Running Head: A CHILDS DRAWING

A Childs Drawing Lauren Townsend University of Missouri, Columbia

A CHILDS DRAWING A Childs Drawing Introduction and Analysis

It is easy to ignore the art of young children because many people just write it off as kids being kids. In a world that de-emphasizes the arts, it is time that people start to realize the importance of art and what it might mean about a childs development. Art is an insight into the thoughts, feelings, and identity of people and the artwork children created is also a big part of their identity. I am aware that my art also represents my thoughts at the time and my emotions that were poured into the piece. Artwork is something that can really give an image of our identity and show a little bit of our personality. Every piece of artwork that children create can also give insight to what stage they are currently creating artwork at. This also means that a childs art morphs as they grow up and as they enter different stages in art. If you watch a childs work evolve over time, you can see a definite difference in how they execute their artwork. Art can be an amazing way to get to know children just a little bit at a time. According to Kellogg (1970), all children have this progression of stages in their drawings and artwork. Sometimes this progression can be based off of age, but it does not always have to follow the childs age. Kellogg (1970) suggests there are roughly six stages that children can be in regarding their artwork. By using Kelloggs stages, I believe that the piece of artwork in Figure 1 (shown below) is created within the Pseudo-Naturalistic Stage which typically occurs from ages 12-14. Some of these characteristics from Kelloggs Pseudo-Naturalistic Stage include adding details, accurate proportions, and attention to the environment. The artist also seems to have a purpose with their drawing and is injecting a certain meaning into the artwork through their character. Other things included are things such as action that is going on in the background, expression of the character, and the character isnt represented as a whole person. The artist does a good job of including the following characteristics such as details, proportions

A CHILDS DRAWING and attention to detail that is described above. These specific details stand out to me because I feel they are unique to the character and point to the characteristics of the Pseudo-Naturalistic Stage that Kellogg (1970) described. The background also has many details included, although most of the background is unrecognizable. This artist is aware of the important details, but they only included the major details and left out more minute details as described in the Pseudo-Naturalistic Stage by Kellogg (1970). These details that the artist included are all different characteristics that allow this student to be placed in the Pseudo-Naturalistic Stage. By looking at the figure to the right (Figure 1), one thing that really stands out to me is the peace signs that the artist added to the picture in the form of clothing on the character. According to the Kennedy Centers Standards for Arts Integration (2002), art is a process that allows students to make connections between Figure 1: A drawing completed by an unknown student.

visual arts and other disciplines (p. 3). This drawing could be a connection that might represent cultural symbols that were common in the 1970s. This makes me believe that it is possible that the child that drew this picture could have been connecting this artwork to a social studies lesson or idea that was taught. If you were to integrate art and social studies together into a lesson, it could be referred to as an authentic connection by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations as described in the article Authentic Connections (2002). Authentic connections are very important in order to make a lesson meaningful, so it would be a great idea for a teacher to connect a subject like social studies to an art project. Authentic connections are a great way to

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connect lessons to other things, but they also need to be relevant in education as well. Because of this, the lesson would need to go more in-depth than just symbols of a decade for it to be a genuine lesson that is helpful to students. However, without more background information, it is difficult to tell what the possibilities for this could have been. A teacher should try to connect as many things to different subjects because it allows the students to make different connections and learn across multiple disciplines as well. Another thing that this picture tells me is how the artist was trying to portray his or her character. The way a picture is represented is important because when represented in different ways, it can mean different things to different audiences. For example, Molly Bang (2000), implied that certain things like shape, color, and shading can make a difference regarding how a picture is seen. A picture can be represented differently if the shapes are rounded and flowing rather than pointy and threatening. In Figure 1, we can see that the artist used rounded shapes for the characters eyes and mouth which made the picture look less threatening. The smile in the picture also indicates that the character could be happy and non-threatening because her eyes are more rounded and soft as well. This makes a difference because the picture and inferences made by the audience would be completely different if the character had sharp and pointy eyes. These details allow the audience to infer whether or not the picture is light-hearted or frightening. The background, although unclear as to its purpose, also has factors that show the nature of the piece of art. We can see that the background is soft and rounded, which also allows the inference that the drawing represents a light-hearted scene. Little details, such as the ones explained previously can completely transform the drawing and the feeling of the picture. Another thing that Figure 1 could represent would be a frame in a possible story that the artist was developing in his or her mind. Daniel Pink (2006), explains that stories are a very

A CHILDS DRAWING powerful way to get an idea across. This picture could also be the illustration that goes along with a particular story that the artist may have. With a little bit more background information, it would not be difficult to build a story behind this character that is depicted in Figure 1 above.

With the given information, you can make some inferences that allow the audience to get an idea about the characters mood that is depicted. From the picture, I can gather that the character is happy due to the facial expressions which could represent a happy character in a possible story. I can also infer that the character is also female due to the details that the artist provided. Due to the background and details, it looks like the character is in a pretty good place so, this could be a major turning point in a larger story that the artist has in mind. Stories are a powerful way to describe a situation, so the artist may be trying to use this image to create a larger story. Conclusion Overall, there is much to be learned about this image and art in general. Art can be a portal into the mind and thoughts of any artist. Art can also be a way for a person to get their ideas into reality. In this case, this image could have also been a window into a bigger lesson plan that a teacher could have integrated with art and another subject area. This image could have also been a way for the artist to tell a story that he or she was developing in his or her mind. By looking at the stages of artwork, the artist is most likely an older child because of the details in the piece that point towards the Pseudo-Naturalist Stage. These details also can help set the tone for what the picture is supposed to represent, such as soft lines and a smile on the character which allows the audience to infer about the situation. By looking at artwork, it is a great way for teachers to get to know their students a little bit more because they have a direct portal into the students personality and identity. Since artwork is so expressive of thoughts and feelings, it is a great way for children and adults alike to open up and put a piece of their identity on paper.

A CHILDS DRAWING References Bang, M. (2000). Picture this: How pictures work. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books Consortium of National Arts Education Associations. (2002). Authentic connections: Interdisciplinary work in the arts. Retrieved from http://www.kennedy center.org/education/ceta/arts_integration_definition.pdf Kellogg, R. (1970). Analyzing childrens art. Palo Alto, CA: National. Pink, D.P. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the future. New York, NY: Penguin Group