Tips & Tools for a Budding Young Artist

When my son was little, he never played. Not with one single toy. He only wanted to make and do and create. Of course, at his age, all of that making and doing and creating looked more like a mess than a masterpiece. Once, when he was almost three, he found a black Sharpie marker that I had accidentally left on my dresser and proceeded to draw pictures on my bedroom wall, the curtains, the carpet, my brand-new bedspread, and himself, in less than five minutes. Around that same time, he became obsessed with drawing pictures in spills. He would intentionally go to the fridge, find a bottle of this or a box of that, spill it on the floor, and use his finger to make shapes in it.

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Man, was that a frustrating season as a mom. With five kids, all under eight, I was exhausted. Everything in me wanted to put his hands in fingerless mitts so he couldn't touch anything.

But, I didn't. Why? Because I knew from my own childhood that early passions are God-breathed and when pointed in the right direction and given time to mature, can blossom into extraordinary things.

Did I "allow" him to color on the carpet? No. Did I overlook disobedience when I told him he may not get into the refrigerator and dump food on the floor? Also no. But what I did do was find ways to aim all of that making and doing and creating towards something other than our furniture. I bought him real tools. I cheered him on every time he used them correctly. I did my best not to squash the seed that God had planted before the fruit had a chance to grow and ripen.

A few years later, at fourteen, that grown-up little boy stood next to his art, which was hanging in the U.S. Capitol. He was handed a certificate signed by Representative Pete Stauber and, later, one by the Speaker of the House congratulating him on winning the Congressional Art Competition.

Recently, that same kid started his own website and is currently working on a few commission pieces, one-of-a-kind works of art for customers who have entrusted him with their memories.

Just like a piece of sand produces a pearl, the wild in your child can be the start of something great if it’s given time and attention. Your child is a sentence that is not yet complete. Don’t anxiously put a period where God has only dropped a comma. Find ways to nurture the gifts that may be buried deep under layers of immaturity.

Whenever I share my son's art online, folks want to know which curriculum we've used to help him grow in his drawing skills. They are looking for some secret formula to replicate. And while I understand their desire, I also know that my answer isn't always what they want to hear.

Tips for Growing a Colored Pencil Artist

First, it's vital to recognize that some skills are just a matter of natural aptitude and cannot be taught.

Second, He's never used a formal drawing curriculum. Ever. In the same way that doing copywork can teach a child the fine art of writing (proper sentence structure, grammar, mechanics, etc.), copyart can teach them art skills.

They should begin by tracing everything using a light pad. After months (or, in my son's case, years) of tracing entire works by masters (or photos, coloring pages, posters, etc.), they'll have developed the skills of balance, proportion, shading, and texture. Then, they can move on to only using the light pad to outline a picture to get the proportions right, which is often the most challenging part of drawing for an artist. After doing that for some time, they won't need the light pad at all and can freehand all their own work. My son began freehanding three or four years ago. He's now 16 and can draw just about anything.

Lastly, you have to be willing to devote much time in your homeschool schedule to what your child is actually showing natural aptitude for (in this case, art), which will require you to give less time to other things. This is VERY countercultural but effective. If your child is naturally gifted in art and struggles in math, your inclination might be to hire a math tutor. But in doing so, you will probably end up with a child who is mediocre in both art and math. Instead, hire an art tutor (or allow him to watch countless drawing videos on YouTube as we did) so that he can begin to excel in the area he is already gifted in. Learn to be OK with average math skills, knowing that he's learned the required material well enough, but probably won't become an accountant someday.

Remember, innovators and intellectuals down through the ages did great things not because they knew a little bit about everything, but because they knew everything about one thing.

Tools for Growing a Colored Pencil Artist

If you want your child to excel in anything, art or otherwise, you have to be willing to invest in real tools. Kid-versions of power tools, sewing machines, cooking utensils, art supplies, etc. are usually poorly made and will only ever produce mediocre outcomes. They'll work only half the time, break easily, and/or require way more effort than necessary to use, and will frustrate your child. And let's be honest, rarely does anyone want to continue doing a frustrating activity. 

Real, quality tools, on the other hand, lead to success, which, in turn, leads to enjoyment, which leads to continued participation and practice. 

So, while many of the items on this list are not cheap, they are worth the investment. My general advice when buying tools of any kind for any hobby: Buy the most/largest of the best or second-best brands you can within your budget. In most cases, a smaller, higher-quality tool will serve you better than a larger, cheaper one any day. 

Artograph Light Pad- We have had a few light pads over the years, and Artograph is the only brand I can wholeheartedly recommend. They come in various sizes, so buy the largest one you can afford.

Faber-Castell Colored Pencils- There are two different types of pencils, oil-based and wax-based. My son has used both and prefers oil, specifically the Faber-Castell brand, because they blend much better and the color stays true much longer than any other brand. Wax-based pencils like these tend to leave wax residue that can eventually distort projects. 

Toned Gray Sketch Pad- Non-artists tend to want to use white paper. But professional artists often prefer grey or tan paper because it makes all the other colors pop on the page. 

Pencil Extenders- These save my son so much money. Because he uses certain pencils more than others, like white and black, he can attach a pencil extender to a much-used pencil nubbin and get several more uses out of it. No wasted lead.

Kneaded Erasers

Decent Pencil Sharpener

Mihron Fineline Pens

White gel pens- These are used to add highlights to a picture or to make the image appear wet.

Mechanical Pencil- Any cheap mechanical pencil will usually do.

A Reference Photo- It's almost always easier to draw a picture from a photo than from a 3-dimensional live representation. From a photo, an artist can see how an object should appear in two dimensions. My son always takes a photo of what he wants to draw and then uploads the pic to his computer. He can then use a Zoom-in feature to better see the details of specific areas.

Final Thought

If your budding young artist is anything like mine was — a human confetti cannon — it can be exasperating at times to constantly face artistic messes. But before you say or do anything that might squash his God-given desire to create, remember this: Just like a piece of sand produces a pearl, the curiosity and wonder of your child can be the start of something great if it’s given time and attention. Your child is a sentence that is not yet complete. Don’t anxiously put a period where God has only dropped a comma. Find ways to refine the raw creative gifts that may be buried deep under layers of immaturity and inexperience. 

To learn more about my son's art or to commission a piece of your own, visit Zenith City Art. 

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