Drawing Lessons from a Bear…Drawing For Kids

I was not familiar with this month’s author, David McPhail. I had to do some research with my daughters. I really do enjoy discovering a new author. I love seeing how an author’s work can appeal to different age groups in different ways. With David McPhail I wasn’t certain that I was going to find a book that would really appeal to my 9 year old…and then I came across “Drawing Lessons from a Bear“and I knew we had found the perfect book.

The story is simple, we follow a little bear as he learns how to be a bear from his mother. Not only does he learn how to live like a bear, he also learns how to draw like an artist. In the end, the bear is a beautiful artist and McPhail has the reader feeling like an artist too. Such a lovely book. At the end of the book McPhail shares some tips for how to draw a tree. I was inspired by the artistry and am always looking for ways to teach my daughters different art techniques. So, we grabbed the pencils and some paper and got creative.

First, I drew a simple two-dimensional tree on a piece of paper.

Next, I showed my daughter how to shade a box using a cross-hatch technique (example A). To make an area darker – concentrate more cross-hatches. To make an area lighter – concentrate fewer cross-hatches. Also, we worked with different pencils (example B). A “regular” pencil is usually HB on the graphite grading scale (the graphite grading scale measures the hardness of the core of the pencil). We tried out a set of pencils that were gradually darker (softer core) than a “regular” pencil…HB 2, HB 4 and HB 5. By using the differently graded pencils a shaded area can be created.

With this knowledge, I had my daughter turn her two-dimensional tree into a three-dimensional tree. She decided where the sun was shining from and began shading her tree from there.

In the end, the tree looked fabulous. Not too bad for a very first attempt at shading. She used both techniques. I was so impressed. It always amazes me how reading a book can inspire such creativity in a child. This is the hidden magic in books. It’s not always about the physical book, it is how a child sees and feels the book that is so amazing.

Toddler Approved – Rainy Day Mum – Adventures in Reading with Kids – 3 Dinosaurs – Royal Baloo –The Educators’ Spin On It – Inspiration Laboratories – Pleasantest Thing – Edventures with Kids – Two Big Two Little – Playing With Words 365 – Kitchen Counter Chronicles – Outlaw Mom – Mommy and Me Book Club – Crafty Moms Share – No Twiddle Twaddle – The Good Long Road – Ready. Set. Read 2 Me –Reading Confetti – Mama Smiles – Juggling with Kids– Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas – Creekside Learning –Creative Family Fun – The Usual Mayhem – Teach Preschool – PlayDrMom – CraftoArt – Here Come the Girls – Being a Conscious Parent – Smiling like Sunshine – Crayon Freckles – Train Up a Child – Smile Play Learn

Do you have a post about a David McPhail book? Feel free to link it up below or come by the book club’s Facebook page and share your experiences over there. We can’t wait to see what you have been reading and how you and your children have been creating.