Drawing Challenge: Youth (part one)

I've been so very busy painting up a storm for my art in the garden show, that I really didn't have much time for my beloved drawing challenge, and, Ariane called such a good DC this week, that I really wanted to join in.What to do, what to do?I know, make someone else do the DC for me!!! :D (I'm cunning and manipulative that way...lol)Actually, this is a project I've wanted to do for some time now.Thursday afternoon, I took an old toned canvas, my acrylics, and some water, and began painting the canvas with some bright, random colours and shapes.Then, after seeing it dry in the shadows cast by the trees, I decided to splash, water, drip and smudge more paint on it, till it looked well messy and finger-painty.Then, when Chloe came home, I asked her to write "Be the Child" somewhere. (see, make others do the hard work...lol)She did, and she also painted this beautiful face...and two small children.I painted the twilight rose from the front garden, my favourite saying of the moment...and a peony from the back garden......a ladder and some marching ants, and we went about our business while I let it dry.This morning I gathered up some pencils, pens, markers, sharpies and oil pastels......and invited everyone who came to the garden to step up to the canvas and leave a mark.And you know what? Everyone did!And even if that mark was a stick man, or a heart, or a glorious sunset tree against rainbow mountains, it's all just too beautiful. Be the child! Art brings us back to our youth, and I love that.One more day of inviting everyone up to the canvas tomorrow. I wonder what it will look like tomorrow evening. Can't wait to see it. Stay tuned, I'll update this project tomorrow. :DPop over to visit our rose Ariane and the rest of this youthful, beautiful bunch! :DAlso, had to share with the Inspire Me Monday blog hop because this is so inspirational.