Child ArtProduction and Response

Stages of their artistic development

Stage (1): Birth to age 2- 2&1/2

• To them this stage is all about making marks, but don’t let them know you call it scribbling…

“Scribbling!”

Yes that’s what adults call it. Think about this:• Give them a crayon and look at the strokes

they make. Usually they produce in a “up/ down manner. Uncontrolled to controlled depending on the age and the stimulating environment.

• They get pleasure from watching the color come from this thing…!

• They love paint on their hands, their face, their body, YOUR WALL’S!

Stage(1): Birth to age 2&1/2-4

• As they get older they obtain better motor control. Usually called the pre-symbolism stage.

This stage is all about what’s in their world

• Floating cat’s or dog’s or body part’s.

• Heads with two legs.

• Repeated lines or shapes

• Or simply unrecognizable objects.

They are not interested in realistic things in your world. They are only interested in expressing what is important in theirs.

Stages (2): Birth to age 4-8

• Symbolism Stage (2)- artistic renderings known as schema's or symbols are created.

1. Instead of floating images, these images take on formal renderings such as bodies with geometric shapes

2. If they draw a dog, the dog will always have the same basic shapes, even if it’s a cat.

3. Remember this: If you assume that their drawing is a lion and you say “that’s a nice lion”, you have insulted them. Their response is…

“IT’S A HOARSE!”

5. At around age five or so (depending on environmental stimuli), children should be drawing on what they know and less on what they feel. Its called the base line. To us, it’s the horizontal line.

• Drawings tend to be divided by grass and sky. No foreshortening or overlapping.

Pig Feeding Crayon Hoang M. C. Age 4

Approaching or at stage (3)

At this stage, culture becomes important.

1. They desire to copy images

2. They draw and create what they experience.

3. Elements, i.e. line shape, space and color become more of a force in their works.

Stage (3) Realism/ Formal Stage7, 8, 9-12 yrs of age

• Bodily proportions are more defined.• Less attention given to the horizon line and more

to specifics such as the Principles of Art, i.e. emphasis, value, dominance etc.

• More specific on objects that reflect the most important factor at that time.

• More critical of how drawings are perceived.• A slight decline in creative effort based on

cultural experience.

“A slight decline in creative effort based on cultural experience”.

Why?1. Discouraged that their drawings don’t

look like the real thing.2. Become frustrated that their intentions

are much larger than their capabilities, not knowing that post realism stage is on the way.

3. Stop producing due to environmental stimuli.

Maya Angelou

• “We are all creative, but by the time we are three of four years old, someone has knocked the creativity out of us. Some people shut up the kids who start to tell stories. Kids dance in their cribs, but someone will insist they sit still. By the time the creative people are ten or twelve, they want to be like everyone else.”

What do they do?

Street art: Death SquadCopyright © 1998, 2003 @149st. All rights reserved.

Sidewalk/ chalk drawings:

http://o.pticalillusions.com/3d-sidewalk-art/

http://o.pticalillusions.com/3d-sidewalk-art/

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• Dr. Gene Cohen – Art Therapist

• Vera Wang- Fashion Designer

• Antonio Gaudi- Architect

• Candice Olson- Interior Designer

• Henry Ford- Automobile designer

• Donna Anderson- Art Teacher of the year

• Jacob Lawrence- Artist

• Norman Rockwell- Illustrator/ Artist

• Fred Baier- Furniture Designer

What do these people have in common?

• They decided not to be like everyone else.

• Name some motivators for artistic growth or the developmental stages?