Engage & Persist

2nd grade artist Sophia comes into the art room with ideas- usually big colorful ones that match whatever she is wearing that day.  She is very curious about tape, and for several weeks in a row she experimented and created a series of "tape paintings" with liquid watercolor paint.   What I love about TAB is that Sophia is empowered to make work about ideas that excite her, and she has the time and freedom to explore them at her own pace, truly an artist who is engaging and persisting in her process. 

Observe

Even the youngest artists can hone their observation skills.  Often times students bring toys or other small objects to art after recess, and I've found these can sometimes be the best references for artists.  In the image above one first grade artist spent most of his art time really looking at his dog and making sure he had drawn all the details.  In the last two images the artist was inspired by their own creation.  One student observed his drawing of Bill Cipher to create him using pattern blocks, while another used her drawing of a city from a previous week as reference for a new painting of a city.  

Understand the Art World 

I like to think of this studio habit as a question- how do artists exist in their community at large? How do artists engage with art past and present? How do they engage in the world around them using their art superpowers?  

The image on the right explains its self- powerful stuff from small artists.