2 Happy Family Drawing Analysis The topic of this paper is to look at a students art piece and be able to identify characteristics in the art that can tell about the student and his/her cognitive ability. There are categories that each student piece of work can fall into. There are three aspects that have to be analyzed and considered before placing a student in a specific category; these include drawing characteristics, space representation, and human figure representation (Brittain & Lowenfield, 1970). Within the three aspects there are six categories are in order by age all the way until 17: scribbling (two-four), pre-schematic (four-seven), schematic (seven-nine), gang (nine-twelve), pseudo-naturalistic (twelve-fourteen) and adolescent (fourteen-seventeen) (Brittain & Lowenfield, 1970). The focus of this report is to analyze a childs art piece and how that ability of analyzing can influences teachers. The importance of what an analyzed drawing can show about a childs environment and development at a cognitive level will help teachers get to know that child better. Looking at the piece that was picked, a drawing of humans, you should be able to tell a lot about a child even though the viewer knows nothing concrete. Method In this paper for LTC 4240, I was instructed to select a drawing and analyze the drawing based on the aspects described in the Creative & Mental Growth segment found in the LTC 4240 course booklet pages 47 to 52 by W.L Brittain and V. Lowenfield. The theory by these two theorists (Brittain and Lowenfield) can be summed up by Childrens abilities to create drawings and to understand art develop in a parallel fashion to changes in their cognitive, emotional, social and physical growth (Erickson & Young, 1996). I will be looking under the descriptions of the three aspects to see if my particular student piece HAPPY FAMILY DRAWING ANALYSIS
3 fits under a majority of the descriptions given. This analysis should give insight to the member on the age of the child based on the types of scribbles to as far as how naturalistic a drawing is. A drawing can fit in two categories if a childs development is in-between stages; there is some overlap in the stages in regards to age. Last, I will apply the knowledge from the findings to understand its effect on choice making for the early childhood or elementary classroom teacher. Findings As I analyzed the student piece, I saw many distinctions that led me conclude that the student is in the pre-schematic stage. This means that the student is most likely four- seven (Brittain & Lowenfield, 1970). This stage is going to be when they have their first representational attempts (Brittain & Lowenfield, 1970). The first aspect of the pre- schematic stage is drawing characteristics: the shapes for things are geometric and lose their meanings, placement and size of objects are determined subjectively, objects drawn are not related to one another, art becomes communication with the self, known objects seem to be catalogued or listed pictorially and can copy a square at age four, a triangle at five (Brittain & Lowenfield, 1970). The humans in the childs drawing are made up of a big circle for the head, and a relatively rectangular body shape, which are two geometric shapes. The artist was a subjective in the size of the body parts and then placement of the sun. The objects in the picture are related to each other but not in a very specific way. In this picture, the people are all outside together while the sun is shining and maybe this is something the artist is remember or trying to replicate. The people are all together on the ground and the sky (sun/clouds) are all together and there is nothing in-between which gives the look that they are all being placed together for a reason. HAPPY FAMILY DRAWING ANALYSIS
4 The next aspect of the pre-schematic stage is space representation which includes: objects seem to float around page, paper sometimes turned or rotated while drawing, size of objects not in proportion to on another, objects are distorted to fit available space, and space seems to surround child (Brittain & Lowenfield, 1970). The objects are somewhat correct but all on the people are floating with nothing to stand on; some of the people legs are shorter than others. The objects are all disproportionate with the most notable being that the heads of the humans are bigger than the sun. There are other examples of the disproportionate objects are the clouds being smaller than the people and some humans only being as tall anothers waist. The humans are really big to fill the gap between the sky and the ground instead of just leaving it open. In this picture, I am not sure who the artist is so I dont know if the child is in the center of the space. The last aspect of the pre-schematic stage is the human figure representation and includes: head-feet symbol grows out of scribble, flexible symbol, constantly changing, people are looking at viewer, usually smiling, gradual inclusion of arms (often from head), body, fingers, toes, distortion and omission of parts is to be expected and clothes, hair and other detail expected by end of this stage (Brittain & Lowenfield, 1970). There is an obvious attempt at making the humans and they are not scribble but are far from being in the adolescent stage. As I am only analyzing one piece of this child, I do not know if the human representation is constantly changing and evolving. The humans are looking at the view and are all smiling (even the sun). The arms look as though they were added in yellow like an after thought since the whole drawing except the hair is in orange. The humans all have arms, fingers heads, legs, feet and most have what represents buttons of shirts. Conclusion HAPPY FAMILY DRAWING ANALYSIS
5 This research helped me understand the developmental stages that children will go through as they age. I think my findings (if the age of the child is four to seven) shows how a student would be right on track to get through the stage. I think if you continue to facilitate time for art and monitor the improvement of each child as they go that it will encourage the students art. You have to give them time to continue to grow and express as they create art. Integrating art and time for art into a classroom requires collaboration, research, intentional alignment and practical application and thats going to be the difference in giving children what they need to create art (Riley, 2013). As they are developing, this time to create art will give them time to develop the right side of the brain more. This is the type of thinking because it cannot be replicated by a computer and that is what art is all about, capturing things (Nasser, 2009). Especially since were moving into an era in which R-Directed Thinking will increasingly determine who gets ahead and art can help develop this thinking (Pink, 2005, p. 30).
HAPPY FAMILY DRAWING ANALYSIS
6 References Brittain W.L. & V. Lowenfield. (1970). Creative and Mental Growth. . Mizzou Media Custom Publishing Booklet for LTC 4240 Art for Children-Sections 1, 2, and 3 SS2014 (pp. 46- 51). New York, NY: Macmillan Co. Erickson, M. & Young, B. (1996, October). What every educator should (but maybe doesnt) know. Mizzou Media Custom Publishing Booklet for LTC 4240 Art for Children- Sections 1, 2, and 3 SS2014 (pp. 36-38). Nasser, H. (2009, November 16). L-directed vs r-directed thinking. Retrieved September 21, 2013. Pink, D. (2005). A whole new mind. New York, NY: Riverhead. Riley, S. (2013, April 13). Use arts integration to enhance common core. Retrieved September 21, 2014.