Scribbling is important! / Žvrljanje je važno!

Before they walk, babies crawl. And when they do, no parent will disparagingly say: “It’s nothing, he is just aimlessly crawling!”  Nor will they expect the baby to walk instead of crawling. Just as crawling precedes walking, so scribbling precedes drawing (and writing)! Even so, many a parent, showing their child’s drawing, will tell it off: “This is nothing, just some meaningless scribbling. When is he going to start really drawing?” (Probably meaning: make a realistic drawing). It will take long before the child shows a desire and begins to draw realistically.                                                                                                                       

A child can start drawing as soon as he can hold a pencil in his hand. That can be at the age of 6 months, though most children start drawing when they are 12 to 18 months old. In this first phase of drawing (called Scribbling) children draw, yes draw, Scribbling, with capital S – and there is no telling them off. These are no unsuccessful attempts at realistic drawing or visual presentation of the surrounding objects. For the child, these represent motion, a kinetic experience he enjoys, a fascination with a material leaving a trace on paper, and an excitement with something appearing on paper that was not there a moment ago – all these having more to do with the sound (the pencil makes on contact with paper), motion and action resulting in the creation of a visual product. Young children do not draw with an intention of making a drawing or a picture in the sense in which adults see a picture, nor do they wish to present anything. For them scribbling is motion and action. They often do not even look at the paper while scribbling. 

Therefore, parents should not be disappointed when they do not recognize shapes or similarities with objects in their child’s drawings and scribbling – they should not even look for them. The way in which the parents react and comment their child’s drawings in all phases, even in this early one, is of utmost importance, and may make a difference between developing a resistance against, and a love for drawing and arts in general.

Pre nego što prohodaju deca puze. I ni jedan roditelj neće reći sa omalovažavanjem: "To je ništa, samo bezveze puzi!" Niti će očekivati od deteta da hoda umesto da puzi. Kao što puzanje prethodi hodanju, tako i žvrljanje prethodi crtanju (i pisanju!) Ali koliko roditelja pokazujući crtež svog deteta kao da se pravda i s nipodaštavanjem kaže: "To je ništa, samo neke bezveze žvrljotine. Kad će već jednom početi da crta?" (verovatno misleći: realistično da crta). Proćiće još mnogo vremena pre nego što dete poželi i počne da crta realistično.                                                                                                               

Dete može da počne da crta čim je u stanju da samostalno sedi i drži olovku u ruci. To može biti već sa 6 meseci, iako većina dece počne da crta negde oko 12, najčešće  sa 18 meseci. U ovoj prvoj fazi u crtanju (koja se zove faza Žvrljanja) deca, da, crtaju Žvrljotine ali sa velikim Ž i bez omalovažavanja! I one nikako nisu neuspeli pokušaj da se realistično crta niti da se vizuelno predstave predmeti iz okruženja. Za dete, one predstavljaju kretanje, kinetički doživljaj u kojem ono uživa, a zatim i fascinaciju materijalom koji ostavlja trag na papiru i oduševljenje da se na papiru pojavilo nešto čega do malo pre nije bilo, i imaju više veze sa zvukom (koji olovka pravi u dodiru sa podlogom), pokretom i akcijom nego sa stvaranjem vizuelnog proizvoda. Dete crtajući nema nameru da napravi crtež ili likovno delo u onom smislu u kojem odrasli vide likovno delo, niti da bilo šta predstavi. Žvrljanje je za dete kretanje i akcija! Deca, stoga, često ni ne gledaju u papir dok žvrljaju.                                                                                

Zato roditelji ne treba da budu razočarani kada u crtežima i Žvrljotinama svoje dece ne nađu prepoznatljive oblike ili sličnost sa predmetima iz okruženja; zapravo ne treba ni da ih traže. Način na koji roditelji reaguju i komentarišu dečje crteže u svim fazama, pa i ovoj, je veoma važan i od njega u mnogome zavisi da li će deca steći otpor ili razviti ljubav prema crtanju i umetnosti uopšte!

