Michaela's Selfie

Today, after Michaela had worked on her writing assignment for this week and done some grammar, she declared her desire to do art.

Art. Art, art, art, art, art.

Art has been much neglected as far as subjects in the homeschool go around here. She has often taken it upon herself to do projects, like painting or going through a drawing book that we have on her own. She has also gotten a little art instruction during our weekly class, both last year and this year. It's one of her favorite things to do, and I really want to include it in the rest of our schoolyear.

I found a book online (and bought it) that introduces the reader to many artists and their work. There is a blackline rendering of a particular painting to color for each person. I want to use the book to get an initial and brief intro to each person. Michaela can then use the drawing to either copy on another paper or canvas, or use it as inspiration to do a similar piece, whether it's thematically inspired or she has some interpretation of it based on her own experiences or what she is studying, or whatever. 

This afternoon, we read a little about Albrecht Durer and then looked at his self-portrait. He is a famous German artist from the time of the Reformation. After she read a bit about him, she did her own self-portrait. 

When I saw it, I got tears in my eyes. I thought she did a great job! She was critical of the eyes...she thinks they are TOO BIG. But I told her that the great thing about something like this is that there is no right or wrong. 

I am excited to experiment (well, for her to experiment) with different mediums (she used oil pastels today, and found out that they are quite smudgy - note the lower lashes), and for her to learn technique. With training and guidance, I think that she could develop her talent. It's fun to watch her do something that she really enjoys. My goal is to foster that!