art instruction?

[ktgrok]

My 10 year old son is very interested in drawing lately, but honestly not that great at it. Can anyone reccomend a resource to help him learn to draw better that is not too expensive? Also, it would be best if it was something he could do independently, as he prefers to teach himself. He'd rather go in his room and work on something on his own than have me "tell him what to do'.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by ktgrok

My 10 year old son is very interested in drawing lately, but honestly not that great at it. Can anyone reccomend a resource to help him learn to draw better that is not too expensive? Also, it would be best if it was something he could do independently, as he prefers to teach himself. He'd rather go in his room and work on something on his own than have me "tell him what to do'.

You might look into Betty Edwards latest book, New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook: Guided Practice in the Five Basic Skills of Drawing. You'll find a few bizarre rants against it among the Amazon reviews by someone who just doesn't get it and demands scientific proof, which is ridiculous, but the vast majority of reviews are very positive about it. And it's only $12.98, by the way! Lillian

[elizawill]

our library has a TON of "learn to draw" books. my daughter is 8 1/2 and she loves these books. they are very comprehensive and enjoyable. my little girl does them independently & has learned to draw very well from them. you might want to check your library hth.

ETA - youtube also has a lot of tutorials.

[crunchy_mama]

We bought some drawing books from Usborne which I have really liked. They are still a bit too complex for my almost 6 y.o. but they helped even me figure out how to draw some things so they cannot be too bad!

[Just1More]

I found a book called "Drawing with Children" that I thought was very good. It shows you how to see things in smaller segments, small things than anyone can draw. It really helps to fine tune how you see the world, and helps it come out in your pencil.

http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Childr...1962437&sr=8-1

[tammyw]

Thanks for the recommendation Lillian - I just added that book to my library queue. I love being able to check out a book and then decide if it's worth purchasing!