You used the expression "11m" to describe the age of your kid. Am I right to assume that means they're eleven months old? If so, how's it like raising a genius? :D
I loved writing as a kid but I didn't feel supported by my parents. I'd say the biggest thing isn't so much buying supplies and steering them towards experts, but more so supporting them with your time. Show an interest in what they're drawing. Sit with them when they draw. Talk to them about the process. Maybe try to draw some things yourself. Doesn't matter if you're good or not. Be there so they don't have to seek you out when they have questions. They'll probably let you know when they need upgraded gear.
Are there any freehand or figure drawing classes at a community college or similar near you? I suppose it depends on the teacher/class, but you would be amazed at how much people can improve with some good guidance! It may even be worth talking to the art teacher at your kid's school. A good mentor can be a great thing for developing talent, especially in the long term.
Here are a few projects you can try to encourage their confidence in drawing figures:
Have them try drawing a portrait of someone, but upside down. When the image is upside down, you are forced to draw what you see rather that what you recognize (a face with features).
Similarly, you could take a portrait and divide it up into a grid and have them attempt re-drawing it on a large sheet of paper. They would just lightly draw the grid on the sheet with a soft pencil (6B) and use it as a guide. The idea is similar to #1: focusing on rendering what you see.
Lastly, you could show them abstract line-drawings of portraits and figures and have them attempt something similar. Matisse and Picasso have some famous ones. They are simple, but capture the form and gesture masterfully. Because they are just contour lines, you can "practice" figure drawing this way without dedicating yourself to a whole project. A bonus variation of this would be to draw figures with one continuous line...or scribbles!
I also enjoyed drawing as a kid; I think it's fine to mostly just let it be, he'll do his own thing :) Sometimes paying extra attention to a hobby can put pressure on it. If your son talks to you about his drawings that's great! If not, you can try asking and seeing if he's comfortable talking about it with you. (Try not to be offended if he isn't, it can happen esp. later on during the teen years, kids just need some privacy to explore their own ideas.)
You mentioned he likes objects and landscapes, do you know what kind? For example if he enjoys natural landscapes you can plan more family trips to parks or other places with nice landscapes, and no need to even mention that it's for him to draw. It'll just be nice to get real-life inspiration for subjects he's interested in.
I'm a creative person and my parents had... mixed reactions to my artistic interests. I do remember some of the things that worked and helped me feel supported:
Speaking respectfully and non-judgmentally about my art, even the things I felt were bad. They would say something like "well at least you practiced/learned something"
They never made me feel like I should be doing something other than art, (eg, asking "don't you want to go outside?"). Art was even ok to postpone dinner or homework over as long as those things happened eventually. It made the time spent feel valid and let me keep "the flow".
They encouraged me to try all sorts of creative and crafty mediums, and let me experience and experiment with other things aside from drawing.
Most importantly, they let me know what my options were for development or engagement. They would let me know if there was an art show or a class or a summer program available, describe it, and let me know it was something I could do if I wanted to. Then they let me choose whether to participate or not. They didn't pressure me, just expanded my horizons.
Then on the other hand they both heavily discouraged me from pursuing art professionally because neither of them thought it could be a "real job". After accumulating tens of thousands of dollars in unrelated schooling I did it anyway. So don't do that part.
As a kid I was like this. I vividly remember visiting Greece one summer and spending a lot of time drawing different fortresses. I’d also take drawing stuff to the zoo and spent an hour at one single animal. It’s something that stands out in my memories of growing up.
What helped me, was having time to sit down and spent the time drawing without having the feeling I was holding anybody up. My grandparents would sit down next to me and open their own scratchpads and draw also. So if you manage to create opportunities to try out some outdoor drawing, I think your kid might appreciate it.
Material wise, get a simple small drawing book that’s easy to take with you. A pen, pencil or whatever, it doesn’t matter what’s around, anything is good enough to doodle and experiment with. I had a whole charcoal period which I enjoyed a lot, but that wouldn’t stop me from using all other types of material. Easy access is great to keep enjoying it.
Ooh, same situation here! Same age kid, been artistic since ... forever.
We enrolled them in an after school art class in the local community thing, costs a bit of money, but they spend 2-2.5 hours every week learning about new types of materials and techniques. I think this week's lesson is about clay pottery =)
Then we've always had a ton of crafting supplies, paints, watercolours etc. available at all times. No need to get the expensive stuff, just anything you can get from Ikea, Lidl, Aldi etc. "I'm bored" kinda went away and there's just an art factory pumping out all kinds of stuff if boredom hits.
The local PBS equivalent has a bunch of shows about crafting and arts, they've been really good. And of course the man, the legend: Bob Ross. Even if they can't understand the language, the technique is not that complicated and it teaches the way paintings are layered - you can and should paint on top of other things. Kids tend to draw stuff 2-dimensionally without any colour overlap.
