Homework and Relaxation

As part of the boys’ long list of homework activities each week, they are to have some ‘relaxation’ time, and record it in their homework book. This is to counterbalance the demands of modern childhood. I think it would be more relaxing to have less homework and not have to write about your ‘relaxation’ time in your homework book… but that’s me.

Here is Hugo’s relaxation log for this week, along with a photo of Rose and Lily, taken the first day they came home. They have grown a little since last week. It’s probably a good thing that the other chickens keep them in line, as they will be the largest of the lot when they finish growing.

I think that’s Lily being stroked. It must be Poppy in the background. Nobody else has such a magnificent tail pattern! (She looks a little jealous of Hugo’s attention, if you ask me.)

Rose on the left, Lily on the right. Rose has a fluffy baby bottom, whereas Lily is tall and elegant. But don’t be deceived. Rose is the boss!

I don’t think it will be long before Hugo is scanning and posting on his own. I found his homework book in the scanner this morning, waiting for my attention. Hugo loves computers, so I think he will be pleased to learn the how-to. My system is not the simplest, however, as it is set up for illustrating as a business, and nothing is automated; everything customised. We’ll find a way to make it work for Hugo though. I just need a little time.

 

Rose & Lily

I’m just posting this quickly for Hugo now. He can make his own comments later. These are his two new 12 week old black Araucana pullets, Rose and Lily.

Judy

Spooky!

We’ve got a bit of catching up to do on this blog!

Here’s Hugo’s spooky pic done for a DMag competition. He drew the line art. Then I scanned it so that he could colour it as needed and not be upset if he didn’t like the result. (Great if you have a second chance with a new printout.)

But then before I knew it, Hugo was having his very first lesson in PhotoShop. He learned quickly. We stuck to greyscale because our colour printer doesn’t work. And Hugo learned how to select areas and fill them, delete, deselect, erase, change brush sizes, and so on. He enjoyed it. And although the judges will probably not think so, this is all his own work. Simple but rather cool, and fabulously contrasty I think.

Bravo Hugo!

Fruit From Life

Grade 2  drawing from life (with primary school art teacher Danielle Searles).

There must have been talk of tone and shadow here.

speckly green pear. yum!

speckly yellow pear. Double yum!

What could this LOVEly fruit be?

Stick Figure goes on an Adventure

The Cover page – come on in!

Are you claustrophobic? Don’t read this comic strip unless somebody is holding your hand :-)

 

Custom luggage by Pa Ray

Here is Hugo’s travel bag, painted with the Hugo crest by sign-writer Pa Ray.
Hooray!

Packed and ready!

Merry Christmas, One and All!

Peace Doves

These are monotypes, coloured with my help on the computer. Hugo did the monotypes when he was four years old. I still love them.

Peace to the World

It’s windy

Nature studies

I love the pattern , strength of line and the signature style of these drawings. (I love it that kids’ individual drawing style emerges at so young an age.)

This raw, bold energy and the chunky shapes would look great as etchings. Perhaps some other kind of printing that we can do at home would be possible. Or I could simply buy some etching plates and let him go for it…

self portrait

This is quite interesting. The teacher has provided the basic face outline to the students and they have done the rest. Although if she’d allowed them to do the face outline themselves the results would have been more interesting and out of the box, I can see some reasons for doing it this way too.

Firstly, the faces are guaranteed to be large and fill up the page this way, instead of being in some cases quite tiny. Some children naturally draw everything very small on the page.

Secondly, it takes the basic pressure off the child to make the first mark; gives them a springboard from which to launch into their portrait, just as an essay topic gives a child a writing springboard.

This self portrait doesn’t look like Hugo. (I would have been astonished if it did.) But it does show some interesting and pleasing mark making and depicts a thoughtful, calm and engaging face. I like it quite a lot.