This week’s Life Book lesson was taken by Tamara Laporte and was a whole heap of fun. It really appealed to me because it was much more illustrative than painterly. The idea was to create quirky birds that represented people or things we wanted to celebrate. I was going to just draw my four boys in feathered form but ultimately I decided on a Pict family portrait. It means the composition is a bit crammed and there is no room for a proper background but I am glad I incorporated all six of us.
My husband and I are obviously the two large owls at the bottom of the page. Our glasses led me to owls so we all became a little flock of owls. My 12 year old is slightly blocky in shape because he loves Minecraft and he is wearing headphones because he likes to Skype with his friends and make YouTube videos. My 10 year old is in superhero garb because he is a huge comic book fan. My 8 year old has a kiss curl because he is an Elvis fan and the red guitar is inspired by his red guitar. My 6 year old has a rainbow on his belly because he was my “rainbow baby” and he loves rainbows.
A Pict in PA 
I love how you have all the owls standing on top of one another. My favorite is the one wearing the tie.
Thank you. There was no other way to make the composition work on that piece of paper than to have them stacked. Also, if my kids were owls, they would in fact stand on my head.
That is so funny!!!
Loved the descriptions too – a moment in time and a bit of fun!
Thanks. It was such a fun lesson. I’m hoping I can find time to do more. Maybe individual quirky beasts representing each of my kids as their favourite animal. Add that to my ever increasing “Art To Do” list.
These birds are absolutely delightful Laura. They make me smile!
Thanks, Hannah. It was fun creating them.
What a fun lesson this was! I think your owls have a personality all their own. Fabulous!
Thank you, Carmen.
I love how you personalized each owl. The kids will love this family portrait.
Thank you. Yes, the kids loved it.
I am laughing and admiring at the same time. And I think your feeling for each member of your family comes through so clearly!
Well I am very glad the painting made you laugh. That’s the result I like.
Fabulous – love this Laura!!
Thank you!
Love this, both the artwork and your narrative made me smile.
Thanks, Tori. Making people smile means it achieved its intended purpose.
So cute!
Thank you!
I love this whimsical art! Thanks for sharing it!
P.S.: My son has since moved on from Minecraft, but I remember the days when it was his world (a world he devoted much time to building). It’s a great catalyst for creative thought and far more expansive than the erector set of bygone days.
Thank you! I have no problem with my son’s Minecraft “addiction”. He’s interacting with his friends while playing, is problem-solving and being creative. We actually gifted him an online Minecraft course for Christmas.
In retrospect I can now see the extensive time spent on computers or in gaming realms (within reason) was really a boon. I agree with you–it helps immerse them in tech. My son has gone from building in Minecraft to building gaming desktops. And you are smart to encourage him.
Too cute, Laura!! 🙂
Thank you!