Still Life With Motor's Rumble

I've tried encouraging still life artwork several different ways in our 3-5's class over the years, but I think this is the method that works best. I start with a collection of "attractive" items, things with which I know the children will want to play, declare them "art table toys" (meaning they stay on the art table) then provide paper and crayons.

The classic technique of arranging fruit or flowers or whatever on a table top, nestled in a wad of velvety fabric doesn't sit well with me pedagogically, nor have I ever had the experience of more than one of two kids actually making the effort under these conditions, opting instead to draw the far more interesting pictures in their heads. I've also tried the idea of providing attractive objects without the "art table toy" label. These objects tend to walk away, one at a time in descending order of attractiveness until we're left with paper and whatever tool we're using to apply color, which is nothing to sneeze at, but also doesn't encourage working from still life.

The point of attempting still life in preschool, I think, is to expose children to another way of coming to understand objects. It's a way of exploring that is a step removed from the direct experience of the 5 senses, one that requires a careful study in three-dimensions, then a communication of that study, or an expression of that study in two. 

Of course, we think of this as an exercise in which the artist visually takes in information about shape, light, and color before translating it onto his canvas, but this is not how preschoolers approach still life. For one thing, they don't limit themselves to the sense of sight. Still life for them is a hands on project, one that engages their sense of touch at least as much. That's why as long as the attractive objects remain at the art table, they are free to handle the objects, play with them, put them through their paces.

We don't necessarily wind up with a lot of actual still life drawings out of this process. Many kids arrive at the art table with no intention of picking up a crayon, it's the objects that they're after, but that's okay. The first step in still life is the "still" part, and the very concept of an "art table toy" is one that implies a kind of stillness not usually found in our classroom in which most objects freely move with the children from place to place. Perhaps the "art" part will come next time.

It's also not uncommon for young children to become sort of stuck with the challenge of drawing the object they've selected, placing it there, holding a crayon, but unable to get started. Often they'll say something like, "I can't draw it," or "Help me." As a teacher I might start by discussing the basic shapes I see, "The ball is round" or "This part looks like a triangle" or "The T-Rex has sharp teeth." Sometimes that uncorks the bottle enough to get a geometric shape or a row of pointy teeth.

When Sadie was stuck with the sea star skeleton she wanted to draw, I demonstrated how she might want to start by tracing it's outline on the paper. We then talked about it's colors and texture before she got to work.

Among the still life objects were a few that I knew would attract some of the younger boys who don't usually engage in art at school, one of which was a large model of a moving van. Parker latched onto it right away, one of my primary "targets" for this lure. He understood the concept of "art table toy," sitting for a long time with his hands on it, discovering the two buttons on the roof of the cab, one of which made a motor sound, the other honked its horn.

We slid a piece of paper under his arms along with a few crayons. I played with him for awhile, talking about the truck and the buttons. At some point I said, "Do you want to try to draw it?"

He said, "I don't know how," pushing the motor button. "This is how it sounds when it's driving on a rough road."

I picked up a crayon and began drawing a crude truck on my own piece of paper. "What does that other button do?"

Parker pushed it, "The horn . . . But the horn button only works when it's driving on the road."

As I drew Parker pushed the buttons, turning the sounds off and on. It inspired me to say, "Maybe you could draw what it sounds like."

He smiled at me like he thought I was joking, then picked up a crayon. He pushed the button and as the motor rumbled began drawing a long jagged line representing the sound he was hearing. 

As he got to the edge of his paper I said, "Ah, you're going to crash!" He turned the sound off and his drawing stopped as well. Then he did it again. Parker sat there for quite some time drawing his still life with motor's rumble.

Our next still life session will include more objects with distinctive sounds, fragrances, and perhaps even flavors: still life for all the senses.

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