TanitJorba,LauraHernndez,MarRodrguez,OlayaFernndez

Practice2:Graphicgesture

Organize the drawings by stages. (de 1 a 2aos,de2a4,de5a7 de8a10de

10+).

24yearsold

57yearsold

810yearsold

+10yearsold

Identify common elements, similar characteristics among the drawings from

eachstage.
In the case of the group of 2 to 4 yearsold,wehaveobservedthatbothdrawingsrepresent
a person in an open space. However, this person is not realistic, especially in the
representation of the face. This might be due to the fact that children dont know well the
physiognomy of the face. Also, proportions arent clear for those children, as some parts of
thebodyarelarger/smallerthantheyshould.
In order to paint a certain area they use lines in different directions, they dont paint all the
timeinthesamedirectionandsothereisafeelingofdisorder.

In the case of the group of 5 to 7 years old, we have seen that drawings contain more
elements. Still all drawings represent a person (or two people) in an open space, but
backgrounds are more diverse. A common element in all the drawings of this stage is that
thepersonrepresentedhasasupport,thisis,ithasafloor.Also,theskyisrepresented.

The drawings are still quite simplistic, specially regarding the face, but they are better
proportioned, so this means kids are more aware andhavebeenimprovingtheirknowledge
of the human body. Despite this, people arent proportioned regarding the other elements
thatsurroundthem(fish,tree,house)

Identifyindividualdifferences
2 to 4: In one of thedrawings,thefacialfeaturesaremorerealistic,butthey arentverywell
organized in the other one, they are too simplistic. Also thewayofrepresentingthebodyis
simple,withanovalandtwostraightlinestodothearms.
In one of the drawings, the head is too big in comparisonwiththerest ofthebody,whereas
the legs aretoothin intheother,thearmsaretooshort,andtheoverallbodylooksverybig.
Therefore,thereisanexaggerationofsomepartsofthebody.

5 to 7: three of the drawings in this stage have as a support for thecharacters asolidfloor,
presumablyofgrass.Theoneremainingisrepresentedinwater.
Only in one of the drawings the people represented havethearmsmadeofstraight linesin
theotherthreecases,thelimbsaremorerealistic.
Thereisonlyonedrawingthatdoesntrepresentpeoplebutjustanimalsinsidethewater.

8 to 10: The face is more accurate and detailed. It still represents a person inn outside
environment. The sky and thefloorarepresentinordertodelimitatethedrawingspace.The
drawing represents a realistic situation.Asitisfroman8yearoldstudent,therearentmuch
differenceswiththepreviousstage.

+10: The picture is more accurate and detailed. Lines follow the same direction in order to
paint the drawing, and are thinner than in previous stages. The character is well
proportioned: The drawing doesnt represent a realistic element but is a personal creation
thatshowsthepreferencesofthechild.

Contrast your observationandanalyseusingthetheory(readandusetheppt.

tocompare).
As we wereableto see,theconception andperceptionofthebodyisa progressiveprocess.
The drawings from earlier ages are quite simpler and basic than drawings from older ages.
As children grow up, the awareness of their own body rises and therefore, they develop a
more realistic vision of the body scheme. Thisvisionor perceptionofthe bodystructureand
surroundingsistotallyreflectedinthepictures.

In the first stage drawings, we could see similarities in relation to the lack of realism on the
body structure and the major reason is that the body scheme develops slowly during
childhood. In the period of 24 years old, children have common characteristics in their
drawings such as evocation of real model, size exaggeration, additive drawing,

representative intention The examples given are represented in the drawings collected.
These peculiarities are typical in the stage of
Subjective realism
thatbelongstothoseages.
From when they are born, children and babies firstly pay attention totheirownbody,before
noticing their surroundings and this comprehension increases along time. Indeed, the body
scheme is a long process that continues developing until 12 years old approximately. In
consequence, during the earliest years of life, children remain in the first stage of body
scheme development, known as the lived and experiencedbody.Atthatpoint,kidsareable
to develop awareness of their bodies by undergoing the conquest of the self skeleton,
throughtheglobalexperienceandtherelationwiththeadult.

Afterwards, the progress isgettingmorecomplexand childrenaremoreconsciousaboutthe

environment. As a result, they get to represent the surroundings in the drawings, whereas
children around 24 years old, tend todrawwhatissignificanttotheminanopenspacethat
isonlylimitedbythepapersheet.
The second stage is named
Conceptual realism
and exemplifies a more realistic drawing
(more figurative than abstract) with more details, less juxtaposition and also implies the
representationoftheflooror/andtheskyinasenseofrestrictionofthespace.Children aged
between57yearsold,havemoreknowledgeabouttheirbodiesandnot justinaglobalway,
but in a detailed and fractionated form. Those features belong to the second stage of body
scheme development The perceived body in which there is more consciousness about
the concrete parts of the body but also possess a realistic image of the whole scheme.
Consequently, children let be guided by their knowledge and perception of the body and
drawmoreaboutwhattheyknoworpersonalexperiencesthanwhattheyjustsee.
When kids grow up, they gain more autonomy (for example in the use of instruments) as
they develop more fine motor skills. That is why their pictures look more accurate and
detailed. As they grow up their consciousness of the body increases, both globally and
segmentary consequently, their drawings are more realistic. From 8 years old, children
enter into the communicative stage, where their drawings have two main objectives: to be
objective or to manifest feelings and emotions. In the first case, kids draw what they see in
an objective way, trying to analyze it. In the second case, itismoreasubjectivedimension,
wherechildrenexpresstheiremotions,theirideasanddesiresthroughthedrawings.

As a conclusion, we can say that the evolution of drawings is gradual, it is a long process
that requires its time and that is not fully developed until 1112 years old. However, some
improvements can be seen shapes and figures are more defined, details are added to the
pictures, and they do not only represent real elements but also the feelings and desires of
thechild.

Suggest educational aspects related to the evolution of the graphic gesture
anddrawingactivitiesattheschool.
In relation to drawing or any activity that involves childrens action, their emotional and
physical statehave ahugeinfluence,sothewaytheireducationiscenteredorplanned,their
evolutionofthegraphicgesture/drawingswillvary.

The possible reason why childrens drawings go from a more symbolic way of representing
things to a more realistic one is probably affected by the type of content and activities they
carry out in the school. As they grow up the learning is more focusedonhowtherealworld
works and in consequence the activities consist on copying, completing figures, following
rules, etc. In opposition of this, when they are younger/smaller,theirknowledgeoftheworld
is poorer and they try to follow theirinstincts andwayofseeingthings,sotheirdrawingsare
moreunrealisticandsymbolic.

What it does not change no matter the age, is thewishofchildrentoberecognisedfortheir

effort, understood and valued by theolder,theteacher,soiftheyfeelignoredandunvalued,
itwillbereflectedontheirdrawings,aswellasiftheyfeelaccepted.

As we have said just before, the role of the teacher and education is very important onthis
kind of development, so its important that those teachers value the free expression of
children as a part of the creative process, and not giving them all the time a model to be
followed. Moreover, it is also important not to correct the drawings presenting the creativity
as mistakes, ask children the meaning of their drawings instead of giving a representation
basedonlyonwhatteachersthink,etc.