Draw Inspiration from the Past

The Historic Odessa Foundation is known for its collection of outstanding 18th century houses. The Corbit-Sharp House is one of only fourteen National Historic Landmarks in Delaware. In fact the whole town of Odessa is on the National Historic Register. Whether your house is old or new, big or small; it is your home and deserves to be documented. The drawing to be used as inspiration was drawn by Cantwell’s Bridge (the name of the town of Odessa at the time) resident George Washington Janvier around 1805. The ink and watercolor drawing, in the HOF collection, is believed to depict the Captain James Moore house of 1773. The historic home is called Fairview, and is located just across the Appoquinimink River from town.

The Assignment

Draw a picture of your house to record where you spent time with your family during the coronavirus (COVID-19) stay-at-home quarantine. The house drawings will document where you lived in 2020 and when framed can make a nice conversation piece for your home or office. This activity is for all age groups and artistic abilities. Incorporating various art styles will make the drawings more interesting.

  • Take a chair outside and sit in front of your house or take a photograph of the front of your house and sit at the kitchen table to create a drawing of your house.
  • Use copy paper or any other types of drawing papers that you may have available in your house. Thicker papers will work better if you plan on creating a painting of your house.
  • Draw the basic shape of your house and fill in all of the details, starting with the largest to the smallest. Include other features in the drawing such as sidewalks and driveways, bushes and trees, and other contextual details.
  • Use the HOF collection drawing as inspiration but don’t let it limit your creativity.
  • Add color using any materials that you may have around the house such as crayon, colored pencil, marker, watercolor, tempera/acrylic paint, or mixed media.

Download the activity here

PDF icon Draw Inspiration from the Past

From Our Collection

Captain James Moore house of 1773
Artist: George Washington Janvier around 1805
Origin: Cantwell’s Bridge (the name of the town of Odessa at the time)
Medium: ink and watercolor drawing
The historic home is called Fairview, and is located just across the Appoquinimink River from town.