Shawna the Sketcher

I've been meaning to scan/photograph and blog about the kids drawings. Isaac wasn't really one to doodle much, but the twins love sketching and drawing pictures. Asher started doodling and drawing pictures last year. I amassed a huge stack of them but didn't get around to posting about them. He liked to draw the same things over and over again, namely, superheroes. Very cute, and I still intend to write about them.

Shawna , though, only started drawing in earnest this year. Last year, she would look at Asher drawing and say "I don't know what to draw." But this year... wow, she's on a roll! She tends to draw roughly similar things as well. Usually a landscape, with the sun in a corner, clouds, a house, some people, flowers. But Shawna also liked to write. She would write statements, like below, where she wrote "Shawna: Isaac: I love my parents" It may not look like it to you, but that is what she wrote. She's still at the age where she sometimes mixes up her letters in a mirror image way, or writes backwards, or writes from right to left instead of left to right. I'm praying that she's not dyslexic!

This is the drawing that catapulted me into action to write this post. Shawna says "I love my parents!" :)

Of the three children, Shawna is in a way the least physically affectionate of them. The boys would be more likely to give us hugs and kisses if we ask for them (or spontaneously!), than Shawna would. However, Shawna appears to be more willing to write down her feelings :)

She's proud of her drawings and always wants to put them up. As you can see below, she has covered her bedroom wall, her bedroom door, the wall outside her bedroom, with her pictures. And since she ran out of space, she has started pasting them on our master bedroom wall (covered with mirror) as well. 

At first, I said "Er, why don't you colour the pictures? They'd look nicer, THEN you can put them up." Or I would tell Asher "You should use markers, I think you draw better using markers." and the like. I realised that, in a way, I was being too perfectionist - I only wanted to put up "the nice ones". But the kids shook their heads and proceeded to put up their pictures anyway. And when I saw them on the walls, I realised something... They are all nice! Just the way they are. And here, I shall immortalise them in this blog post.So even if they wither, yellow and tear, they'd still be on this blog.

Our walls full of lovely pictures by Sketcher Shawna, Artist Asher, and Illustrator Isaac!

Shawna's drawing in pink ink.

Above is a multi-story house on the right. You can see the beds/chairs on each floor. Shawna, with ponytails and a huge smile, is having a delicious cold drink in her hand. Enjoying the sun, pretty flower beside her, clouds and birds in the sky. A playground with a slide. The tree has a bird's nest in one of its branches.

Below: The sun is huge. It must be very hot. But there are clouds so it must be a nice day out. Shawna and I are out for a walk with some babies (?!) in two strollers.  Shawna tells me that the stroller is not floating in the sky - it is simply further away. There's a tall building. And a treehouse. Love the strollers!

A Walk in the Park by Sketcher Shawna

Asher in a Hot Air Balloon by Sketcher Shawna

Another lovely sunny day. Shawna says it's hot, so she is inside the house (you can't see her). That's Asher in his hot air balloon. There are two butterflies in the sky. And an aeroplane too! Look what big boosters the aeroplane has, and three doors and many windows.

Below is something Shawna has been doing a lot lately. She enjoys writing out whatever words she has learnt to write in her school. Numbers 1 to 6 in Chinese, and some simple Chinese words. The English alphabet - some in mirror image. And simple words. The "Ni" she keeps writing is actually "in". 

Shawna learns the alphabet!

Rocket & Earth by Sketcher Shawna

This picture is actually inspired by a similar picture drawn by Isaac. The twins saw it and started to draw their own version of it. I should go look for Isaac's and Asher's and put them all up in a post! Love the rocket, the sun is below and not in it's usual place, the crescent moon, the alien in his spaceship, and planet Earth with some people on it, oh and the many stars! :)

You know how the kids change best friends every so often? Well it's the same with the kidzes, but Shawna's been having a constant best friend (amongst other ones that are not as constant) - and that's Chloe. Shawna loves to draw pictures of herself and Chloe. 

Chloe & Shawna - best friends!

Shawna's quite good with colours. Shall get her to draw more using crayons and colour pencils. Markers too, though a lot have dried out when the kids forget to cap them after use, despite constant reminders. Annoys me to no end. Love the trees and rickety hut!

So there were these two pictures where she folded the sides of the paper this way. And I'm like "Why do you fold your paper this way, Shawna?" And she says "It's to make the frame, Mummy! You say got frame nicer, right?" Hahaha, yes I did.

Shawna's frame improvisation

I love my Papa and Mummy

 Yes Shawna spelt the above on her own :) Happy to know that the words "I love my Mummy/Papa" are amongst the first words that Shawna knows how to spell. She meant to write "so" when she wrote "os". It's cute how she practices the words that she knows. 

Like most other little girls, Shawna's a big fan of Frozen too. We've watched the movie more than a dozen times as we have the blu ray dvd. I like the movie too, as I feel that there are a lot of teaching moments in the show. I often talk throughout the movie, explaining to the kids why certain things happen, and why the characters are behaving the way they are. 

So Shawna drew the two pictures below. One of Anna (left) and one of Elsa (right). And in both pictures, they are crying. She also pasted the two pictures a distance apart. "Shawna, why are Anna and Elsa crying?" I asked her. And she said "They are sad because they want to play with each other, but they can't. That's why I paste the pictures separate, Mummy." And at that moment, I saw the heart labelled "Love" in each girl.

And I knew she understood all I had been telling them through the movie. I often tell the children that they are very lucky to have each other to play with (so they should not fight nor quarrel!), unlike Anna and Elsa who loved each other and wanted to play with each other, but can't.

The Crying Sisters Anna & Elsa, by Sketcher Shawna

Mummy Working on her Computer, by Sketcher Shawna

Now that I am working full time on My First Games, I actually work out of home. I try to finish doing whatever I have to do before the kids get home from school. However, occasionally I have to do some work, and so I work at my computer. Captured here in print, by my dear Shawna. That's hubbs doing work as well, as he often has to bring work home to do as well. This is a reminder for us to keep work to work time, and treasure our family time with the kids!

Oh another landscape by Shawna. A house with a chimney and smoke coming out of it. Two aeroplanes in the sky, with exhaust gas coming out of its engines. A coconut tree with coconuts dangling like earrings. The spots on the tree trunk are the grooves in the trunk for climbing the tree. Shawna's had some experience climbing a coconut tree, you see :)  Oh and clouds that have eyes, nose, mouth and spectacles! And a heart, of course!

Coconut Tree by Sketcher Shawna

Self Portrait by Sketcher Shawna

And to end of this post, we have a nice self portrait of Shawna - with a sunny day, house and tree in the background. Love the flower in her hat! :)

I love kids' art! For more kiddy arty goodness, follow these links!
*A Nugget of Joy
*Little Blue Bottle