Feeling a little more confident in himself, he began sketching plants and animals while out minding the family's livestock. In fact, he often became so absorbed in his drawing that he failed to notice when his family's cattle made a meal of another family's sweet potato field. Such oversights resulted in scoldings from neighbors and beatings when he got home.
讚美與鼓勵讓他對自己有了自信心，更努力利用放牛、放羊時寫生；由於太專注，常發生自家牛隻跑到別人地瓜田裡「用餐」而被告狀，回家免不了挨一頓打。