Basic 101 Class 19
Drawing Children
Children are an act of motion. An energetic burst of cautionless energy exploding forth like a nova. There is no stopping them. There is no controlling them. We think that we know them because we were all kids once but as Peter Pan points out, you lose something in the translation when you become an adult. We watch them watching us wanting to be them while they are watching us-- wanting to be us. Children are our glimpse into a lost past and a hopeful glimpse into a possible future. Will they one day take care of us, raise their own children and start the cycle all over again? We hope so.
They roll like dogs, they whine and they beg, they want everything NOW, they touch everything and they are in a hurry to be grown up and out of the nest. Our reward, and it is a small one, is that we get to walk into their bedrooms late at night when all is quiet and right with the world and we get to catch a glimpse of dreaming angels softly illuminated by a gentle moonlight caress. Our reward.
Children a little people. They are Small adults sans the ability to make worldly decisions, and dependent on the wise counsel of the elders.
This class will be about drawing these little rascals. I hope that you will enjoy this as much as I have enjoyed putting this together. This will be a fairly short document. Not a lot to write abut but a few things to remember:
Jayd’s Three Laws of Kid Physics
1. Kids come in all shapes and sizes.
2. They look like adults only softer and smaller/.
3. It is virtually impossible to get a kid to sit still long enough to paint from life (although I am sure that many of you have that special gift).
Also, keep the following in mind:
1. If you are drawing an infant, remember that the forehead of the infant is larger then that of an adult.
2. The middle of the eyes will be found around three-sevenths of the way up the face.
3. The lip is around one-seventh of the way up.
4. The nose should be three-sevenths of the way up.
General Child Drawing Tips:
1. Don’t overdraw the face—children’s features are soft and contain only a small amount of detail. Adding too much detail in the face will make them look significantly older.
2. Remember how I just mentioned the softness of the face? It is very important that you also keep the EDGES of the child’s face as soft as possible.
3. On a child, it is ok to go with the button nose and the fact cheeks. Cute is ok—that is what they are.
4. Learn to compare and contrast the differences between a child and an adult. Make a list of those differences. Children walk differently from young to middle to older adults. There is less fear of consequence in their gate. For the moment they are oblivious of their eventual end. For the moment, they are immortal. Children can be very self-absorbed. Caught up in their own little world—it sometimes SEEMS as if they are not paying enough attention. Their hands are in constant motion. Kid will stare intensely at an a subject for any undetermined amount of time and then they are off to something else. When they run, notice that they bounce—not oldness—fresh an springy. Watch for these kinds of thing—you will find other differences as well. Make a list and feel free to post it for everyone here. Share the wealth!
5. Children like to run and to play—playing is actually acting out of adulthood from their perspective and is very interesting to watch. They are impetuous and full of energy—the best picture of children features them in action.
It is not always practical to sketch children in motion nor will you get them to sit still for very long. If you cannot get an ideal moment to drawn, then use and camera and take some shots. If you look in your scrap or memory books, I am willing to bet that you will find some interesting child action shots..
Teenagers:
As the child grows older the face begins to change. There is a loss of baby fat in the face-a sharpness begins to appear in the face. The child will become lankier or fatter depending on the child’s environment and personal disposition. Health and economy will also play an important roll. Most parents don’t like to hear this but look for arrogance in the face. Teens are more acute to styles and fashion—they are very self-conscious about their personal appearance (their taste can be debatable of course). Teens pay attention to latest trends so make sure that you are in tune with such things as well. Their walk will be more self-assured—they will have adopted their own sets of poses so keep a sharp eye out for such things. Faces will be more like adults in proportion but note that their faces still retain certain softness up through around age 16—after that life starts to show on the face.
If you have a teen, follow them around and observe them in action. They take themselves so seriously. They would never admit this but the teen process is still play acting—a preparation to leave the parental nest. If you have never been to Africa, following a teen around will probably be the closest that you get to a safari.
ONE MORE THING:
If you can, draw from life—make quick gesture sketches—do not worry about detail. Leave detail for later when you can sit down in your studio.
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