Art unique to their vantage point

Half a dozen kids gathered around a bench and easel with one student’s work on display for the crowd. The kids stared intently at the piece as they prepared to critique their peers’ work.

The art students are learning to draw in the class Art: Drawing for Kids at the Huntington Beach Art Center. During the six-week session, the kids are learning classical drawing by going over the basic elements of art, instructor Pati Kent said.

Despite the class’ name, Kent said, the students learn the same lessons as her adult students, but have the advantage of still having an open mind.

“They haven’t yet lost that fascination with all of their imaginations,” she said.

Sitting in the round, each student sketched the figure set up on the model stand in the middle of the classroom from different perspectives. The students are learning to see the object and not what the artist thinks they should see, Kent said.

Tuesday, a small family of stuffed cows was plopped on the seat of a razor scooter with orange handles and wheels atop the model stand under a spotlight.

The cows were headed on a journey around the continent, said Emma Hill.

Making up a story line about each piece is part of the lesson, Kent said.

As each student presented their work, some talked a little about their story lines while others demurred, pointing out their flaws. With each critique, the students pointed out both the good and the bad in their peers’ work.

When the kids and Kent gathered around 9-year-old Luke Heine’s drawing, he began to talk about his piece.

“I’m OK with how I did, but I would want to make this a little bigger,” Luke said, pointing to the square box the cows and scooter were on.

Despite Luke’s unhappiness with his box, C.J. Long, 10, pointed out that he liked how Luke drew the perspective on the box, and Emma pointed out how he captured a small detail unique to his vantage point.

Peer critiques might seem intimidating for kids, but Luke said he learns from them. One aspect he said he really wanted to improve on, and did, is his cubes. Luke said he has learned how to draw them to give them a three-dimensional look.

The students have one more class before they will get to display the piece they are most proud of at an art show, Kent said.

Basic Art Elements

Line: A continuous mark, made on a surface

Shape: An enclosed space; two dimensional

Form: A three-dimensional figure

Color: When light strikes an object and is reflected back to the eye

Value: The lightness or darkness of a color.