Abby 記憶中的蓮花

~ 這孩子的畫作充滿了詩意、自由與象徵，是幅有靈魂的作品。在成長過程中，孩子很容易被「像不像」的標準所影響，但作為大人的我們，可成為那個提醒他「你的想像力很珍貴」的人。~

孩子將蓮花、蓮葉與遠山、水面組合在一起，創造了一個富有詩意的場景。這不是一張「寫實地描述荷花」的畫，而是像一幅記憶中的風景、或一場夢裡的畫面——這是典型的「象徵性與主觀性表達」，是兒童藝術非常重要的特質。

蓮葉畫得很大，像一把傘一樣浮在水面，這種誇張比例其實是孩子內心對蓮葉印象的投射。蓮花的花瓣的顏色與形狀也不追求「一模一樣」，而是自由地使用粉紅與橘紅的層疊，加上強烈的筆觸，這正是情感表達與創造性思維的展現。

畫中出現了山的輪廓、水的紋理、天與地的分界，這些都表示孩子已經發展出「場景空間的觀念」，並且嘗試用自己的方式安排前景、中景與背景。

這孩子在畫畫課畫到哭了，她看到同學都畫得好像，說著:「別人畫得好像，我畫得很像小朋友一樣」，其實是孩子處在自我評價發展期的掙扎中。這時我們做父母或師長可用以下這些言語鼓勵方式幫助她轉化：

1.「你畫得不像照片，但我看到你創造了一個印象中，想像裡的蓮花世界，這是只有妳的想像力豐富，擁有想像能力的人才想得出來的！」想像力無法教導，妳天生具備這樣的能力，而且很強，妳不僅能想像，還能將你的想像透過筆畫出來! 很不簡單! 如果我問你: 妳怎麼做到的，可不可以教教我，妳就知道，這要怎麼教阿，我就是想到這個畫面阿! 想像力是妳的寶藏! 妳有好多寶藏，繼續去發掘那些寶藏!

2. 「你用了自己的顏色和形狀去畫蓮花，這就是藝術裡最難得的地方：每個人都不同！」

3. 「你有沒有發現，因為你沒照著照片畫，所以你的蓮葉看起來像在跳舞？這種自由，是很多人畫『像』的時候畫不出來的喔。」

4. Abby 的父母也舉例畫家努力畫出想孩子般的繪畫的例子鼓勵孩子

5. 孩子原本的構圖有仙女在荷葉上，哭時就說不畫了，後來有些微瞭解自己的亮相力士寶藏後，決定在將仙女畫上荷葉，下個 po 文我再po 出!

This child’s artwork is full of poetry, freedom, and symbolism—a painting with soul. As children grow, they are easily influenced by the standard of “how realistic” their art looks. But we, as adults, can be the ones who gently remind them:

“Your imagination is precious.”

The child combined lotus flowers, lily pads, distant mountains, and water to create a poetic scene. This isn’t a painting that simply realistically describes lotus flowers—it’s more like a landscape from memory or a dream. This is a classic example of symbolic and subjective expression, which is one of the most important qualities of children’s art.

The lotus leaves are drawn large, floating like umbrellas on the water. This kind of exaggerated proportion is a projection of the child’s inner impression of lotus leaves. The colors and shapes of the lotus petals aren’t drawn to look identical to real ones, but rather freely layered with pinks and oranges, paired with strong brushstrokes. This shows emotional expression and creative thinking at work.

You can also see the outline of mountains, the texture of water, and a clear separation between sky and land. These elements show the child is beginning to develop a sense of spatial awareness, and is experimenting with placing foreground, middle ground, and background in their own way.

This child cried during art class. She saw that her classmates’ drawings were more realistic and said: “Their drawings look so real. Mine looks like something a little kid would do.”

In truth, this is a reflection of her inner struggle during a stage of self-evaluation. At this moment, we—whether parents or teachers—can help her shift perspective using the following kinds of encouraging words:

Encouraging Words (Translated from your examples):

1.“Your drawing doesn’t look like a photo, but I can see that you created a world of lotus flowers from your memories and imagination. That’s something only someone with a rich and powerful imagination could come up with!”

“Imagination can’t be taught—you were born with it, and it’s strong.

Not only can you imagine, but you can actually turn your thoughts into pictures with your hands. That’s incredible!”

“If I asked you, ‘How did you do that? Can you teach me?’—you’d probably say, ‘I just imagined it like that!’

See? That’s why imagination is your treasure. You have many treasures—keep discovering them!”

2.“You used your own colors and shapes to paint the lotus. That’s one of the most special things about art: everyone is different.”

3.“Did you notice that because you didn’t copy a photo, your lotus leaves look like they’re dancing?

That kind of freedom can’t be found in art that only tries to look real.”

Abby’s parents also shared stories of artists who work hard to paint like children do in order to encourage her.

Originally, the child’s composition included a fairy sitting on a lotus leaf. But when she began to cry, she said she didn’t want to paint anymore.

Later, after gaining a better understanding of her imagination as a hidden treasure, she decided to draw the fairy on the leaf after all.

I’ll share that drawing in my next post!

By Abby