Running Head: ANALYZING CHILDRENS ART

Analyzing Childrens Art Through Qualitative Research Kasie L. Mosby University of Missouri

ANAYZING CHILDRENS ART Analyzing Childrens Art Through Qualitative Research Integration within classrooms is a very important way for students to make connections across different disciplines. This gives teachers a good opportunity to

analyze the students in one area and then relate their findings to their other lessons, so that the student is set up for growth and success. Integration of art within lessons can create the students drawings a source of analysis. Within this study, I will first describe the drawing of the young artist. This will give you a clear picture as to what I am analyzing in my research. I will next put the student into a specific stage by analyzing where they are developmentally using Lowenfeld & Brittains (1970) journal. I will next analyze what principles this student is using within his/her artwork focusing on Wilson & Wilsons (1982) findings. Next I will explain how I came to these conclusions by referring back to these specific journals. Finally, I will end with a discussion on where the student is at and ideas for teachers to know to move a student in this position forward in their artwork and developmental stage. It is very important for teachers to get to know their students in a personal way but also a developmental way. Knowing how to analyze artwork is a helpful tool for enabling teachers to connect artist development to development in other disciplines. Art grasps both of these concepts within just a small drawing and can be used by teachers to help students succeed. Method For this research investigation, I examined one childs drawing. I didnt have any past experiences with him/her and was given no background knowledge along

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with the drawing. To analyze this artwork, I focused on four articles: Lowenfeld and Brittain (1970), Wilson and Wilson (1982), Johnson, M. H. (2008), Maryland Board of Education of Baltimore County. (1974). Lowenfeld and Brittain (1970) helped me gage where the young artist was in their development and help me place them in a specific stage. I looked for certain things that stuck out in the drawing that were developed well and some that could use some work. This article helped me place them in a specific stage depending on my findings within the artwork. Wilson and Wilson (1982) helped me determine the principles being used behind the thought of the young artists work. To find these principles within the artwork, I had to pay attention to the small details, such as the formation of the legs (sticks or more developed) and the way that the face is drawn. Lastly, I then focused on Johnson, M. H. (2008) and Maryland Board of Education of Baltimore County (1974) to give me ideas on how to better push this child into the next developmental stage. These articles took these stages and then related them to ways that a child could take the next step in their developmental stage. This, then, gave me ideas on how to push the child forward through specific activities, such as going on field trips and having attention to the detail in each of the different artworks. Findings

ANAYZING CHILDRENS ART

This young artist drew an intriguing horse figure. This horse has four legs that have definition in their shape and size. This artist has given the horse a tail figure in the correct spot. The saddle and mane are suggested in the drawing but dont have much detail yet. The mane has been drawn like human hair, placed on the head and the top of the back towards the neck. The horse has a dot for the eye and a line for its mouth resembling a human mouth. There is only one eye on this horse showing that the artist understands profile view. Finally there is a sun in the top right corner of the paper created by a circle with triangles extending from it as the rays. Lowenfeld and Brittain (1970) would place my young artist as transitioning stage from the Preschematic Stage to the Schematic Stage. This child shows elements of both phases, which shows he/she has developed in some areas but still needs work in a few areas to fully move on to the next stage. First, the focus will be on the elements that show the artist within Preschemtic Stage and then will progress into the some elements that show how the artist has transitioned into Schematic Stage. The first discovery made me realize that the student was still transitioning into the Schematic Stage was focusing on the hair/mane. The hair resembles human hair but it is obvious that the artist is gaining a sense of where the mane is placed; on the back of the neck. A second discovery was that the saddle has started to develop on the horses back. As Lowenfeld and Brittain (1970) stated Clothes, hair and other details are expected by the end of the (Preschematic) stage (p. 47). The

