If it’s Sunday, it must be jump-in-the-puddle day. On Monday, it’s time to go swimming with whales and on Tuesday, ride a carriage. For three-year-old Charlotte, each morning spells out a new surprise, a new adventure. Her mother, Abbey Burns Tucker, has taken this period of lockdown/quarantine and turned it into an opportunity for her four daughters, aged three to 13, to have fun, without leaving their premises. And a set of coloured chalks is all she needs.
Every day, Abbey draws a new elaborate image on the driveway of the house. Big, bright, cheerful images. It could be anything from carousels, roller coasters and dinosaurs to a kitchen, classroom or the galaxy, even. She then gets her daughter to pose next to them, clicks pictures and uploads them on social media. “Getting my three-year-old to cooperate can be challenging, although she does pretty good for being so young,” says Abbey, in an email interview from Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The images however, show Charlotte having a good time and sometimes emoting as well.
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“I come from an artistic family but never really drew before this. My eldest daughter, 13-year-old Aspen, drew some balloons in late March at the start of our quarantine. I took a photo of my youngest with them and fell in love with it. We decided to try a few more and it took off from there,” explains Abbey, who also enjoys photography.
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The whole process begins with her sketching the chalk drawing on paper, and then start working on it throughout the day. “Each drawing takes me an hour or more. It takes longer to complete because I also have to take care of my four girls who are doing school from home and Zoom activities as well,” she says. The creations that are more demanding are the ones with the most detail, like the one of the doctor with the globe. “The most challenging part is being able to finish the drawing with everything we have to do that day,” she adds. The dimensions vary, with most of them measuring eight feet by seven feet.
Abbey tries to complete a couple of drawings in a day so she can get a rest day in between or in case the weather is bad, she still has a drawing ready to showcase. She usually waits till the evening to do the shoot so the driveway has enough shade. After each drawing, the driveway is washed down to make space for another vibrant image. “I have heard from people that they have been inspired to try some drawings with their own kids. I just love that people are enjoying them so much,” says Abbey.