Annie loves to color, but ever since last month when she went rogue with a blue crayon we’ve limited her exposure to all things crayola. Yes, she drew on a wall in my living room. Yes, magic eraser removed the crayon, and also a layer of paint. I still can’t talk about it.
Yesterday she asked me if she could draw. She’d never asked me specifically if she could draw before – she’s always asked to color. So I grabbed a couple crayons and some blank paper and let her get to it. She scribbled a bit, then asked me to draw “a baby.” I drew a stick figure baby for her, the greatest stick figure baby in the world.
This is not the greatest stick figure baby in the world. This is just a tribute.
Before I drew an army of stick figure babies, I decided to change course. “Annie, how about you draw something?! How about you draw me a picture of Rigby?!” Annie saw the genius in my idea. “OH okay Mama!” She got to work. “Dis is Wigby’s face, dis her eyes…her body…OH here’s her taaaaaaiiiillllll!”
The likeness is uncanny!
She was on a roll after that. She asked for another piece of paper and started drawing. I watched her put the crayon to the paper, stop and pull back, then jump back in after deciding what she wanted her next move to be.
“Mama, dis one is you, and dis one is me in da stroller!”
Then she drew this gem:
Like looking at a photograph
All joking aside, I looooove this. I am so, so excited that she’s in the “drawing things” phase. Is there anything better than a hand-drawn picture from your child? (She said, a few snowflakes into the avalanche.)
Lanie says:
Annie is a fantastic artist! I love the drawing phase too. However, I am in the avalanche with twin almost 5 yr olds constantly drawing. We go through stacks of paper (both sides) and the art avalanche could last for many years. What do you do with all the masterpieces?
Steph says:
You could take pictures of the art and then recycle the paper.
defendUSA says:
I used to tell my kids “Paper Only” and If they did the crayon trick on a wall, we got the toothbrushes out and scrubbed…no magic eraser then. If Annie decides to hit up any carpet, I have the remedy. WD-40. Get paper towels and spray it with the WD-40. With carpet grain rub away crayon marks. In my case it was black on cream carpet when we listed our house for sale. It comes away pretty easy. Then blot with more paper towels until no residue comes up. Works like a charm.
PS…Annie’s drawing of Mike is priceless!
Sue says:
Oh my gosh,,I think those are terrific for a 2 1/2 year old! I mean you can definitely see the faces and everything. Way to go, Annie!!
Leah says:
I agree, these are actually kind of extraordinary for someone her age.
Kim Rogers says:
It is pretty amazing that she is doing faces so well already! Have fun with her.
Rah says:
Those are AMAZING drawings for a 2 1/2 year old! The one with the stroller is kind of Picasso-esque. Heather and Mike, I’m afraid the time has come…clear off the regrigerator and let the art work begin!
Jen says:
She draws so well already! I guess my 4 year old is a perfectionist because she refuses to draw anything because she knows she can’t draw it “right”. It’s no fun! lol
Milly says:
Live the Tenacious D reference… And now I have “Tribute” stuck in my head…
cynthia says:
I was going to say the same…
“This is not the greatest stick figure baby in the world. This is just a tribute.” hahahaha! LOL at my desk, for realz.
Also, I think Annie draws better than I do.
Meyli says:
Said what I was going to say!
Krista says:
These are very good for a kid her age. You might really have an artist on your hands! Then you will feel bad about erasing her mural. haha!
Love the drawing phase!
Daisy says:
I’m sure you are all over this but if the collection gets too big you could probably scan all the pictures and make an awesome coffee table book of Annie Art!!
Casey says:
Looks great Annie!
keri says:
Love the pic of Mike!!! are you framing it?
Michelle says:
Okay, first, I love the Tenacious D reference. Awesome.
Second, it is the most wonderful thing when they start creating hand-made art! It’s the hardest thing though, choosing what to keep. I’m teetering on the edge of “Hoarder’s: Children’s Artwork Edition” because I have 4 kids and it kills me to throw away their original artwork. I’m fine tossing the cookie-cutter projects from school now (which was difficult in the beginning and I kept ALL of my oldest daughter’s school stuff) but if one of my kids so much as scribbles their name attached to some silly picture I have to keep it. It’s probably not healthy.
