Square Balloon?

I'm not getting much art out of our oldest these past few months -- he's turned into a teenager and is concealing more from Mom and Dad than he used to. But some things still leak out.

Christmas Is . . .

 

First of all, I'm so sorry I haven't posted here in months. Can't explain it. Really, really busy I guess.

But here's a Christmas acrostic poem, with a little bit of art.

More Indian Signs

Give the kids an idea -- writing messages with Indian signs -- and you get all sorts of things coming through.

I'll have to find our youngest's scout book and scan the page that offers an interpretation of the story. Our daughter was courteous enough to provide her own translation.

Dear Dad, Dear Mom

Speaking of propaganda -- here's some from our oldest.

The Best Me . . .

Too bad my scanner cut off the first sign . . .

This is, of course, propaganda from their DARE program at school.

Remember, Check Both Sides

It's fun, of course, to see the art.

Though sometimes, what's on the back of the art is even more interesting.

Remember, I don't explain 'em, I just post 'em.

Stupid X1,000,000,000

A little note our oldest son scribbled on a homework assignment from last year. He actually did do a good job on the assignment, once we got him past the hate.

Minions . . .

Kind of an interesting collection of critters here. There's a minion. There's something that looks like Larry the Cucumber. And a cross between Archibald Asparagus and a mermaid. . .

Underwater

There's something magic about the sea. I remember as a kid drawing elaborate plans of secret bases built inside tiny islets, periscopes disguised as palm trees. I'm pretty sure I drew my fair share of submarines, too.

Then there's the Nautilus here, exploring the briny deep. And finding a shipwreck.

Soft Kitty . . .

Once again, it's amazing what you find when you help your kids clean their rooms.

This one turned up in our daughter's room, but a quick glance tells me it's the work of our oldest son. And it's beautiful. Why this one got shoved into the bushel basket that is our daughter's room is unknown -- except that she said he was disappointed with the grade he got on it.

Art for Artists

Apparently, they had an art appreciation unit this year.

And a soup appreciation unit as well. Can't say I'd want to try "fry soup."

I'm also enjoying my son's interpretation of Munch's "The Scream." Certainly there's much more in a child's mind to scream about when there's a fire-breeding tornado in the background, rather than a Krakatoa-inspired sunset and schizophrenia.

SNAE!

Now with the temperatures in the 90s, it's kind of nice to think of snow. As in "it's very, very far away from us at the moment."

The Tree of Life

Here you go. Another version of the Tree of Life.

Tree Fort

Ah, summertime, when the thoughts of boys turn to tree forts and plunger-launching crossbows.

Bleak Birds

I don't know why the family is so bleak. They seem to get along with their squirrel neighbor. They both seem well-fed. Maybe there was infidelity, or a chronic lack of jellybeans. So I don't know. And our daughter, who drew this, isn't telling.

REVOLUTION!

Ah yes, the school project parade begins. This from our youngest, copied freehand.

Jabba the Dadd

Found this on my desk when I got home from work today. I'd like to hand it over to some kind of Sherlock Holmes forensics expert to see which label was written first . . .

SCHOOL'S OUT!

School is out. Meaning I've now got bales of fresh new material to sort through for this blog.

But a concern: Now that my kids are a little older, a lot of their art is this "school art," and a lot less of it is their own free-form creation. That concerns me. We try to give them time to draw and doodle, but given the massive amounts of homework they all come home with every night, they don't have much time for it.

One other thing: Our oldest took an art class at school and decided he'd rather continue in band rather than art, because "art class wasn't what I expected it would be." He's not much on communication, but I have to wonder. He did come out of the class with some new techniques and perspectives on art, yes -- but I'm not sure he enjoyed it. And that's fine -- not everyone has to enjoy everything. I just hope school didn't put the kybosh on his desires.

Bs!

Yes, an old joke.

Forbidden -- and Really Weird -- Love

Again our son, a student of comic strips from a young age -- comes up with another good nonsequitur. You have to wonder if the amorous alien is the one who chose the pizza delivery location.

Madame Mim

Mad Madam Mim. Marvelous, boy. MARVELOUS!

CATS!

We have two miniature weenie dogs in the house. So, naturally, our daughter draws cats. Lots and lots of cats. And my wife hates cats. Maybe that's why they're only here in drawing form . . .

Little Pitchers . . .

The kids were bored and wanted to know what they should do. I suggested they take their sidewalk chalk out on the back patio. Then they wanted to know what to draw. I suggested they draw our neighbor in drag. So they did.

I'll have to be more careful what I suggest in the future. Poor Rob.

Reflection

I don't know what this art process is called, but I like it.

Pow-Wow Bingo

So a few months ago, I took our Scouts to a merit badge pow-wow put on by the local Fraternal Order of Police. We had fun. But I had to do some doodling to keep my son entertained and focused on the task at hand.

No Dents Here

Another study in electioneering, in which rhyming seems to be king. Personally, I'd vote for a candidate who claimed to have no dents. The second one, though, well, that'll get him in trouble with his atheist constituents.

Must . . . Save . . . the Brain!

  

Dad again contributes, with a little editorial comment (the "eeeeeew") by the oldest son. And to be fair, I'm sure the LEGO lobe is quite a bit bigger than what's shown here.

VOTE SCOOTER!

Scooter is back, after a brief absence. And is running for president of the Dork Club, evidently. He should aim higher.

Little Can O' Primer

Yeah. Once again, I learn it's not a good idea to leave bits of paper on my desk if I don't want them covered with scribbles.

I did not get the little can o' primer, though I did get (and use ) everything on the list, by the way.

Introducing . . . Sooper Teacher

But if you thought Sooper Teacher wasn't inevitable, well, silly you.

Final Sooper Deacon

With our oldest turning fourteen and moving on up in the world of the Aaronic Priesthood, this, alas, is the final installment of Sooper Deacon. Another cooperative drawing.

President's Day

And here's a batch of inevitable Presidents Day art, dredged up from the backlog of drawings I'm still pawing through. These are from our youngest, I think, from at least a year ago. I wonder if Abe was missing a right hand in real life.

And for those in a more literary mood, here's a report our daughter wrote on George Washington, also last year.

The Further Adventures of Sooper Deacon

It's just what happens when you're trying to keep your kid calm and quiet during Sacrament meeting.

Fire Tent

I'm looking forward to the time we don't have to winter camp with the scouts. Yes I am.

Bath Time

Once in a while, our daughter decides to follow in her older brother's footsteps to create a comic strip. Their humor is about as different as night and day. But I still love it.

Angry Birds

Yes, our oldest is certainly into Angry Birds. How can I tell? Found this about a week ago . . .