Animal tails / Repovi

V loves animals so much and everything that has to do with them: he loves to read books about them, draw them, visit them at farms and the zoo when ever possible (every day if possible!), watch Animal Planet, and of course, pretend to be some animal the whole day long! He imitates them so well - their sounds and their movements. So, when I saw these tails, I knew they would be a perfect birthday gift for him, and decided to make them. Since I don't knit, but Grandma J knits perfectly, I asked if she would knit a set of five different tails for V. So she did. And here they are.

V obožava životinje i sve što je u vezi sa njima: voli da čita knjige o njima, da ih crta, obilazi na farmama i zoološkom vrtu kad god je to moguće (svaki dan ako je moguće!), gleda emisije o njima i Animal Planet, i naravno, svaki dan se pretvara da je neka životinja! Odlično ih imitira  - zvuke koje ispuštaju i njihove pokrete. Kad sam videla ove repove, pomislila sam da bi to bio savršen rođendanski poklon za njega. Pošto ja ne umem da štrikam, ali baba J. štrika savršeno, zamolila sam je da napravi pet različitih repova za V-a poput njih. Tako je i učinila. I evo ih.

A few days ago, when we went for a walk in the woods, V was so excited to put his tiger tail on and be a real tiger in the wood. He enjoyed the woods and the walk so much thanks to the tail! I think that he would be able to walk for hours if needed!

Kada smo, pre nekoliko dana, otišli u šetnju u šumu, V je bio jako uzbuđen što će moći da okači tigrov rep i što će biti pravi pravcati tigar u šumi. Uživao je u šumi  i šetnji zahvaljujući repu! Da je trebalo, mislim da bi bio u stanju da hoda satima! Potpuno se bio uživeo u ulogu tigra!

What I like about these tails is that they are just a small detail, and not the whole dress-up costume, but even so this small detail has such a wonderful power to boost the imagination and completely transform the charachter!

Ono što volim u vezi sa ovim repovima je to što su oni samo detalj, a ne celi kostimi za prerušavanje, i to što čak i tako mali detalj ima tako veliku moć da izazove maštu i potpuno transformiše karakter!

Big. Blue. / Veliko. Plavo.

V usually draws with markers. They are his favourite art material so lines and detail dominate in his drawings. There are almost no surfaces in his drawings; no expressive movements at all.

So from time to time I offer him some other art materilas such as tempera paint with  large brushes to stimulate him to do some large-stroke-paintings with no detail at all (a large brush disables details and thin precise lines). He usually accepts this offer, but only for a short session. And that's fine. I never push! I offer, but don't expect him to always accept the offer if he doesn't feel like it. 

V najviše voli da crta flomasterima. Oni su mu omiljeni likovni materijal. Stoga u njegovim crtežima dominiraju linije i detalji. U njegovim crtežima gotovo da nema površina niti širokih ekspresivnih pokreta. 

Zbog toga mu povremeno nudim i druge materijale, poput tempera i široke četke da bih ga podstakla da ponekad slika i širokim potezima bez detalja (širokom četkom je veoma teško napraviti detalje i tanke, precizne linije). On obično prihvata ovakve ponude, ali samo na kratko. I to je u redu. Nikad ne vršim pritisak! Nudim, ali ne očekujem da uvek i prihvati ponudu ako ne želi.

When painting with tempera paint and a large brush, we usually do this on a large piece of paper, so that the strokes can be really big and large! And notice that there is no need for suggesting to paint Big: a large paper, a large brush, and the thick tempera paint - take you precisely in that direction!

Kada slikamo temperama i širokom četkom obično to radimo na velikom formatu papira tako da potezi četkom zaista mogu biti široki, da možemo da se razmašemo. Čak nema potrebe naglašavati detetu da slika Veliko: veliki format papira, široka četka i gusta boja (tempera) - jednostavno vode u tom pravcu!

