2 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 3 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 4 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. 5 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.
6 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.