A Childs Drawing Analysis The world is changing. Gone are the days were people relied solely on logic thinkers. Creativity and innovation are becoming more popular, more desired. Creativity is valued, necessary (Pink 2005). No one wants anything predictable, over-used, tired. Children have the ability to do all this, their minds have not been taught to see through a narrow lens yet. Their creativity is raw. It cannot be manufactured. Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up (Pablo Picasso). One can learn so much from a child if you only take the time to observe them. This is why it is so important to include art in everyday classroom activity. To have art as a part of education could change a childs life. Maybe even save it. For a long time, according to Pink, scientists believed that the most important side of our brains was the left, the more logical, rational side. Within the past 10 years this has been dissproved. Both sides of the brain must work together to make people, people (Pink 2005). This finding lead people to put more emphases on natural creativity. As Elliot Eisner said, the arts teach children that it is judgment rather than rules that prevail (2002). According to Lowenfeld and Brittain (1970) there are six stages of childrens drawing. The first stage is The Scribbling Stage. This stage is from two-four years old and it is the beginning of self-expression. The next stage is called The Preschematic Stage. This stage is from four-seven years old and it is the stage with the first representational attempts. That means that this is the stage where the childs drawings begin to take shape, one can usually tell what the child is trying to draw. Running Head: A Childs Drawing Analysis 3 The third stage is called The Schematic Stage and it goes from seven-nine years old. In this stage the child will achieve a form of concept. The fourth stage is from nine- twelve years old and it is called the Gang Age. In this stage of drawing, children start making their drawings look more real. The Pseudo-Naturalistic Stage is the between the ages of twelve and fourteen. This stage is made up of reasoning, the children are more aware of the environment and proportions. The final stage is called Adolescent Art. This stage usually takes place between fourteen and seventeen years of age and it is a period of decision (Brittain & Lowenfeld 1970).
Running Head: A Childs Drawing Analysis 4 Description and Analysis The piece of artwork chosen for this assignment is a marker drawing of mountains and a butterfly (image above). The artist, Lillian, appears to have drawn green mountains/hills at the bottom, which are outlined in black marker. They look like triangles. The mountains are then colored in, in a scribbling fashion. There is a butterfly shown flying over these mountains in a sky of blue. In the top left corner she has drawn a sun. The butterfly is much larger than the sun and it is way above the mountains at the bottom. When looking at this drawing, it would be considered among the Schematic Stage. Her placement of the sun and the mountains shows that she has a clear concept of the environment. Her butterfly is the biggest part of the drawing showing that is what she saw to be the most important. There is a simultaneous representation of plan and elevation, this is shown in the mountains and the sky. It is a flat representation. According to Brittain and Lowenfeld, drawings that are representative of the Schematic stage reflect bold, direct, flat representation (1970). Lillians drawing also exaggerates the size of the butterfly which is another representation of this stage.
Conclusion It is very important for teachers to have a basic understanding of analyzing childrens artwork. Based on what level their students are, teachers can know what topics to focus on and how much to push them. If a student is not developmentally prepared for something, most likely their drawings will represent that. This Running Head: A Childs Drawing Analysis 5 knowledge is something that every teacher can use. Without creativity in the classroom, the children cannot grow and learn. It is extremely important that students are taught to use both sides of the brains in all aspects of life. Art is an outlet to so many, in my classroom I will allow creativity to blossom. Restricting how a student thinks and expresses themselves is a great way to crush the person inside of them trying to bloom.
Running Head: A Childs Drawing Analysis 6 Work Cited Brittain, W. L, & V. Lowenfeld. (1970) Creative and Mental Growth. New York, NY. MacMillian Co. pgs. 476. Eisner, Elliot. (2002) The Arts and the Creation of Mind. Yale University Press. Pink, D. H. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. New York, NY: Riverhead Books.