a child's abandon in playing with markers and crayons on a piece of paper. No inhibitions of who will say what about the art, except may be a hug or `good job' from Mommy. They radiate innocence unblemished.

Below is a picture of Chota Bheem, the all popular cartoon character in India. My nephew Lohith who loves using his sketch pens over paper, found a white piece of styrofoam or thermocol lying around. And took to it. He is six years old. And loves Chota Bheem crazy.  His favourite hero comes alive in the sketch.

 Under guidance though, art could take on a different dimension. Scroll to understand.
Here is Chota Bheem in a coloured format, by my nephew.

And here are the sketching efforts by Smritti, through her drawing class at school.

It's how we too were taught in school - shade the objects for the right light effect. For her age - all of nine years, this is commendable effort. I would still cherish her daddy-mommy pictures which are the masterpieces.

Here is another picture, by Tamara, the beautiful school going daughter of my friend Teresa Rehman.

Many years back, an artist I met as part of work, showed me his visual novel in the making. The book was a delight. What caught my attention was the extensive use of child art in its imagery. He recalled, how every stroke by a child is poetry. You can read about it here.

And that we as adults insist on their making good pictures, with no idea of what a good picture is. He wanted to show respect to art by kids.

For those of you wondering why a post on child art now, I looked at it as a perfect way of celebrating this blog's hit count touching 1,00,000 anytime now.

Two years back, I had never dreamed of it. Now it makes me want to dream more. I hope to post more. With your continuous outpouring of love, dreams can come true after all.


Pictures Courtesy: Respective moms of the kids featured here

Permissions: These pictures may not be reused at all, for non commercial, commercial, personal work, whatever be the purpose.