Jenna Kealing Self Portrait Analysis LTC 4240

Brittanys Drawing

Charles Drawing

Abbys Drawing

Self Portrait Analysis Once children enter kindergarten they are expected to read and write daily. Some people seem to think this ability magically starts once the child hits six, or once the child steps foot into kindergarten. However, as an educator working with children ages two through five, I know the importance of nurturing those skills long before entering kindergarten. One way I have done this is through sketchbooks and other voluntary drawing activities. Thompson likens a young childs sketchbook to an elementary school childs writing notebook. She points out Vygotskys claim that drawing is an important step in the writing process (1995). I have been working on voluntary drawing activities with many children. I collected self portraits from three of those children. The first child, Abby, is 3 years old and attends a daily preschool program. The second child, Brittany, is a four year old that attends a half day preschool program. My final child, Charles, just turned five and he also attends a half day preschool program. Based on Abbys self portrait I am placing her in the scribbling stage. Brittain and Lowenfeld describe the scribbling stage as the beginning stage of self expression typically for children ages two-four (1970, p. 474). Abby does not give names for any portion of her drawing even with prompting and she draws with large movements of her entire arm. Based on these observations I would say she is still in the disordered scribbling sub-stage. She is using drawing for kinesthetic pleasure, ignores the marks she has previously made on the page and is not making any attempt at drawing any recognizable human figures (Brittain & Lowenfeld, 1970). The Baltimore Board of Education calls this the random scribbling stage (1974). They recommend continuing to give the child time to explore art materials and draw. They also mention that you should avoid distracting the child with conversation on the drawing. I have noticed she does not really like talking about her drawing and gets thrown off when I ask to

many questions. Based on these observations and knowing she is only three years old I think it is an effective plan to continue offering Abby free time to draw and not pressuring her to create specific things. Comparing Brittanys drawing to Brittain and Lownefelds stages of drawing I would place her in the preschematic stage (1970). They describe characteristics of this stage as placement and size of objects are determined subjectively, objects drawn are not related to one another, and distortion and omission of parts (of human figure) is to be expected (Brittain & Lowenfeld, 1970, p. 470). In Brittanys drawing her fingers are larger than any other part of her body and she drew a rainbow around herself which was obviously not actually there when she was drawing. Also, her drawing is missing legs and feet. Ive seen Brittany do many different drawings; she especially likes to draw herself, her mom, and Katy Perry. Ive noticed that all of these drawings have the same details. Each person gets an open mouth, stick body, and long fingers. This demonstrates the simplicity principle asserted by Wilson and Wilson (1982). Basically, once a child finds an illustration that meets their own requirements of depicting an object they stick with it (Wilson & Wilson, 1982). Brittany decided how she could depict a person, so now all people look like that. In order to help Brittany progress in her drawing I think its important to continue giving her the chance to draw with different materials, but also to start pointing out specific traits of herself and other people. I think these strategies will help her put more detail in her drawings. Looking at Charles drawing and knowing what other work he has done, I would him on the early side of The Gang Age. Brittain and Lowenfeld characterize this stage as the drawing of realism (1970). Pictures in this stage include greater awareness of clothing detail, (in human figures) greater awareness of details, and beginning of interrelationship between object (Brittain

& Lownfeld, 1970). For this drawing I specifically asked Charles to draw a picture of himself for me. He drew his hair the correct color, included all of the detail on his shirt and the correct colored pants and shoes. However, he did not include any details in the background of this picture. Normally, he draws intricate backgrounds that coordinate and make sense with his picture. Charles only recently turned five years old, which means his artistic abilities are very advanced for his age. For Charles it is very important to nurture and encourage his love of art. In her article on visual literacy, Johnson has many tips that I think would be useful for Charles (2008). We can talk about his ideas for drawing, what mediums he wants to explore, and what ideas and subjects he would like to explore in the future. Charles has also told me he wants to be an artist when he grows up. As Johnson points out, I can call him an artist now and teach him how artists sign their paintings (2008). I can also pass some of this information on to his mom and encourage her to put him in outside art classes. I believe that these steps would help further him as an artist. Providing young children with opportunities to do art helps them express themselves. For very young children, who are often unable to write, it can be a way to communicate their thoughts. As children get older, it becomes a means of expression. As a teacher of young children it is important to remember that children should be not be judged on ability when doing art. Instead, I should look at the meaning and effort behind the drawing. When a very young child is using their entire arm to draw I know theyre getting a lot from the physical experience. And when a slightly older child is seen drawing identical picture for every person in the class I know they are exploring the simplicity drawing. Finally, when a young child expresses a true love for art and shows great talent at an early age I need to nurture that excitement and gently push him forward by exposing him to new types of art. However, it is important for all children

to have the opportunity to do art, no matter their age or ability. As a teacher of young children I plan to give children the opportunity to express themselves through visual creativity.

References Lowenfeld, V., & Brittain, W. L. (1970). Creative and mental growth. New York: Macmillan. 22-25, 474-479. 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. Wilson, M., & Wilson, B. (1982). Teaching children to draw. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: PrenticeHall, 39-47. Johnson, M. H. (2008). Developing verbal and visual literacy through experiences in the visual arts. Young Children, 74-79. Thompson, C. M. (1995, September). What should I draw today? Sketchbooks in early childhood. Art Education, 6-11.