Cooper the Coloring Kid

Cooper is my coloring kid. In so many things (walking, talking, socializing, potty training) he took his own sweet time, often seeming far behind his peers ... but not when it came to coloring. From a very young age, Cooper has been an avid artist! When other kids his age were simply scribbling, Coop would want a variety of colors and would stay meticulously in the lines. He was great at drawing freehand as well. Below is a picture he drew of the five Blackham Boys.

We go through a LOT of paper at our house. We frequent the various Internet sites that offer downloadable "coloring pages" for all his favorite characters (Pokemon, Sonic, Mario, Spongebob, Toy Story, etc.) . Cooper wants to keep ALL his artwork too. I've got bags full. The boys actually cut them out and play with them the way they would with action figures. In the picture below, Cooper took a full sheet of paper and cut a slit in the middle for a "mouth" then created these clever critters (an alien, the Easter bunny, a woman and a sheriff ... although he looks a bit like Hitler). Then he'd have them "talk" and he made paper items to feed them. Cooper's loves all art mediums. Paint, crayons, colored pencils ... he also love using a white board and dry erase markers. Sidewalk chalk too. His newest love is PERMANENT markers. He LOVES how they bleed through to the other side of the paper. He proudly shows the front ... and the back ... view. I told him (too late) that he has to put a protective sheet of paper down ... our poor kitchen table ... Cooper colors EVERY SINGLE DAY ... I have stopped even trying to put his crayons and markers away, because they never stay away. As he proudly shows me his latest creation and I gush over it, he always replies "yes, I'm an artist" ... and he's modest too!