A is for Artistic License

Artistic license is defined as the freedom to create artwork based on the artist's interpretation. I am all about letting kids "express" themselves through their creativity, but today I had to stretch my creative boundaries.

When I was in elementary school, I LOVED art. I lived and breathed art class (we had it TWICE a week!). I cherished my 96 Crayolas like they were given to me by God Himself. I lovingly sharpened them with the sharpener on the back of the box and made sure they were put back into their little color-coded spots. I was one of those obsessive kids that had to color perfectly inside the lines. There was no "turning mistakes into part of the picture" for me. Oh no. Mistakes meant starting over. My favorite was drawing farm scenes. I just had to look out of the window for inspiration. I was especially good at cows.

I do, however, have a picture on my wall that I drew for my grandma. She had it framed and gave it back to me when I turned sixteen. In it, the sky is white and the clouds are blue. I know exactly why I did this though. I could not, and I mean COULD NOT, bring myself to waste that much crayon/marker on properly coloring the sky blue.

So all of that being said, I have a hard time relating to those students in my class that hate drawing and coloring. I just don't understand why they put minimal effort into their artwork and NOT CARE. Most of them love presenting me with their artwork. I love getting pictures drawn by my students and rarely (at their age) have to say the cautious "tell me about this picture" to get what it is.

Well, I have this one little dude who does not like to draw/color at all. He would probally rather copy every definition in the dictionary before he would draw me a decent picture. When I give an assignment that includes drawing a picture, his face twists up like I asked him to pull off his toenails. Today's center work was to make 5 animal fact cards. One side should have a question about an animal, and the back should have the answer in a complete sentence WITH A PICTURE. (Insert face twisted in agony here.)

Here is what Dail Jr.'s looked like. On the front: What do cows produce? Take a look at his answer/picture. I will comment after you get a chance to admire the lines and colors.

THE COW HAS A FREAKIN 3-TEAT UDDER-NECK! Don't get me started on its lack of ears and tail, different sized legs... and ARE THOSE TOES?! No wonder the cow's expression is so shocked! She's giving milk through her neck!

My wonderful Instructional Assistant happened to be in my room at the time and I showed her this new interpretation of a cow. I thought she was going to pass out she was laughing so hard. Her response: "Well, we all didn't get to grow up on a farm."

So, I haven't gotten to talk about this little dude before, but I was going to call him Harry for his resemblance to Mr. Potter, but he will forever be known as Dali Jr. to me.

Maybe one day I'll post my blue-cloud picture...and a proper cow.