A Budding Artist

I have limited artistic abilities. On the other hand, my husband is an artist and art teacher. Fortunately, my daughter seems to be cultivating a talent much like her daddy's. 

Since she was two, she has been trying to color inside the lines (I promise we haven't been pressuring her!). As a result, she has had many struggles with perfectionist tantrums. She might throw a fit when she colors outside the lines AT ALL. And with the unsharpened crayons we have, who wouldn't color outside the lines? Here's a butterfly she recently colored all by herself. I think it's pretty good for a new four-year-old. 

Speaking of her tantrums, today I drew her a forest of trees. She insisted that I add Sleeping Beauty walking through the woods. Even though I don't draw people well, she doesn't mind. But then I went and colored her top gray and her skirt purple (since those are the colors I remembered). Well my visual memory is merely okay. I just don't have a gift for it. But my husband and daughter can see something one time and they'll never forget it. So, I got the gray and purple backwards. She was NOT happy: a tantrum soon followed (Lord give me strength and patience to help her manage her frustrations calmly, please...)

I have begun to wonder if her perfectionism, though certainly genetic from both of us, is as much frustration as anything. I get the feeling that she, like her daddy, can visualize what her picture should look like, but she just doesn't have the age ability to create her vision.

I get the most joy from watching her draw, though. She started out about 2-3 months ago drawing randomly, and then deciding what it was. But more recently, she has been trying to draw specific things. She's usually pleased regardless of how messy it might be (because it's always really cute and really good for her age). On occasion, however, she'll have a meltdown if she doesn't get it right.  Here are a few of her drawings (with absolutely no help from anyone, I promise). Try to guess what they are (answers will follow):

You got it: a lion in the grass, fish, and a snake!

Now, she has discovered her dad's talent for drawing beautiful pictures. Every once in a while, she'll ask me to draw her something, but she has learned that if she wants it to look GOOD, her daddy is the one to see. She'll color some of them, but half the time, his beautiful drawings go untouched. I think she enjoys watching him in the process of drawing more than she really wants something to color. 

You may have figured out the real reason I have posted her "artwork" (as she calls it): my maternal need to brag on my children. I truly hope she has her daddy's amazing artistic talent, so she can use it in any way she wants. I'm proud of you, Sweet Pea.