Anna Xenophon

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Gallo-Silver

House-Tree-Person – 1.

The first picture I had my subject draw was a person. This was actually the best

illustration the subject drew, from a skill point of view, in my opinion. The face is nicely shaped

and doll-like, much like the style of hair which frame the face perfectly. The clothes are

kindergarten teacher-like, the style a young girl with a sense of herself and the world around her

would draw, a girl that knew who to look up to.

The person is female, it wears a navy blue skirt, a red long sleeved shirt, brown flats, all

very modest but unrestricting and has a slight hourglass figure. She wears long black hair with

bangs that girls wear in their hair often times. What skin is visible is dark brown. All of the

figure is sparsely colored almost in diagonal stripes across the shirt, which give it the illusion of

movement.

On the face of the person red lines are drawn among the sparse dark brown lines that

represent the flesh. It stands in military pose that hides her hands. The ears, eyes, nose and mouth

are missing.

The subject’s comments were that they generally wanted to draw a person that would

come out well and be something nice to look at. They sensed their mood at the time and felt their

way through the drawing. The most important thing to them was that the end product was

something they liked.

Anna Xenophon

HSC130.

Gallo-Silver

House-Tree-Person – 2.

The second picture seemed to make the subject happy as they drew the depiction of a

house. I noticed they said little and concentrated very closely on their drawing. They were very

calm and peaceful as they drew, choosing the colors they would use carefully. They laughed and

that showed me that they enjoyed drawing the house. They were happy to show me their house

because it was kind of whimsical, we both thought to ourselves.

The house is kind of a simple and child-like rendering of a gingerbread house, with no

actual details but still kind of a mischievous holiday feel because of the green door shaped like a

cottage door from a story-book and bright red roof with candy cane smoke stack. When she was,

finished, in fact, she was happy to show it to me because it had a candy cane sticking up out of

the roof and its handle bent over the edge of the house. I thought that was hilarious. They said

that they wanted to draw something creative and something that made them

relax as they were drawing it.

It is an interesting looking house and very attractive in some ways because you enjoy

looking at it. It may take you back to your own childhood, but it definitely shares a vision of a

simpler and happier time. The house itself has a red roof, a red and pink candy cane smoke stack,

the “siding,” or outer walls of the house are gray, and the details are sketched out in navy blue

colored pencil.
Anna Xenophon

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Gallo-Silver

House-Tree-Person – 3.

While drawing the tree the subject expressed joy and contentment, smiling as they drew.

They remained very calm, and although the item they were asked to draw typically only needs

two or three different colors they seemed to use the time carefully and choose the rite shades for

the trunk and the leaves.

The subject commented that they were thinking of tropical places as they drew and had

come up with a banana tree-like tropical island species that they said they drew because they

were thinking of the Bahamas. On a strong thick trunk, the huge leaves drape over the hint of

branches.

The bright green leaves communicate a sense of balance and stability. A sense of

worriless being, a sheltering comfort a truly meaningful existence. The trunk reminds me of a

waterfall the way the colored pencil lines are drawn. The tree is on the small side, but the colors

used actually make it look about medium sized for the space allotted. The trunk of the tree and

leaves of the tree are both bulky, but given the size of the tree the word “stocky,” comes to mind.

The size makes the tree look welcoming, like it is only a few feet away, as if to say, “your

almost home.”
Anna Xenophon

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Gallo-Silver

House-Tree-Person – Conclusions.

The person, seems to have a lot of rage, and even though they seem doll like, the person

does not want to be seen as someone that likes dolls, or must be treated delicately. The sparse

color gives me a relaxed attitude. The picture reminds me of a “quick sketch,” in which a

clothing designer uses to explain pieces they are creating. Although the clothes are modest the

subject still wants the picture to look pretty and have a presence that makes people take notice.

The stance of the female figure is very bold. It tells people that they are present, but like

the military “at ease” pose, they are not aggressive, but have a sense of self and are alert.

The house is very passive, like a lullaby that you heard as a child. It makes me wonder if

they still need to hear lullabies, or if they needed to be comforted in some way. The soft grey of

the outer walls makes you think of snow, but because it is not white, I’m not prompted to think

it is cold out. The cheery roof top with candy cane “smoke stack” reveals to me a curious nature,

like the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale.

The four windows makes me think that the icing on this gingerbread house would be a

home full of family. This person seems to like stories and things that are time tested and have

endured.

The last picture, the simplest, the medium sized banana tree. I liked this one because the

person opened up about wanting to be in another place, which makes me think that they are by

nature a dreamy kind of person and might not be suffering any type of loss. The way that the tree

trunk is drawn makes me think of roots and how deep they run. The might really love their

heritage and by association, their family.

I think this person has a multifaceted personality that is not one extreme or another. They
are close to their family, and want one of their own, implying good experiences growing up.

There is tradition in the holiday house they drew and the knowledge that they love their roots,

makes me think that they love the customs of their native and their adoptive countries.