So, 'What is this?' - I struggle not to ask this question. ('How' is more important than 'What', remember? And this question kinda emphesizes the 'What' and sends the message to the kid that 'What' matters most. Specially if that's the only question we ask, and usually it is!) I struggle because I am so so curious about What it actually is. Is it a sea? Is it a big wave? Are those small strokes - sprinkles of sea droplets around the big wave? Or are they little fish in the sea? I struggle because I would like to know about this beautiful inner life of his that poures out through these large curved blue lines and large and small blue strokes, and blue surfaces... I struggle to know What, in my grown up world, they are. 

And struggle even more to know Why can't I just be fine with knowing that it is just: Big. And Blue! 

Simple as that! 

Dakle, Šta je to? - borim se sa sobom da ga ne pitam. (Kako je važnije od Šta, sećate se? A ovo pitanje  nekako naglašava ono Šta i šalje detetu poruku da je to Šta najvažnije, naročito ako je to jedino pitanje koje postavljamo, a obično, nažalost, jeste!) I borim se sa sobom zato što sam vrlo radoznala da saznam Šta je to zapravo. Da li je to more? Da li je to veliki talas? Da li su ti kratki potezi - kapljice mora oko talasa? Ili su to ribice u moru? Borim se sa sobom jer bih volela da upoznam bolje taj njegov prelepi unutrašnji život koji se izliva kroz ove široke, dugačke, krivudave plave linije i dugačke i kratke plave poteze i plave površine... Borim se sa sobom da saznam Šta je sve to, u mom svetu odraslih?

I borim se još više da shvatim Zašto je toliko teško da se razume da je to jednostavno samo Veliko. I Plavo!

Tako jednostavno!

Family dolls for baby-sister/ Lutke za sestru

V and I made these small dolls for Baby Z for her birthday (which was a while ago). I think it is beautiful to make birthday presents, and I think it is good to involve kids in this process when ever possible. For me making presents with V gives me an opportunity to show him some important things: he is capable of making a present that is really special and valuable and which can really mean a whole lot to the person it is dedicated to; making for others means dedicating our time to them and time is, in today's life, one of the most precious things; we don't have to buy things and presents, we can make them, and probably they are more valuable since they have this special personal touch; and so on, and so on... 

I would like to show my kids, that in today's life, which is so so filled with the need and imperative for buying and possessing there is space for some different things as well: things that are small, simple but full of mind and love. And more than that: full of life and personal presence!

V i ja smo napravili ove male lutke kao rođendanski poklon za Bebu Z (koji je bio pre nekog vremena). Mislim da je veoma lepo praviti poklone, i mislim da je dobro uključiti decu u ovaj proces kad god je to moguće. Pravljenje poklona sa V-om mi daje priliku da mu pokažem neke vrlo važne stvari: da je sposoban da napravi zaista poseban i vredan poklon koji može da znači mnogo onome kome je namenjen; da pravljenje znači da posvećujemo svoje vreme onome kome je poklon namenjen (a vreme je u današnje vreme, jedna od najdragocenijih stvari); da ne moramo samo kupovati poklone već ih možemo i sami napraviti i da su verovatno ti napravljeni pokloni vredniji jer sadrže taj posebni, lični pečat; itd.

Volela bih da pokažem svojoj deci da u današnje vreme, u kojem toliko vlada imperativ kupovine, potrošnje i posedovanja, postoji prostor i za neke drugačije stvari i pristupe: male stvari, jednostavne stvari ali pune duha i ljubavi. I još važnije: pune života i ličnog prisustva!

V drew all the members of our little family (papa, mama, brother and baby-sister) on pieces of white canvas with Pentel fabric pastels, which are fantastic - so bright and so intensive colors! After that we ironed the drawings to fix them, I sewed another piece of canvas (right side facing) to every drawing leaving an oppening for batting, stuffed with batting and then sewed closed. 


