"They're devastated that things don't look the way they 'should,'" says Webb. "And what's worse, they always seem to pick as a friend Leonardo da Vinci." Many parents can relate, says Webb. "We all remember the child who could draw and made the rest of us feel like lumps."
TAKE A CLASS
Webb has some suggestions for overcoming feelings of drawing inadequacy. One is--and she doesn't mean this glibly--to spend some time learning how to draw. Sign up for a good drawing class along with your child and discover the mathematical proportions and little tricks in perspective that an artist knows. You may be surprised to find that you can both become competent at drawing profiles and landscapes. If you can't take a class, get a copy of one of ED EMBERLEY'S drawing books, which offer step-by-step instructions for assembling basic shapes into cartoon figures."I was the child whose best friend was da Vinci," says Webb. "But then I took a class and learned about the 'thirds' formula in portrait drawing, and by golly, I made a portrait and it looked like a human face! With the tricks in perspective and 3-D, I wasn't such a bad artist."
TEACH THE SECRETS
Webb says that kids love to know the secrets, and once they know them, they generally feel more confident as artists. "You've got to give away the secrets," says Webb, "because art is not a universe that only four people are allowed to enter."Sometimes all it takes to loosen up an artist is a quirky assignment. One of Webb's favorites is to give her students a postcard of the Mona Lisa and ask them to draw a new background. With that famous face already in place, the kids feel freer to take chances. It's important to demystify art, says Webb. "Someone in music told me the other day that everyone has a singing voice. I feel the same way about art," she says. "Everyone has the potential to be artistic, or creative."
CREATIVITY TIP
Remind your child that there is more to art than drawing and painting. Do something else--printmaking, collage, sewing and so on. Try a drawing-free project like a sneaker print. Brush the treads of the sneaker with washable tempera paint. Print the design like a stamp, on paper. Let it dry. Use crayons or paints to color in and add decorative detail.
