Running head: A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS

A Childs Drawing Analysis Abby Bender University of Missouri, Columbia

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS

A Childs Drawing Analysis As students develop as artists, they go through a set of stages that explain their skill level. As described by Mick Lowenfeld and Kathy Brittain (1970) these stages are categorized as the Scribbling Stage (2-4 years), Preschematic Stage (4-7 years), Schematic Stage (7-9 years), Gang Age (9-12 years), Pseudo-Naturalistic Stage (12-14 years), and the Adolescent Art Stage (14-17 years). Although these stages have given age ranges, Luehrman and Unrath (2006) remind us that it is important to remember that these stages of development are only generalizations meant to be descriptive of tendencies among large groups of children (p. 73). Therefore, one needs to look at the stages as a guide for the skills being used, not necessarily to determine if the child is ahead or behind for their age (Luehrman & Unrath, 2006). However, it is important that a teacher is able to recognize these stages in a students artwork. When a teacher can recognize and understand the stage a student is at, he or she will be able to support this student by giving them activities that will encourage and advance this students skill. Description and Analysis This students drawing is of a boy. The student seems to be in a Preschematic Stage because of the students omission of body parts, inclusion of clothing and hair, the placement of the figures facial features, and the students use of geometric shapes. Jake (pseudonym) has drawn a boy with an upside-down teardrop head and a long oval body. The boy had a black vneck shirt on with squares on it. He has given the boy short black hair, oval eyes with a line in the middle serving as pupils, a crooked smile, and no nose or ears. This picture shows the boy from his waist up. Jake has not included a background in his drawing. I believe Jake is at the end of the Preschematic Stage. According to Lowenfeld and Brittain (1970), in this stage human

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS figure representations often omit body parts, just as you can see Jake does in Figure 1. Lowenfeld and Brittain (1970) also explain that clothes, hair and other details are expected by the end of this stage and Jake has included both clothing and hair, making me think he is at the end of this stage (p. 475). This tells me that the student may not be developing the idea to add

these articles of clothing on his own, rather, as Lowenfeld and Brittain (1970) explain, Jake may have been following the influences of his fellow classmates. If he noticed his neighbor drawing clothes on their character, perhaps this caused him to do the same. Other signs of the Preschematic Stage include the figure looking at the viewer smiling and the correct placement of the arms (Lowenfeld & Brittain, 1970, p. 475). Lowenfeld & Brittain (1970) say that if Jake was at the Schematic Stage, the smile he gave the boy would have more volume to it. My last clue that leads me to believe Jake is in this stage is his use of geometric shapes to decorate the shirt. This is also a trait many Preschematic students use.

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS

Figure 1: A childs drawing. When it comes to understanding art, both the teacher and the student benefit. As Eisner (2002) discusses, art can teach children a variety of important lessons like the understanding that the problems can have more than one solution and that through art we can experience things that we may not be able to experience through another source (p. 3). They see this when they compare their work to the work of a classmate. Although their art may look different, it is still possible that both pieces fulfill the assignment or task. Teachers benefit from understanding childrens art for a lot of these same reasons. If teachers understand childrens art development, they can understand how it makes them grow not only as an artist but also as an individual. Allowing students to develop these art skills gives them the opportunity to once again experience

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS things they may not typically be able to, to learn that judgment at times takes presence over rules, and that multiple perspectives can be celebrated (Eisner, 2002).

Conclusion If teachers are uninformed on the benefits of understanding art development, then it has the potential to harm their students. Art allows students to express themselves in a variety of ways, and if a teacher is unknowledgeable about the benefits that come along with art, then they may deprive their students of the opportunity to grow as an artist and as an individual. For instance, a teacher that is able to analyze Jakes artwork can see that he is in the Preschematic Stage. The teacher can then use this information, and the characteristics specific to his work, to decide what they want to do to help Jake move into the Schematic Stage. In order to help Jake move up to that level, the teacher might decide to break down the body parts and focus on features. For example, the teacher may focus on the head and facial features, in order to help Jake understand that sense of volume that he needs to give these features. If a teacher doesnt help a student into the next stage, the student may never understand what skills to work on, therefore, the students development never progresses.

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS

References

Eisner, E. W. (2002). The arts and the creation of mind. New Haven: Yale University. Lowenfeld,V., & Brittain, W. L. (1970). Creative and mental growth. New York: Macmillan Luehrman, M., & Unrath, K. (2006). Making theories of childrens artistic development meaningful for pre-service teachers. Art Education, 59(3), 6-12.