ANALYZING CHILDRENS ART emerging saddle shape reinforces my conclusion. The sun was also a focusing point for showing the transition stage within this drawing. The suns rays are made up of tiny little triangles. According to Lowenfeld and Brittain (1970) young artists in the Preschematic Stage can copy a square at four, triangle at five (p. 47). Continued observation of the transitioning period comes from the face. People are looking at viewer and usually smiling in the Preschematic Stage (Lowenfeld and Brittain, 1970, p. 47). These elements give notion that they are at the end of the stage but have not fully grasped these concepts to move on. The elements that show the student has moved out of the Preschamtic stage is by focusing on the eye placement and the legs. The horse is smiling which shows the Preschematic stage, but the horse is in profile view, with only one eye showing, proving the young artist has a sense of experience now, which comes in the Schematic Stage. This is one of the ways we can see the transition from one stage to another. When looking at the legs, volume has started to develop in the legs, which shows he/she have the understanding that legs are not just sticks. This pulls them out of the Preschematic Stage and into the Schematic Stage. Lowenfeld and Brittain (1970) state that Arms and legs show volume and are usually correctly placed (p. 48) within the Schematic Stage. Next, I analyzed the art by putting them into principles according to Wilson and Wilson (1982). According to these researchers would say that the young artist

is applying the conservation and multiple-application principle and also the simplicity principle (Wilson and Wilson, 1982). The horses head in the drawing resembles a human head. When applying the conservation and multiple-application principle, the

ANAYZING CHILDRENS ART head of humans serves as a head for horses (Wilson and Wilson, 1982, p. 62). This is satisfactory for the artist who doesnt quite grasp the difference between animal heads and human heads. When looking at the face of the horse in detail, we see that the horse has a smile made up of a line and an eye made up of a single dot. This is when Wilson and Wilson (1982) would say the child is applying the simplicity

principle. The simplest figure serves as a human for the child as long as it conforms to the childs requirements for the depiction of the human (Wilson & Wilson, 1982, p. 59). He/she is fine with the fact that one dot is used for an eye for the horse and a line is used to depict the mouth. Direction from the teacher will help the artist to move past these principles and also into the Schematic Stage at a faster rate. Conclusion This young artist is at a very important stage in their drawing. Being in transition between two stages shows the ability to improve in one skill and the audacity to thrive in the skills already presented. After a long analysis of this drawing, the child lies between Lowenfeld & Brittainss (1970) Preschematic Stage and Schematic Stage. The position of the objects and the growing attention to detail will put them in the Schematic Stage quickly. For instruction for this child, a good resource to refer to is the Maryland Board of Education (1974) where it states ideas such as to Provide experiences such as field trips and visits that furnish vivid impressions for art expression. Provide experiences that will necessitate the use of visual discrimination. (Maryland Board of Education, 1974, p. 3). It is important to have students take note of detail or the things that stick out to the young artists so

ANALYZING CHILDRENS ART he/she can take it back and relate it to his/hers artwork. This will help the young artist to embellish symbols and grasp onto the concept of detail. Students express themselves in such a detailed way through their art. It is important as teachers for us not to disregard this. Art is such an essential part in child development. Increased study on students art that are not performing as the

well as he/she should be could show you the stage in the childs thinking. This could help pull connections from all other subjects on why the student is struggling or thriving. Integration of art is so important for students to express their creativity. If creativity continues to be suppressed in school, more students will struggle and future generations will not live to their full potential. Overall, the more a teacher knows about their students, developmentally and personally, the better able they are to provide a proper and appropriate education for them, making sure they are not left behind. (Johnson, 2008, p. 76). This is my goal as a future teacher.

ANAYZING CHILDRENS ART References Lowenfeld, V., & Brittain, W. L. (1970. Creative and mental growth. New York: Macmillan. Wilson, M., & Wilson, B. (1982). Teaching children to draw. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Johnson, M. H. (2008). Developing verbal and visual literacy through experiences in the visual arts. Young Children, 63(1), 75-79. Maryland Board of Education of Baltimore County. (1974). Beginning stages of visual expression of young children. In Art Experience, Development of Visual Perception, 1-4.