V je nacrtao sve članove naše male porodice (tatu, mamu, brata i bebu-sestru) na komadima belog ameriken-platna sa ovim Pentel pastelima za tkaninu koje smo dobili iz Amerike. Ne znam da li ima sličnih pastela kod nas, ali sigurno ima flomastera za tekstil (npr. Faber Castell textile markers) u knjižarama poput Platoa, Vulkana i naravno knjižare Raško, u kojoj ima svega! Nakon što nas je V sve nacrtao, prešli smo peglom preko crteža da bi ih fiskirali, a ja sam zatim sašila "vrećice" od tih crteža, napunila ih vatom i zatvorila.

Shaving cream, sour cream / Pena za brijanje, pavlaka

The other day we did some fingerpainting with shaving cream on the smooth table surface. This is a great tactile expirience for kids of all ages. They love it, and I think it is great for parents introducing 'painting' to their kids, for various reasons: it is cheap, you get a great quantity, it is clean and great for quick and easy clean-up, but what is most important - it is not a real artistic material, hence parents usually feel relaxed and don't expect their kids to make 'something' 'artistic'. They feel more free and relaxed to let the kids experiment in the way they want! They feel much more relaxed when the kids dip their hands in a bowl full of shaving cream (than in a bowl full of tempera paint!) and then happily let them sqish it and squash it and spread it all around... What a beautiful feeling that must be for kids! Have you ever seen the glow in their eyes and the excitement while doing something like this?
And this relaxed attitude towards our kids with no expectations for what to do and what not to do is the most precious thing we can give our kids when introducing them to art or any other kind of creative actions. 


Pre nekoliko dana smo slikali penom za brijanje na glatkoj površini stola. Ovo je fantastično taktilno iskustvo za decu svih uzrasta! Deca obožavaju da se igraju sa penom, a pored toga odlična je i za roditelje koji žele da uvedu decu u svet slikanja i to iz nekoliko razloga: jeftina je, ima je puno, čista je i brzo se i lako očisti nakon slikanja/igranja, ali ono što je najvažnije od svega - ona nije pravi slikarski materijal te "ne obavezuje" da se napravi "nešto" pa još i "umetničko", kao pravi slikarski materijali, da ne pominjem one skupe. Čak ni slikarima nije stran ovaj osećaj "odgovornosti" koji izazivaju slikarski materijali kojem pokušavaju da se odupru. Kada deca slikaju sa penom za brijanje roditelji mnogo manje očekuju od njih da naslikaju "nešto umetničko". Mnogo su opušteniji i slobodniji da puste decu da istražuju na način na koji deca to žele. Mnogo su opušteniji kada deca urone svoje ruke u činiju sa penom za brijanje (nego u činiju sa temperom!) i počnu da muljaju, razmazuju i razvlače penu. To mora da je zaista divan osećaj za decu!
A ova opuštenost prema deci, bez očekivanja šta treba, a šta ne smeju da rade, je najdragocenija stvar koju im možemo podariti kada ih uvodimo u svet slikanja, umetnosti ili drugih kreativnih aktivnosti.

After playing with the shaving cream in his hands, rubbing it, clapping with it, spreading it, squeezing it, feeling it in all the different ways, V spreaded an amount of shaving cream on the table surface, made some lines with his fingers and q-tips, and eventually tried writting some letters as well.

Nakon što se poigrao sa penom u rukama, trljajući je, razmazujući, tapšući, gnječeći je i osećajući je na puno različitih načina, V je razmazao jednu količinu pene po površini stola a zatim prstićem i štapićem za uši crtao linije, da bi na kraju pokušao da napiše i po neko slovo.

And sweet baby Z? She just has to do everything her older brother does! Since everything ends up in her mouth, she got some sour cream instead to play with, which eventually did end up - in her mouth!


A slatka beba Z? Ona jednostvno mora da radi sve isto što i njen stariji brat! Ali, kako sve na kraju završi u njenim ustima, umesto pene za brijanje dobila je malo kisele pavlake, koja je na kraju, naravno i završila u ustima!