Sleeping Children

Over the weekend Anna refurbished and refinished a new bed for our Julia, who just turned four. It’s a good bed for a four-year-old, a bargain 1940’s bed frame from a flea market, stripped of it’s chipping black paint and coated with a cheery green. I built new slats for the bottom and Anna turned an aged futon cushion into a new mattress (pictures of said bed will be forthcoming on Anna's Blog).

Julia was thrilled with her new bed, and fell into a deep and happy sleep. I took the opportunity to slip in and do a few sketches:





Children present good opportunities for life drawing. When they are awake they are almost always on the move. This is good for learning to catch gestures quickly and with economy of line. Sleeping and reading are about the only activities in which they hold still. My kids most often sleep with a light on and relatively little tossing and turning, which gives the opportunity for slightly more detailed studies.