“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” – Pablo Picasso
Research shows that art plays an essential role in a child’s development – from improving fine motor skills to developing cognitive skills. Art is also a way of self-expression and a path to cultivating one’s curiosity and creativity.
Today, I have Victoria Marble talking about the importance of art in her family’s life:
An artist myself, I am prepared to overstate the importance creativity plays in all our lives. But when our daughter came into the world, the inevitability that art in all its forms would become a part of our daily routine shed a whole new light on the fact. From watching her make her first scribble with a crayon to now being able write entire sentences; from watching her knead a little PlayDoh to now being able to dress her dolls and brush her teeth- the connection between creative expression and the development of her fine motor skills was clear and obvious. Aside from that, the bonding moments spent together as a family doing arts and crafts have been some of the most memorable.
When COVID-19 struck in 2020, my daughter had just turned four. Lockdown measures began to be put in place, and soon park outings, dinners at grandparents’ houses, trips to the zoo, and even grocery shopping became things of the past. I wasn’t aware yet how COVID would impact our artistic lives.
Around this time, my husband bought me an iPad and I picked up Procreate. I had been doing primarily ink-and-watercolor illustrations, but in making the transition to digital art, I was able to make more versatile artwork much more quickly. I believe this is what ultimately opened doors to opportunities that would become my first picture book deals.
My daughter, having been exposed to this process of writing words and making pictures to go with them, began to make up her own worlds and her own stories. Artistic expression had become an escape for both of us.
Time during lockdown that wasn’t spent creating books and stories or attending virtual learning was filled largely with more art.
We have made our own Forky’s, done fingerpainting, painted rocks, made sock snowmen and coffee filter snowflakes, wove macrame, created papercraft, sculpted with modeling clay- you name it. While we missed out on a lot thanks to COVID and lockdown, we turned to art during the difficult times and bonded over building up our skills- and building sweet memories- in the process.
Victoria Marble is an illustrator specializing in character & narrative design, with a particular emphasis on children, animals, insects, & floral designs.
Victoria's love for drawing led her to pursue a well-rounded artistic background with courses completed in a wide range of concepts and media, including drawing and composition, figure drawing, painting, illustration, multimedia, and game design. Her artwork has won various awards.
Victoria’s first illustrated works, Baum’s Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Tux in the Zoo by Diana Aleksandrova, were published by MacLaren-Cochrane in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Victoria adores creating art that emphasizes the beauty of nature- and particularly birds, fish, insects, and floral designs, along with cute children and animal characters. It is to the memory of her late father, Raymond Odrey, that I Will Be There is lovingly dedicated.
To see more of Victoria's artwork, visit victoriamarbleart.com