Adding a new perspective is something I do in coaching all the time, now I wanted to add it to a drawing. The library is my favorite place to pick up a book I don’t want to keep forever. The Foothills library is airy and easy to navigate. I didn’t have a lot of time, and the coyote trotting across the field told me sunset was nearer than I thought.
Investigataing Art by Moy Keightley
I scanned the art books and pulled out three books on perspective. All three of them assumed an art background and the use of tools. Much of it was art history, and I just needed some instruction, easy enough for a child to understand. As I thought it, I realized that it was the exact answer I was looking for.
Back to the computer, this time looking for a book on perspective in art in the children’s section. It’s a trick I’ve used before–and needed again. Well-written children’s books stick to the essentials, and use step-by-step instruction. The author of a well-planned children’s book will take a difficult topic and break it down into easy to understand pieces, logically arranged.
I found Alison Cole’s Perspective in the Dorling Kindersley’s Eyewitness Books. Another helpful book was Moy Keightley’s Investigating Art. Both were easy to understand and fun to read. And because our library has self-checkout, I didn’t get asked any questions about grandchildren visiting.
And I’m learning perspective in a way so simple even I can understand it.
–Quinn McDonald is a writer and creativity coach, who owns Quinncreative. She is a trainer in business writing and keeps a raw art journal.
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