A Skeleton Popping Out of a Graveyard

Last night he asked me, "Dad, tomorrow can you do a skeleton popping out of a graveyard?"

"Yeah, sure! Why do you want that?"

"Because I'm making one for a friend."

"You mean you're going to draw that for somebody."

"No, you are."

"Oh, someone asked for it?"

"Yeah."

"Someone in your class?"

"No."

"Someone from your after school program?"

"Yeah."

This morning I ran a search for a skeleton popping out of a graveyard just like he asked. I knew which one I wanted to do and I knew which one he would pick. I don't usually tell him which one to pick, but I did today. He liked it but, of course, he scrolled and picked the other one.

"This one looks easy. It's just the skeleton head and a hand reaching out."

It was, in fact, very complex. It was mostly black and looked like a charcoal drawing. "That doesn't look easy at all."

"Okay," he said. Fortunately, he let me draw the one I picked.

We were up early and I didn't have to make lunch today. I had plenty of time and finished relatively quickly. I was amazingly done early, something that rarely happens. It was a nice feeling not to have to rush for a change.

After having shown off the Bugs Bunny at Pismo Beach snack sack from yesterday, he was excited to bring in old snack sacks to school today. When he woke up he told me he had taken out the ones he wanted to take. He had a mess of sacks on the floor. He grabbed a random armful of snack sacks and started to head out of his room.

"That's too many," I told him. "I thought you were picking out your favorites."

The next thing I knew he had put them all away. "I decided not to take any today."

"Why?"

"Because I have to go over 300 snack sacks to pick my favorites again."

I wanted to press him to pick a few but decided to just let him go play. We're rarely done with breakfast early, so I knew he'd relish the opportunity to just mess around at home before school. I did feel a bit sad and responsible for bursting his bubble, though. I sighed as he ran to his play room. I'm sure he'll bring a stash of snack sacks in soon, especially as the artwork draws more attention.

When I picked him up after school, I asked, "Did you give the snack sack to your friend?"

"Yup."

"What did he say?"

"He said, 'Oh my god! That is sick! Oh my god! Your dad is the best drawer ever!'"

Maleficent

"What's for the snack sack today?" I asked as we poured pancake batter into a pan. We made pancakes together this morning for the very first time ever.

He startled me when he blurted out, "Maleficent!"

After we finished off our pancakes, I ran a search and handed him my iPhone. He picked the dragon first off. 

"Hey, that's not Maleficent," I said.

"Yes it is. The dragon is Maleficent."

"Well then, I'd have searched for the dragon if that's what you wanted."

"Okay, I'll pick Maleficent."

He did. I don't normally eat breakfast but did today. My side of the table, where I usually sit to draw, was all sticky from the syrup.

He must have noticed my dilemma because he asked, "Can you sit next to me, Daddy?"

"Yeah!"

"You know why I wanted you to sit here?"

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to look at your drawing."

"If I sit next to you, I don't want you kicking my chair."

"I won't."

Sure enough, just after I started drawing, he started kicking my chair. I reprimanded him pretty strongly and he withdrew. He pouted, but I stayed focussed on the drawing. He got up. Unfortunately, he ended up not watching me at all today.

"Oh, okay," he said approaching me when I was just about done. "Um, can you put her parrot on here?" he asked, pointing to her shoulder. The crow was in the reference drawing but I had planned on omitting it.

"You really want it?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you wouldn't be able to tell what it was."

"I can tell."

"You really want it?"

"Yeah," he said walking away again.

I added it and wrapped up the drawing.

"Did you do the bird?"

I showed it to him.

"Yeah, that's better."

It was.