Third, Annie is talented! Seriously, you’ve got a little artist on your hands. For 2 years old, she’s really grasped the whole “face, eyes, mouth” stuff early. Wow!
Elizabeth says:
Those are great!
Between preschool and art projects at home, we already have an impressive art collection…at age 4. I finally decided I couldn’t keep it all so I just keep my favorites and toss the rest.
giselle says:
Omg those are great! I love them. She’s a true arteest. Like Picasso.
trish says:
I agree with everyone….Annie is super talented for her age! My son is 3 and his drawings look nothing like this. For her to make the head, eyes , mouth so distinguishable is truly amazing! WOW!
Annie you’re a star!
She has singing, dancing and drawing down pat…
cant wait to see what she does next! :o)
Aubrey says:
Those are awesome. Nothing better than the first drawings from your kids. There is a company that will even make them into jewelry! I want a charm bracelet with my kids drawings on it. She did a great job.
On another note. Color Wonder. They are amazing! They only color on the special paper so no marking on walls or furniture or anything. They even have finger paints and stamps and all sorts of fun things like that. I have quite a few walls that have been decorated by my 3 year old.
Sara Mc. says:
You should discover the greatness of washable crayons. They are by Crayola and are A-MAZING! My sister bought some to draw on car windows – washes right off. She gave me a pack in a gift. Naturally I had to test them out on the wall. Washes right off with a wet rag. I’m 38 and can I tell you how much fun I had coloring on the wall? Probably from all the times as kid when I couldn’t. Hahaha….Way to go on your budding arteest. Cute drawings.
Emily says:
That’s not half bad! My little man is almost three and a half, and all he can draw is a circle so far.
Katie says:
Yes! A Tenacious D reference before 10:00 am. Thanks for making my day!
Kristi says:
Wow! Impressive that she is drawing faces so well! I think that’s pretty advanced for a two and a half year old.
Gwen says:
Those are great pictures. And I laughed out loud at the Tenacious D reference. Thanks so much for that. Now I have Jack Black’s voice stuck in my head, which is not a bad thing.
Mommy says:
She truly is advanced in her artistic ability. Most 2.5 year olds barely scribble, let alone draw specific things/animals/people, with FACES. Seriously, she is talented!!! Get that girl in an art class!!!!
Thanks for sharing your precious girls with all of us!
MG says:
Cute! That first one really looks like an angry bird! Something my 6 1/2 year old is obsessed with drawing right now. I’ve always let my pretty small children play with crayons, marker, even scissors. This last one makes most people nervous but they are great “cutters”. Seriously, it’s their “claim to fame”. Just let them go at it with scissors and paper (a great thing for them to cut apart is to give them a few paint sample cards, they can cut each color off). We’ve, to date, never had an accident. Have fun!
Jenn says:
I LOVE Her Work!!! BRAVO ANNIE!!!! Are you going to frame this? I framed some of my kids works when they were really small and still to this day, they love looking at what they did when they were so small. I also loved how she told you what was what. You’ll be amazed by the amount of stories that come out from one little picture. It truly is PRICELESS!!!!
Mrs Marcos says:
Goo Gone removes crayons from walls without damaging the paint or walls.
Annalisa says:
What doesn’t Goo Gone remove? We refer to it as liquid gold around here!
(If it weren’t for my Little Green steam vacuum and Goo Gone, I would have lost my sanity years ago).
Amy K says:
I’ll just echo what everyone else said – the fact that she’s already putting faces on her drawings is amazing! My daughter is a year older than Annie, and in last year’s preschool class of 3 year olds I never saw a single child draw anything with recognizable features. You might really have a talented “arteest” on your hands.
Kathleen says:
Seriously, those drawings are amazing for her age. Most kids her age are just starting to draw a circle, the fact that she can also place facial features is amazing. I studied child development in college and did a thesis report on the development of art in children. Once children have mastered drawing a head and some facial features (usually a smile and eyes), they move on to adding arms and legs, but they add them directly to the head. It is so fun to watch kids learn how to draw and express themselves. My 3 kids (9,7 &4) have always preferred drawing their own pictures to coloring in coloring books. The Dollar Tree has scribble pads that I buy for them and they make their own books out of them. We don’t rip the pages out, unless someone messes up and I have to Rip! It! Out! before hell breaks loose. It is so fun to look back at all of their drawings and see how they progress. Have fun!
