Running head: DRAWING ANALYSIS 1

A Childs Drawing Analysis

Kate Waidmann
University of Missouri






















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DRAWING ANALYSIS
A Childs Drawing Analysis
Every childs artistic ability may differ, but there are multiple stages that most children
experience as they get older and learn more about art. Looking at a childs art and analyzing what stage
they are in and the different characteristics is important because one can learn a lot about a child based
on their art. Teachers can develop relationships with their students by analyzing their art and the
different features within it. According to Luehrman and Unrath (2009), the stages are generalizations
and should not be rigidly interpreted. If a child is not at the level that other students are, it does not
mean that they should be punished.
The stages include Scribbling, Preschematic, Schematic, Gang, Pseudo-Naturalistic, and
Adolescent (Brittain and Lowenfeld, 1970). Determining the stage that students are in can help decide
what different lessons would be appropriate to teach. As a teacher, one always wants to make sure that
the lessons being taught are appropriate to the age and abilities of the students. I want to challenge my
students while not making the task so hard that they get frustrated and give up. The artwork that I
chose to analyze is from a child I believe to be in the Pseudo-Naturalistic stage due to certain
characteristics of the picture.
Method
My participant was my cousin, who is thirteen years old and in eighth grade. She is artistic and
loves to draw. This drawing was something that she personally wanted to draw, with no outside
influences. I will use the Lowenfeldian Stages to interpret which stage she is in by looking at the drawing
characteristics, and space representation. Each stage has few features that can help one determine
which stage a child is in. The Pseudo-Naturalistic stage shows ability to focus on certain parts, small
detailing, personal meaning, and awareness of depth (Brittain and Lowenfeld, 1970). Those
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DRAWING ANALYSIS
characteristics are shown in her picture through multiple elements that mean she is in the Pseudo-
Naturalistic stage.

Findings
My cousin drew a cake on a stand that has a piece missing from it so you can see the different
layers on the inside. The cake is decorated with pink roses on top and around the edges. The edges are
also decorated with a white background and tan dots layered with the roses. The inside of the cake is
tiered with icing in between each layer. She adds a black shadowing where a potential shadow would
be. The background is simple, it looks as though the stand is sitting on a brown table with a plain blue
wall.
The Pseudo-Naturalistic stage is represented in multiple ways throughout her drawing. First, the
drawing has many small details that kids in earlier stages would not represent. The shading along the
base as well as the inside where the slice is pulled out is one of those details. Another detail is depth she
added by having a piece cut out. She had to show that the slice went all the way to the middle of the
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DRAWING ANALYSIS
cake to try to show perspective. Another way the Pseudo-Naturalistic stage is represented is in her
ability to focus on certain parts of the drawing, particularly the detailing in the roses (Brittain and
Lowenfeld, 1970). Each rose is the same size, perfectly spaced apart, and has the exact same look. The
final way that the Pseudo-Naturalistic stage is shown is by her incorporation of personal meaning into
the drawing (Brittain and Lowenfeld, 1970). Only people that really know my cousin would be able to
identify this element. She loves to bake so drawing a cake combines her interests of art and baking.
Roses are also her favorite flower, so of all the flowers to pick from to put on the cake, she chose the
rose. All of these characteristics validate that my cousin is in the Pseudo-Naturalistic stage.
According to Bang, colors provoke feelings and shapes cause reactions based on their context
(2000). Bang would appreciate all of the shapes and color choices my cousin included. The pink gives the
cake a dainty, cute look that is accentuated by the plain, unimportant brown table. The cake being a
circle gives the whole drawing a traditional type of feel. If the cake was a triangle or some other shape,
the cake would have been out of place and awkward. Eisner (2002) believes that small differences can
have large effects. My cousin represents this through all her detailing in the cake and simplicity in the
background. I would also say that her inclusion of shading and depth illustrates her understanding of
artistic topics.
Conclusion
I think that my cousin has progressed through the different stages well and is almost out of the
Pseudo-Naturalistic stage. As a teacher, it is important to push students to the best of their abilities,
even in art. Teachers need to give students a goal to achieve in their artwork and incorporate different
artistic skills into everyday lessons so that students will be getting practice without even realizing it.
Child art development needs to be fostered every day, just like every other subject.
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DRAWING ANALYSIS
Regular classroom teachers can incorporate art to teach many different topics and subjects. A
huge part of history is looking at pictures from the past and interpreting what they mean and what was
occurring at that time. Students could draw pictures that represent their past and the teacher can
interpret what their past is filled with. This can help the teacher learn more about their students while
connecting art and history. Pink (2009) said that facts are ubiquitous now, but stories are unique, show
context, and sharpen understanding. This should show teachers that facts are found everywhere and
students can always look up a fact when needed, but stories can genuinely improve student learning. Art
in various forms can tell many stories that could help students learn best and can be easily incorporated
into any classroom.












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DRAWING ANALYSIS
References
Eisner, E. (2002). The Arts and the Creation of Mind, In Chapter 4, What the Arts Teach and How
It Shows. (pp. 70-92). Yale University Press.
Lowenfeld, V., & Brittain, W. L. (1970). Creative and mental growth. New York: Macmillan.
Pink, D. H. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. New York, NY:
Riverhead Books.
Unrath, K., & Leuhrman, M. (2009). Bringing Children to Art--Bringing Art to Children. Art
Education, 62 (1), 41.