I'm not feeling like I have enough time to go into the usual depth that tildes deserves, but you did ask for channel recommendations, and I happen to follow Art for Kids Hub with my 6 year-old daughter. There's some great content on there for all skill levels, and there's often something that will intersect with a passion your child already has. This is guided by an artist who is much more skilled than I could ever hope to be, which is exactly what I want for my kid. It's also framed in a very positive light, with the professional leading an often less experienced kid who will do different things, so it helps us avoid the "perfectionism" and anxiety that my kid is personally prone to, without us having to disengage from art.
Encourage any and all interests outside of drawing. Encourage journaling and visual journaling. Encourage weird experiments and reflection on thoughts and methods and the experiences that become the background of good work.
Don't be afraid to discuss something that you don't really like. Not just "I don't like that" but more "why did you do it this way and what would it be like to do it in a different way". Make it a way for him to articulate his process and not only will you learn about how his brain works, hell learn how to talk about his art. Or maybe ask him to make you another one with the changes you would like.
I was super artistic as a kid! The best thing my mom ever did for me was being genuinely excited to see what I made. She didn't have to fake it (kids can tell). She loved all of my art and displayed it proudly.
On the supplies side of things, I coveted good pencils. Maybe look into some soft pastels and nice, thick sketching paper as well (I'd look for a spiral close sketchbook with tearable pages). As others suggested, a class could be really fun. Definitely let him take it as his own pace!
Whatever you do, don't tell them they did something in a wrong or bad way. I loved to draw when I was a kid, but the adults in my life would straight up tell me they didn't like some of my favourite drawings. My mum had a very basic background in painting and she would criticise anything that wasn't a realistic drawing.
What helped me when I was young:
getting quality materials that were useful for me (a well-meaning cousin gave me a pro set of artist's pencils, and while I felt very supported, I didn't have a use for more than three or so pencils from that whole set)
people showing interest in my drawings and telling me what specifically they liked about them
getting asked to draw something for someone
getting a book on how to draw - it was a completely no-pressure gift, but I loved it because it helped me get better at some things that were an absolute struggle for me (drawing hands, noses etc.)
What would also help me would be an offer of being enrolled into a drawing class or sent to a workshop for drawing.
Unfortunately, the criticism and general disinterest from my parents played a big role in why I stopped drawing in my late teens. I barely drew anything for the next 15 years and I'm only now getting back into it.
You used the expression "11m" to describe the age of your kid. Am I right to assume that means they're eleven months old? If so, how's it like raising a genius? :D
Lol, I had the same thought until I read the Ipad part. I think they mean 11 year old male, but I could be wrong.
I loved writing as a kid but I didn't feel supported by my parents. I'd say the biggest thing isn't so much buying supplies and steering them towards experts, but more so supporting them with your time. Show an interest in what they're drawing. Sit with them when they draw. Talk to them about the process. Maybe try to draw some things yourself. Doesn't matter if you're good or not. Be there so they don't have to seek you out when they have questions. They'll probably let you know when they need upgraded gear.
Are there any freehand or figure drawing classes at a community college or similar near you? I suppose it depends on the teacher/class, but you would be amazed at how much people can improve with some good guidance! It may even be worth talking to the art teacher at your kid's school. A good mentor can be a great thing for developing talent, especially in the long term.
Here are a few projects you can try to encourage their confidence in drawing figures:
Have them try drawing a portrait of someone, but upside down. When the image is upside down, you are forced to draw what you see rather that what you recognize (a face with features).
Similarly, you could take a portrait and divide it up into a grid and have them attempt re-drawing it on a large sheet of paper. They would just lightly draw the grid on the sheet with a soft pencil (6B) and use it as a guide. The idea is similar to #1: focusing on rendering what you see.
Lastly, you could show them abstract line-drawings of portraits and figures and have them attempt something similar. Matisse and Picasso have some famous ones. They are simple, but capture the form and gesture masterfully. Because they are just contour lines, you can "practice" figure drawing this way without dedicating yourself to a whole project. A bonus variation of this would be to draw figures with one continuous line...or scribbles!
I also enjoyed drawing as a kid; I think it's fine to mostly just let it be, he'll do his own thing :) Sometimes paying extra attention to a hobby can put pressure on it. If your son talks to you about his drawings that's great! If not, you can try asking and seeing if he's comfortable talking about it with you. (Try not to be offended if he isn't, it can happen esp. later on during the teen years, kids just need some privacy to explore their own ideas.)
You mentioned he likes objects and landscapes, do you know what kind? For example if he enjoys natural landscapes you can plan more family trips to parks or other places with nice landscapes, and no need to even mention that it's for him to draw. It'll just be nice to get real-life inspiration for subjects he's interested in.
