I am so totally pooped right now. This is the first time I’ve sat down all day. I’ve been running errands, canning salsa (more on that tomorrow), catching up on email and helping Sam with his homework. Because of this, I don’t have energy for writing a thought-provoking post. So, it seems as good a time as any to share with you some of the artwork my kids and I have been producing lately.

Sam’s work almost always amazes me. His drawings display a superb sense of proportion and they’re imbued with a lot of character. Take a look at his shark, for instance.

He also has to be one of the most creative little guys I’ve ever known. I think his portrait of Batman is terrific.

It’s a diagram showing how to assemble the superhero. Next to each part, e.g. the head, a gauntlet, etc., is an indication of how many are required to create him. Where did he come up with that?

Claire’s work is a wonderful expression of her personality.

She would point out to you that the top cat has long purple hair and earrings and explain that it’s standing on top of the other cat just because it’s funny.

I’m afraid my art skills haven’t progressed past where they were when I was in elementary school. Nevertheless, I enjoyed painting this little scene.

My kids and I have been learning a lot about environmental concerns and taking baby steps to lessen our own impact on the planet ( reducing, reusing and recycling).

Sam is especially worried about the melting ice caps and how that affects the polar bears. He likes polar bears.

Claire drew fish food, because fish food is awesome. Fishies are awesome too.

My picture depicts a small part of what makes our planet beautiful to me…trees and flowers and birds…

My kids and I have been trying out some of the ideas for creative time Amanda Soule describes in her excellent book, The Creative Family. Just wait until you see their awesome hand painted placemats! I’ve got a little bit of stitching to do before I share them with you, but trust me, they’re great. I don’t know when I last saw my kids so excited about a project.

Today, we sat down together for a little family drawing time. My kids already are confident artists and enjoy coloring and sketching, but I think having some additional bits of inspiration set out on the table and the better quality materials Amanda recommends made this an even more enjoyable experience.

Here, Sam works on a large scale grinning skull he found in one of Ed Emberly’s drawing books:

Claire didn’t attempt to draw anything in particular, but she enjoyed experimenting with markers:

I tried painting with watercolors, which I haven’t done in a good twenty years or so.

I had fun–after I put a damper on my critical side and just enjoyed the process. Already I’m looking forward to our next drawing session.