Meg says:
Actually, I have to say — that drawing of Mike is killer! Hope we’ll be seeing her in a gallery someday!
Trisha says:
The one of you and her with the stroller is my favorite. You can see where she was going with it and the picture is pretty clear of 2 people with faces and the stroller.Very nicely done!
I saw a tip once for a Mom who was stuck with so much artwork and didn’t want to put them all on the fridge but wanted to pay tribute to the little artist. She hung a piece of clothesline along the top of her child’s playroom wall, up along where wallpaper border would be and then used decorated clothes pins to display the art and change it out as often as the little artist wanted. I thought that was pretty darn nifty.
Waiting on my little one to have her own room to display her works of art but for now they are saved in special box and on the side of the fridge.
Annalisa says:
I am super jealous. My 21 month old will scribble on paper, but she definitely isn’t trying to draw actual objects. But hey, she has to deal with high expectations: my brother was a budding artist too, and he was drawing comic books for my mom by the time he was 2 (the artist gene totally bypassed me, too :[).
neal says:
Agree with so many others – these drawings are great! Like, not just cute, but actually visually very interesting. When my toddler starts scribbling, it comes out like repetitive hash-marks, but there’s a sketcher’s quality to your daughter’s doodles. My 2.5 year old surprised me by drawing upside-down faces the other day, it was a lot of fun to watch as she conceptualized it all in her head.
Also, this isn’t the best comment in the world. It’s just a tribute to the one I had in my head.
Heather says:
Well done.
Marin D says:
Oh my gosh, there is nothing like kid drawings. I still have ones that my nephews drew for me. My girls are very into coloring and drawing. I have their artwork all over my office and our house. I love the way they draw. I have two girls (5 and 3) and are so different. But I love it. And my 5 year old tries to spell things which is even better. Just wait! I have started whittling down to a few of my favorites each month.
Sherry says:
Holy smokes!! Those are just as good as my FOUR yr olds drawings! She’s got some talent, no doubt!
Jill says:
I took pictures of my kid’s art and did a photobook of it on Shutterfly. It really is impossible to keep every thing they do. Makes a GREAT gift for grandparents.
Jeanie says:
Those are great pictures, especially for Annie’s age. And I think your stick figure baby is top-notch.
Shauna says:
Wow, that looks super advanced for her age! I absolutely love watching kids drawing progress, it’s so fun to see how they change through out the years.
Also, now I have Tribute in my head.
Mary Ann says:
She is really good! I teach kindergarten and some of my class draws like that. Great Job Annie!
J says:
I’m a pre-school teacher, and I’m really impressed. Usually kids don’t start drawing representational figures like that until around 3 and a half. Go Annie!
Jen says:
I almost see a Picasso influence in her work! And I swear, I’m not joking or pulling your leg. I mean, this looks better to me than what that other kid artist genius draws.
ldoo says:
Yeah, I don’t think anyone is exaggerating here. My daughter is 5 weeks younger than Annie, and no way on earth could she draw like that. That’s an impressive eye she has.
Riley says:
I know you are usually extra crafty, sounds like maybe it’s time to get some chalkboard paint and make Annie some wall space! Shower board also works like a whiteboard, and they do make whiteboard crayons now :).
Ryan says:
Those are actually really amazing!
Kirsten says:
WOW, her drawing skills are amazing for her age! It’s awesome when they start naming their drawings, but the fact that she’s naming things that actually LOOK like what she’s drawing is amazing. I have three and a half year olds in my class whose level of drawing is not where hers is.
mccgood says:
Those drawings are awesome! I love it when my students draw a little something for me! I have a little tip as the drawings keep coming in, take pictures of them and load them to your computer as screen savers. That way you won’t feel so guilty when you have to toss some drawings!
Deb says:
If for any reason you ever find yourself in NY or PA, go to the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA. It’s tons of fun for little ones (preschoolers-early elementary). Lots to do and see, and a great store with cool new Crayola products too.