Like most kids his age, 5-year-old Kylan Dodd loves to draw. Starting at age 3, he especially liked to make abstract, geometrical patterns using black marker. He created collections of lines, exploring form and symmetry in his own unique, intuitive way.
And like all parents, his dad, Paul Dodd, was instantly delighted by his son's creations.
But, being an illustrator himself, Paul wondered what Kylan's drawings might look like with a little color. And so father and son decided to collaborate, creating abstract artwork that showcases both of their unique styles.
When parents collaborate with their kids on artwork, it's beneficial for everyone's creativity, which we saw with the artwork created by mom Ruth and her 4-year-old daughter, Eve.
The kids get to see how to create more technically advanced art, and the parents get inspired by the freedom and experimenting of naturally curious kids. It's a win-win!
Check out Paul and Kylan's creations below, and let us know which is your favorite! And you don't have to be around kids to try this out yourself. Grab a friend and see what you can create together!
[H/T: BoredPanda]
These paintings are created by both Paul and Kylan. Kylan creates the black outlines on paper using a marker, and then Paul scans and digitally colors the shapes.
Paul only colors the lines in digitally, so Kylan's original balck-and-white line drawings aren't actually physically altered. That way, they can be seen side by side for comparison.
While Paul loves their collaborations, he also appreciates the raw, immediate quality of Kylan's drawings, and doesn't want to permanently alter them.
In total, Paul and Kylan created seven collaborations, and all were ultimately displayed side by side like this.
That way, people could see both the before and after, and see the beauty in both.
It's also interesting to compare the artistic styles of father and son. Obviously, Paul has the benefit of decades more experience and practice, while Kylan is still getting his artistic footing, but you can begin to see the differences in their styles.
Kylan takes after his dad in his boundless creativity. "No day goes by where he isn't making some wonderful contraption, of which we have a house full, and every wall is filled with his artistic endeavors," Paul says of his son.
In fact, Kylan loves arts and crafts so much that his favorite birthday present (he recently turned 5) was a tape dispenser.
As he gets older, Kylan's style will obviously evolve and change, but this project will remain as a testament to his early artistic explorations — and his connection to his dad.
As Kylan continues to grow and change, it will be interesting to see what will happen to his style, and how any future collaborations might look. We can only hope that they'll continue this tradition!
As for Paul, he's using his artistic skills to create children's books full of color, fantasy, and beautiful little lessons.
