Kien’s Drawing

By

Marianne Sardelich

The drawing activity for week two was to sketch your shoe. When this activity was introduced, Kien was not very excited. He took his shoe off and put it on the table.

He watched Emma and Paul begin to sketch their shoes. He turned to his shoe and began to draw its outline.

He worked on drawing the straps of the shoe and the pattern on its sole. When he was finished, he sat back, and looked at it. “This isn’t very good,” he said.

After examining their shoes more closely, Emma, Paul, and Kien decided to get a new perspective on their shoes. Kien flipped his upside down. He sketched the outline, the circles on the bottom, and the traction. After a couple minutes he put his pen down and said, “That is all I can do.”

Celeste looked at his paper and said, “I wonder if there is anything else you could add.” Kien shook his head. When Paul and Emma finished their shoes, Celeste brought out the natural objects.

Kien chose a tiny pebble and began to trace its outline. He said, “This is all I can do.” Celeste watched as he quickly finished tracing the rock. Kien, while looking at the natural objects, said, “I can’t do any of these.”

Celeste picked through the tray and pulled out a seashell and a pinecone. She placed these at the top of Kien’s paper and said, “Kien I am going to challenge you. I think that you can draw these.” Kien looked at her and then the objects. He said, “I’ll try.” He looked at the objects closely. He held the seashell in his hand as he traced its outline and continued to sketch.

When he finished the seashell, he picked up the pinecone. He held it, looked at it closely, and referred to it again and again as he sketched. After he was finished with the pinecone, he turned to Celeste and asked what to do next.

She chose a cluster of even smaller pinecones. Kien didn’t hestitate. He immediately began to sketch, making sure to capture the details. He drew the branches that held the pinecones together, he used the pen to make the lines look textured, and included all four pinecones. When he finished he sat back and asked Celeste to look at his work. She smiled, “Kien, that really looks like the pinecones.”

What it Means

Kien,

At the beginning of this activity it seemed like you were a little unsure of your drawing abilities. You paid close attention to Paul and Emma’s drawings, while also looking at your own. When we moved on to the natural objects, you wanted to keep it simple. You chose a small pebble. Celeste saw that this subject was going to be too easy for you and challenged you to draw the most complicated objects in the tray. Kien, you rose to the challenge. You demonstrated close examination by including small details in your drawings. You used your pen in different ways to create texture and depth. You held the objects, looked at them from multiple angles, and changed your approach based on what you observed. By the end of the activity, you were proud of your work and eager to share it with someone.

Opportunities and Possibilities

After working with Kien for the past three weeks, one thing that stood out to me is Kien’s urge to compare. In this particular instance, he seemed to watch what Paul and Emma did very closely. His interest in the activity seemed to decrease as he continued to compare his work to theirs. When Celeste challenged him and stated her belief in his abilities, he excelled. Their interaction made me wonder if Kien would benefit from doing these sorts of activities alone. I think that he would feel less pressured if he didn’t have to worry about what other people were doing. The exchange also showed me that Kien enjoys being challenged and wants to rise to meet the challenge. In circumstances where Kien is not challenging himself, reminding him of his abilities could be meaningful.

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