Supplemental Sunday: Drawing Things

www.musictherapyworks.com
I am not the best artist in the world, but I find lots of joy in drawing. I've found that I'm pretty good at line drawing, especially if I have something to look at as a model. This art, however, was drawn (almost) without example and completely for use with one of my favorite Sesame Street songs, I Don't Want to Live on the Moon. 

Now, I could find images on Google for my visual aids (and I often do so), but there is something very satisfying about drawing my own visuals.

So, how do I start?

I listen to the music and read the lyrics. I find key terms that I can actually draw. Some songs are completely abstract - I don't often find success drawing things that aren't concrete - so, those songs are not really good for making visual aids. (Home is one of those abstract concepts, and my clients come from many different homes, so I wasn't really able to draw a good picture of what home is to us.)

I make a grid - this one was folded into eighths. I was able to draw one concept per section of the paper. If you look closely, you can see the grid lines.

I try drawing things on scrap paper until I have a picture that illustrates what I want my clients to know about the song lyrics.

After I have a picture that I like, I draw it on the grid. 

Then, I add words in a clear print (to help my students read - a fancy font can make things difficult to interpret for some of my clients).

After all of that, I scan it into my computer so I have an electronic copy of my artistic endeavours.

If desired, I then color my original artwork and scan it again. (You didn't get the colored version because the file was too large.) Now, I have options for how to download my art. I can print it on paper or on cardstock. I can use colored paper or white paper. I can make the visual aids large or small - all through the magic that is my computer!!

If you are someone who doesn't feel comfortable drawing, then don't do it. If you want to draw, then just start. Don't let the fear of what others might think or say stop you.

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