A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS

A Childs Drawing Analysis

Madison Plunkett
University of Missouri, Columbia

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS

A Childs Drawing Analysis

Children develop very differently than one another and at different paces, but the
developments follow the same order. Just as children move from stage to stage in their cognitive,
social, and physical development, they also move through stages in their artistic abilities. In
order for teachers to know whether or not a child is progressing normally, s/he must be aware of
the different stages so that the necessary supports can be provided to students to help them
progress. There are 6 Lowenfeldian Stages of Art that children progress through. The stages are
listed as the Scribbling Stage, Preschematic Stage, Schematic Stage, Gang Age, PseudoNaturalistic Stage, and Adolescent Art (Brittain & Lowenfeld, 1970). Children begin at the
Scribbling Stage when they are two years old and continue through the stages until they are
roughly seventeen years old. Not every child fits into each stage at the correct age. Some
children may be more advanced while others fall behind in their artistic abilities. Erickson and
Young (1996) state Just as reading and math levels vary widely in an average class, we should
expect it would be natural for art levels to also vary widely (p. 41). It is crucial for teachers to
recognize which stage his or her students are at. By recognizing and understanding what the
stages are and which students are at each stage, teachers can provide the necessary supports, such
as models and instructions to follow, to help their students continue to progress through the
stages.
For this assignment I have chosen a piece of artwork that was drawn by a seven year old.
This drawing may look different than drawings done by other children of the same age, but
again, not every child falls within the stage that matches their age range. I will describe the
artwork, explain which stage I believe the child to be in, and then explain why I think this. By

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS

analyzing the artwork, I can relate it to Lowenfelds Stages of Art and get a better understanding
of where this child is at in his artistic development.
Description and Analysis
The drawing that I have chosen is of two children on their bikes and a zombie chasing
them. The child, Ryan (pseudonym), began this piece of artwork by drawing himself on his bike
with a green marker. In the drawing, he has no hair, arms, hands, or feet. The bike is not
proportional to the size of his body and the wheels are different shapes and sizes. Ryan did know
to draw two wheels on his bike and include handlebars. He chose a purple marker instead of the
green one to draw his sister and her bike. Her bike looked similar to the first one, but his sisters
head was drawn very disproportionally to her body. Her nose was drawn inside of her mouth, her
eyes were larger than her body, and she did not have hair, arms, hand or feet either. Ryan drew a
small parking lot to show their destination along with dotted lines to show how far they had to go
to get to the parking lot. He then added another figure, which he stated was a zombie, that was
created out of a giant oval with a small circular head, 2 small lines for legs, and 2 larger lines for
arms. He scribbled over his sister to show that the zombie was attacking her. Ryan did not
include any other details, such as grass or a background. The picture only includes Ryan and his
sister on their bikes, the zombie, the parking lot, and their path to get to the parking lot.

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS

I believe that Ryan is in

art. According to Lowenfeld

the Preschematic Stage of

and Brittain (1970), the

size of objects are not in proportion to one another (p. 475). This is seen in Ryans artwork
multiple times. His sisters head is very disproportionate to her body and surroundings. Her eyes,
nose, and mouth are much larger than they should be, but Ryan drew them larger to look
proportional to her disproportionate head. Another aspect of this stage is that objects seem to
float around the page (Brittain & Lowenfeld, 1970, p. 475). Ryan, his sister, and the zombie all
appear to be floating in the artwork. The zombie is the closest one to touching the bottom of the
page while Ryan and his sister are drawn in the center of the page. There is no distinct ground
on which Ryan and his sister are riding their bikes. One more characteristic of this stage is that
objects are distorted to fit the space available (Brittain & Lowenfeld, 1970, p. 475). Ryan drew
the zombie very large and its body extends from the top of the paper to nearly the bottom. I
believe that he drew the zombie this large to fill in the gap on the paper because before turning
the figure into a zombie, it was just a giant oval that he placed in the middle of the page for no
reason. Once he realized that the oval had no meaning, he turned it into a zombie.
As Ryan drew the picture, he talked aloud about what he was drawing and made up a
story to describe what was happening in the artwork. This represents the Preschematic Stage

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS

because art becomes communication with the self (Brittain & Lowenfeld, 1970, p. 475). Ryan
talked himself through his drawing by explaining what was going on and making meaning
behind what he was drawing. I did not have to ask him any questions as to why he drew what he
did because he described the scene on his own. After he drew himself on his bike, I had to ask if
there was anything else he wanted to include in his drawing, which is when he began describing
a time when him and his sister rode their bikes. He stated that they were racing to the parking lot
and then he eventually included the zombie that was attacking them. However, Ryan said that he
was too fast so the zombie could not catch him, but the zombie was attacking his sister because
she was too slow on her bike. By asking one simple question of whether or not Ryan wanted to
add more to his drawing, a light switched on in his head and he narrated an entire scene while he
drew it.
Ryan demonstrated many characteristics associated with the Preschematic Stage of Art.
He showed much more detail in his drawing than he would have if he were still in the Scribbling
Stage. However, he is not quite ready to be considered in the Schematic Stage even though he
meets the age range. Clothes, hair and other details, such as hands and feet, were not included in
his drawing, which are details that are expected by the end of the Preschematic Stage, which I
believe Ryan will be in soon if he can master these details. Ryan has demonstrated most of the
concepts from this stage, but with some support, such as instruction from his teacher, and
practice he will easily advance to the Schematic Stage. Once he has knowledge of what he can
do to improve his artistic skills, Ryan will move to the next stage. If he does not demonstrate the
last few concepts of the Preschematic Stage in the near future, he will fall behind his peers. This
is an important time for a teacher to step in and give Ryan the instruction and help that he needs
so that this does not happen.

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS

Conclusion
In order to offer supports to students, teachers need to be aware of Lowenfelds Stages of
Art. According to Luehrman & Unrath (2006), It is important for art teachers to understand how
children develop artistically. This kind of knowledge is essential for choosing age-appropriate
teaching strategies and content for the units and lessons that the art teacher develops (p. 6).
When teachers support students, their artistic development is positively influenced because they
become aware of what they need to do to strengthen their artistic abilities and gain more
knowledge about their abilities. All other content areas can learn from the arts that open-ended
tasks permit the exercise of imagination, and the exercise of imagination is one of the most
important of human aptitudes. It is imagination, not necessity, that is the mother of invention
(Eisner, 2009, p. 9). The freedom to explore in education is crucial for developing children so
that they can find what they are interested in and pull on their strengths in school. Art gives
children a mode of expression and the other content areas in schools can learn the importance of
this from the arts.

A CHILDS DRAWING ANALYSIS

References
Brittain, W.L., & Lowenfeld, V. (1970). Creative and mental growth. New York: MacMillan Co.
Eisner, E. (2009). Learn from the arts. Art Education, 59(3), 7-9.
Erikson, M., & Young, B. (1996). What every education should (but maybe doesnt) know.
School Arts, 96(2), 40-42.
Leuhrman, M., & Unrath, K. (2006). Making theories of childrens artistic development
meaningful for preservice teachers. Art Education, 59(3), 6-12.