Drawing With Nature

Children's Literature

Kids love to draw. Just the act of drawing is satisfying to young children. As they get older and their motor skills develop, so does their interest in perfecting their drawing skills. The "Drawing is Easy" series is a very clever approach that uses templates to help kids develop those abilities. Four steps are illustrated for drawing each one of the ten creatures/objects in each volume. The format is simple and easy to follow. The page with the instructions is divided into quadrants with the position of the template highlighted in the center of the page. Steps one through three show the template object lying on the page with a pencil tracing the shape. The last step is to add the lines that complete the drawing. This volume uses objects from nature as templates. An open shell is traced and turns into a dragonfly. The page opposite the directions shows the final line drawing in color with a couple variations. A feather becomes a bird; an eggplant is traced to become a parrot. A sycamore leaf outline turns into a lion. Various kinds of leaves, shells, pinecones and twigs are some of the natural objects used as templates. Leaves and rocks are used to create monoprints, or as stencils to paint over. The final drawings are loose and interpretive, encouraging exploration and experimentation. 2003, Gareth Stevens Publishing, Ages 4 to 10.
— Kristin Harris