blindfolded

Last year I was asked to work with Trenton's class on a drawing lesson. I am not a skilled draftsman by any stretch and was daunted by the task of teaching the students something I was not skilled at myself. So I opted to teach them to look at what they are drawing -- really look at the objects -- and NOT look at the paper. The sketches were really interesting and today I found a link to an old LIFE magazine blindfolded drawing test where they asked famous comic artists to sketch their most famous characters blindfolded...click HERE to check it out.

A Street in UglyTown

All I can say is "WOW." Trenton was inspired yesterday to pick up a pencil after looking at a book about Ugly Dolls. He created an entire street scene with loads of details and I love his typography. Lately he has preferred computer play to drawing and I have missed seeing him focus his energy on paper. Perhaps summertime is not the best time for drawing...perhaps when school starts next week and paper and pencil (and a new school-wide homework policy) are in front of him daily he will once again start creating his two-dimensional worlds and hopefully he will share some of them with me. (click the image below to see it larger)

Tropakillya -- 100% Suicide Drink

I picked up the new Wacky Packages compendium for Kyle for Fathers Day and Trenton was inspired to create something similar after seeing both the book and a cool gallery full of Japanese graphics when we were in San Francisco in July.

family portraits, August 2008

Here we are complete with our own power symbols. Tessa created these pictures Tuesday evening while Trenton worked on a note presumably from outer space to attach to a helium balloon that he released. Sadly the balloon got stuck in a neighbor's tree before it got very far...the idea is great though so we will try it again.