Breaking the Grip: Drawing Beyond Anxiety and Visual Realism

I have little drawing history. As Kalin describes in her article, however, my tendencies towards drawing have not been as positive as other art students' may have been. I have had these negative feelings towards drawing because I have never been very good at creating a realistic picture through drawing which is often how good drawing is viewed. Growing up, I was never taught how to properly draw or been inspired to draw. I only had art classes up until grade six and after that I never had the confidence to try my hand at drawing. Kalin's chapter reassured me that drawing does not have to meet up with conventional expectations of realism, but can be experimented with. With this experience of drawing and with the information gained from Kalin's chapter, I feel I will be able to help a child with drawing anxiety by accepting the child's individual creativity. I can introduce the child to different forms of drawing and reassure them that realism is not the only form of drawing and their individual style will be embraced instead of judged.

Questions I will ask my child's parent about her learning characteristics:
What are your daughters initial reactions to drawing?
Is she willing to attempt drawing and experiment with this kind of art form?
Is she aware that there are other ways of drawing besides using a pen or pencil?
Does she feel like her drawings may be judged or that she is not drawing "properly"?
Would she feel more comfortable drawing in a collaborative project or engaging in individual projects?