Mark Making Experiment

“I can see it really well.” - C.C., 4.4 years

Today we were experimenting with a variety of drawing tools and surfaces.  Would there be some that did not work well together? Would you be able to see the marks on each surface? What are the best combinations? How does the same tool work with two or three different surfaces (e.g. highlighter with paper, cardboard, or bubble wrap).  

And a big welcome to CC!

We brought: cardboard, foil, bubble wrap, white paper, blue paper, clear plastic, "growing markers", highlighters, pencils, colored pencils, and more.

“I have growing markers. When you turn this, it grows more. The more you twist this, the more it goes up.  The more you twist it this way, the more it goes down.” - Giacomo, 4.2 years

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“Why is It called a highlighter?” - Giacomo, 4.2 years

I’m noticing that Saul is using a yellow highlighter. - Elyse
“Highlighter?” - Saul, 3.6 years
It looks like Giacomo has one too. - Elyse
“Why is It called a highlighter? I’m wondering why there’s the light because it can’t make light.” - Giacomo
“It’s a highlighter because we always call them highlighters.” - Saul 
Giacomo was noticing that they don’t make light.
“Yeah, why are they even called highlighters if they don’t make light?” - Giacomo

I’m going to use my pen, and I’m going to write your name on my paper.  Do you see it says, ‘Giacomo’?
“Yeah.” - Giacomo
If I want to highlight, or maybe another word is ‘spotlight’ the ‘G’…can you see that if I draw over it, it spotlights it?

“What is spotlight?” - Saul 
Saul, if I spotlight you on Zoom, everybody can see you, and only you. If I remove your spotlight, we can see everything.  

“Let me try the thing that you did.” - Giacomo

“See? I highlighted them.” - Giacomo

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“It’s a race car.” - C.C.

“It’s a race car.” - CC ​
“I want to color it in.” - CC 
“Because wheels are actually black for real. An the blue stuff is the windows. This triangle is a house. I thinked about it.” - CC

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“What else will work?  Hmmm…I’m thinking about it.” - Saul, 3.6 years

“It’s bubbles.  It’s bubbles.” - Saul 
Saul, is your bubble wrap yellow from the highlighter?

Saul and I each tried a pen (his red, mine green) on the bubble wrap, and we discovered that we could see the marks. 

“Yeah, I have a pencil.” - Saul 
Giacomo, do you think a pencil will work on bubble wrap? 
“Bubble wrap. I don’t know.  Bubble wrap is a think that can’t be drawed on. Try it.” - Giacomo
We did discover that our highlighters work, and my green pen worked.  What about the pencil? 
“It won’t work. It only works on scratchy paper.” - Giacomo

Saul, what if we try our pencil and colored pencil on the cardboard because it didn’t work on the bubble wrap. - Elyse
“Why did it not work?” - Saul 
“Well, let me tell you.  The bubble wrap, when the bubble wrap is smashed, you can’t use it. So, if the bubble wrap has a mixture inside of it, the bumps, when it goes over, they pop. But also, it, the one that popped, made a mixture.“ - Giacomo
I did find that the pencils popped the bubbles. - Elyse
“It’s supposed to do that.” - Giacomo

C.C. used her yellow highlighter on the foil. 
“It looks like gold.” - CC

Is it magazine paper?  - Elyse
“Yes.” - CC 
Is it different than your other paper?  - Elyse
“Yes.” - CC
What if you tested your highlighter on that? 
“I can see it really well.” - CC
What happens if you run your finger over your marks? Do they stay or disappear? 
“They disappear. No, no it doesn’t.” - CC 
[In photo to left C.C. is trying to rub the highlighter off of the paper]
“Mine kind of disappears, but it doesn’t. It doesn’t disappear” - CC 

A Whiteboard

“It’s called a whiteboard, and it’s not normal paper.  Look, it’s not cracking.” - Giacomo

It looks like Giacomo has a different type of surface. - Elyse
“It’s not normal paper, but when you use this on it, it makes color.” - Giacomo 
“And when you use this and put it on [cap to dry erase marker that has eraser], it disappears.  When I draw it, but then put this on, it disappears.” - Giacomo
It’s similar to what CC and I were experimenting with. - Elyse
“It’s called a whiteboard, and it’s not normal paper.  Look, it’s not cracking.” - Giacomo 
If I wanted to draw something and keep it for a very long time, would you recommend using the whiteboard or something different?
[long pause to think]
If I want to keep the drawing, should I use a whiteboard or a piece of paper? 
“Paper.” - CC 
Why do you think paper would be better? Maybe a different question is, if I draw on a white board, is it permanent? Is my drawing permanent? 
“No it’s not!” - CC 
"You can erase it." - Emery (C.C.'s big sister)
Can I erase it from my paper? - Elyse
“No.” - CC
What if I draw it with my pencil? - Elyse
“Yes.” - CC 
Can erase the highlighter? - Elyse
“No. No.” - CC
“I think you can.” - Giacomo
I’m trying so hard, but it’s not working. - Elyse

We love a good "thinking face".  This was C.C.'s face when we were contemplating what surface would be best for a "permanent drawing".