Running Head: Childs Drawing Analysis

Childs Drawing Analysis Lauren M. Sweeten University of Missouri

Childs Drawing Analysis

Abstract The artwork that I chose seems to be drawn at the pre-schematic level of art. The child drew some kind of animal. The animal has a mouth that is labeled marshmallow. This made me think it was a layout of something she wanted to create in 3D. The head is an oval as is the body. It has a very small and short tail. The animals back is covered in bumps that remind me of a dinosaur. I think that the bumps on its back could be considered an embellishing symbol.

Childs Drawing Analysis

[Type text] A Childs Drawing Analysis

The drawing that I chose to analyze is a drawing of an animal. Based on the drawing and skills used I concluded that the child was most likely in the preschematic stage of growth. This stage is generally made up of children age four to seven. This skill level is when we begin to notice that the students are beginning to make attempts at representing things in their work. They will try to draw specific things, like a dog, instead of drawing something and then assigning it a meaning, like a blob and then deciding that it is a dog. The student is progressing and beginning to think about their artwork and make it more meaningful. Some of the drawing characteristic of the pre-schematic stage that this child used was geometric shapes and subjectively determined placement and size of objects. The animal that this child drew consists of an oval for the head and a larger one for the body. If these shapes were removed from the picture then they would have no meaning. Also it did not seem like the animal had determined proportions. (Brittain & Lowenfield, 1970) The child did not draw a line to indicate the ground, which is an indicator of the space representation skills of this stage. In the pre-schematic stage objects seem like they are floating around the page. The animal seems to be floating in space. The human representations of this stage include a gradual inclusion of arms, body, fingers, and toes. Towards this end of this stage children tend to begin including details like hair. If you look closely it seems that the child has attempted to draw human like hair on the top of the animals head. (Brittain & Lowenfield, 1970)

Childs Drawing Analysis

This artwork has some interesting symbols in it. My eyes were at first drawn to the head, which is labeled. It looks like the student had planned to maybe turn the drawing into a 3D representation. The eyes are labeled mnms and the nose says marshmallow. I thought at first the head looked like a duck with a beak but if the child were to use a marshmallow to represent the nose then evidently it is not flat. I think that these details show the student is beginning to mature by naming specific parts of the drawing. Also, the animal has bump on its back. These bumps reminded me of a Stegosaurus but the tail does not fit. The bumps are merely an embellishing symbol. An embellishing symbol is when the child draws objects of particular interest, adding details only to areas important to him. These symbols have few details and are interchangeable between humans and animals (1974). This means that it was important to the child so they added it. Clearly he likes the bumps and thought they had a purpose. When instructing students within this stage, the teacher can provide experiences such as field trips and visits that furnish vivid impression for art expression. Provide experiences that will necessitate the use of visual discrimination. (1974) Children need to reflect on their artwork after they finish. They can reflect through thinking or writing. The teacher should give them a chance after they finish drawing to look back at their work and form an opinion of what they have done. This allows them to see what they drew and maybe even see what they did wrong. They can learn from their mistakes in order to make a drawing that is more satisfactory to them the next time. Through reflection children can gain more knowledge about what they actually meant in their drawing. Many children draw

Childs Drawing Analysis

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about things that are fresh in their minds. For example many times children will try to represent something that they just learned in a different subject through their artwork. Teachers also need to use art words that allow students to grasp other concepts, such as under, over, beside, above, and below, when they point out and describe these qualities in art works (Newton 1995). Students need to be given the opportunity to progress through the early stages of drawing and scribbling on their own. They may be given aid but overall they need to be given a chance to express their feelings how they wish. I think that drawing is a very important thing for young children to take part in. As teachers it is our job to use art to create interdisciplinary classrooms. Using art terms can build students vocabulary and teach them meanings that may be difficult to grasp otherwise. Art is a very important concept for teachers to learn also because each stage is very important and it is up to us to recognize their progress and help them along.

Childs Drawing Analysis

References Art Experience Develop Visual Perception. Board of Education of Baltimore County, 1974. Pp.6-9 Brittain, W.L. & V. Lowenfield. (1970) Creative and Mental Growth. New York, NY. MacMillan Co. p 474-479. Newton, C. 1995. Language and learning in art. The visual arts and early childhood learning, ed. C.M. Thompson, 80-83. Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

Childs Drawing Analysis

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