You could offer to model for him while wearing silly clothes like a clown nose and wig.
I'm a creative person and my parents had... mixed reactions to my artistic interests. I do remember some of the things that worked and helped me feel supported:
Speaking respectfully and non-judgmentally about my art, even the things I felt were bad. They would say something like "well at least you practiced/learned something"
They never made me feel like I should be doing something other than art, (eg, asking "don't you want to go outside?"). Art was even ok to postpone dinner or homework over as long as those things happened eventually. It made the time spent feel valid and let me keep "the flow".
They encouraged me to try all sorts of creative and crafty mediums, and let me experience and experiment with other things aside from drawing.
Most importantly, they let me know what my options were for development or engagement. They would let me know if there was an art show or a class or a summer program available, describe it, and let me know it was something I could do if I wanted to. Then they let me choose whether to participate or not. They didn't pressure me, just expanded my horizons.
Then on the other hand they both heavily discouraged me from pursuing art professionally because neither of them thought it could be a "real job". After accumulating tens of thousands of dollars in unrelated schooling I did it anyway. So don't do that part.
As a kid I was like this. I vividly remember visiting Greece one summer and spending a lot of time drawing different fortresses. I’d also take drawing stuff to the zoo and spent an hour at one single animal. It’s something that stands out in my memories of growing up.
What helped me, was having time to sit down and spent the time drawing without having the feeling I was holding anybody up. My grandparents would sit down next to me and open their own scratchpads and draw also. So if you manage to create opportunities to try out some outdoor drawing, I think your kid might appreciate it.
Material wise, get a simple small drawing book that’s easy to take with you. A pen, pencil or whatever, it doesn’t matter what’s around, anything is good enough to doodle and experiment with. I had a whole charcoal period which I enjoyed a lot, but that wouldn’t stop me from using all other types of material. Easy access is great to keep enjoying it.
Ooh, same situation here! Same age kid, been artistic since ... forever.
We enrolled them in an after school art class in the local community thing, costs a bit of money, but they spend 2-2.5 hours every week learning about new types of materials and techniques. I think this week's lesson is about clay pottery =)
Then we've always had a ton of crafting supplies, paints, watercolours etc. available at all times. No need to get the expensive stuff, just anything you can get from Ikea, Lidl, Aldi etc. "I'm bored" kinda went away and there's just an art factory pumping out all kinds of stuff if boredom hits.
The local PBS equivalent has a bunch of shows about crafting and arts, they've been really good. And of course the man, the legend: Bob Ross. Even if they can't understand the language, the technique is not that complicated and it teaches the way paintings are layered - you can and should paint on top of other things. Kids tend to draw stuff 2-dimensionally without any colour overlap.
I'm not feeling like I have enough time to go into the usual depth that tildes deserves, but you did ask for channel recommendations, and I happen to follow Art for Kids Hub with my 6 year-old daughter. There's some great content on there for all skill levels, and there's often something that will intersect with a passion your child already has. This is guided by an artist who is much more skilled than I could ever hope to be, which is exactly what I want for my kid. It's also framed in a very positive light, with the professional leading an often less experienced kid who will do different things, so it helps us avoid the "perfectionism" and anxiety that my kid is personally prone to, without us having to disengage from art.
Encourage any and all interests outside of drawing. Encourage journaling and visual journaling. Encourage weird experiments and reflection on thoughts and methods and the experiences that become the background of good work.
Don't be afraid to discuss something that you don't really like. Not just "I don't like that" but more "why did you do it this way and what would it be like to do it in a different way". Make it a way for him to articulate his process and not only will you learn about how his brain works, hell learn how to talk about his art. Or maybe ask him to make you another one with the changes you would like.
I was super artistic as a kid! The best thing my mom ever did for me was being genuinely excited to see what I made. She didn't have to fake it (kids can tell). She loved all of my art and displayed it proudly.
On the supplies side of things, I coveted good pencils. Maybe look into some soft pastels and nice, thick sketching paper as well (I'd look for a spiral close sketchbook with tearable pages). As others suggested, a class could be really fun. Definitely let him take it as his own pace!
Please mark this as joke or noise. But I honestly clicked on the title because I thought you were looking for help to support and autistic child
Had to reread the title when I discovered that the responses were not about autism.
Whatever you do, don't tell them they did something in a wrong or bad way. I loved to draw when I was a kid, but the adults in my life would straight up tell me they didn't like some of my favourite drawings. My mum had a very basic background in painting and she would criticise anything that wasn't a realistic drawing.
What helped me when I was young:
What would also help me would be an offer of being enrolled into a drawing class or sent to a workshop for drawing.
Unfortunately, the criticism and general disinterest from my parents played a big role in why I stopped drawing in my late teens. I barely drew anything for the next 15 years and I'm only now getting back into it.