“The principal goal of education should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done; men and women who are creative, inventive, and discoverers, who can be critical and verify, and not accept, everything they are offered. Each time one prematurely teaches a child something he could have discovered himself, that child is kept from inventing it and consequently from understanding it completely.”

—JEAN PIAGET

In many drawing books, children are encouraged to draw a subject matter by building up of shapes—triangles, squares, circles, and ovals—to create simplistic drawings, then asked to define the subject matter by adding didactic details. While this method allows children to replicate a final product, it doesn’t help them develop their own drawing skills or allow them to learn different processes of art making.

The drawing projects in Drawing Workshop for Kids are designed for children to take a drawing journey, developing skills that can be layered. Through learning these skills, children will feel increasingly able to make informed decisions about their own drawings and take ownership of their work.

This book is filled with projects for children and parents to create together, or for your child to further their drawing skills. The activities use a range of drawing materials, such as ink, watercolor, charcoal, and pencil. When working through the projects, remember that some of the greatest drawing experiences happen during the drawing process and not always at the completion of the final product.