Drawing Analysis

Drawing Analysis
Kylie Musgrove
University of Missouri, Columbia

Drawing Analysis
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Drawing Analysis

In our changing society, it can seem like technology

and machines are replacing art and creativity. However,
according to Daniel H. Pink, society is evolving to be made
up of creators and sympathizers. They are looking to make
meaning see patterns. This all happens in the right side of
the brain. This is the side we often associate with creativity
and abstract thinking. We are now moving toward
knowledge work and that makes a new set of aptitudes
necessary (Pink, 2006, p.50). Daniel Pink states that a
master of fine arts is one of the hottest credentials and at
UCLA it is even more difficult to receive this degree than an
MBA from Harvard. If businesses are looking to hire those
with an MFA over an MBA, it is very important that the arts
gets introduced and integrated to students at a young age
and continue to be a part of the curriculum throughout their
time while in school. It is crucial that we recognize the
development of our students and help them along the way
for whatever artistic stage they may be in or working
towards being in. In this paper, I will be analyzing a childs
drawing and identifying what stage they are in based on the
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evidence in the drawing.

Art has potential to be integrated in many areas of
curriculum. It can also benefit all types of learners. It can
assist kinesthetic learners who often get bored by sitting all
day by letting them move around and use their bodies to
create something. If classroom teachers and art teachers can
collaborate together to plan lessons and share ideas, it
creates a more authentic and fun experience for the
students (Whatley, 2013, p. 4).
Description and Analysis
I have gathered a drawing from a three year old in
the preschool I work at. Her picture was completed on pink
paper and she used red and purple glitter markers. She has
a few dark scribbles spread throughout the page along with
many small circles drawn close together and some
overlapping. I was also curious as to what the variety of
purple lines are so I asked the three year old and she told me
they were the letter E and she was practicing writing them.
I believe she is in the Scribbling Stage as described by
Lowenfeld and Brittan (1970). This stage is usually
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Drawing Analysis

prominent in children ages two to four. Stages are not always

followed by the age of a child. I think the stage is more
specifically the controlled scribbling characteristics. They
develop at different rates and display different levels of
artistic ability. Small, repeated motions while using the wrist
characterize the Scribbling stage. This student usually
watches what they are doing and can copy a circle over and
over. I asked the student to draw a picture of her for me. In
this picture, the student was watching what she was doing.
However, she just wanted to practice her Es and draw a
lot of circles. She also scribbled a little bit. Her letters do not
quite resemble an E like she said because she has too many
horizontal lines but since she is only three years old, it can
still be a challenge to write letters with ease. I have seen her
do other drawings and she often draws repetitive small
circles on the paper, paying attention to how small they are
and the detail she puts into them. She also never went off
the paper and didnt go over any other marks on the paper
that she previously drew. The drawing does not really depict
any certain figure or have any human-like qualities, which is
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Drawing Analysis

not a characteristic of the scribbling stage. This reaffirms to

me that this young student is definitely still in the Scribbling
Stage.
There is some practice in the preschool on coloring
and handwriting but nothing too intense. They are trying to
get the basics of holding pencils and crayons and how letters
get formed. Talking to children about their art is an important
part of their artistic development, as Judith Burton says in
the Beginnings of Artistic Language. Over time, children will
set out with the goal of selecting certain kinds of lines and
shapes to organize them in a creation of works which
express happiness, excitement, and tiredness (Burton,
1980, p. 9). Expressing feeling and moods through art and
allowing students to do the same is a big part of artistic
development in children. Once students are exposed to
artistic language is introduced, there can be a class dialogue.
According to Burton, having a dialogue can open discussion
and allow students to be more open to making connections
through art (p.1). This can be applied to any subject in the
classroom.
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Drawing Analysis

Conclusion
Right-brained thinkers are becoming more valued
and respected in todays society (Pink, 2006, p. 54). IQ is
only taken into 4-10% of career success. Collaborative
group learning requires the possibility of adjusting ones own
intention to take account of the input of another or others
and thus requires a higher level of self-awareness, self-belief,
motivation and negotiation (McIntosh, Paul, Warren, Digby,
2012, p.13). Having art be a part of the classroom regularly
can make learning more beneficial and make connections. It
will also help foster success in a wide variety of careers in
the future.

References
Burton, Judith. (1980). Beginnings of artistic language.
Developing Minds. (2-12).
McIntosh, Paul, Warren, Digby. (2012). Creativity in the
classroom: Case studies in using the arts in teaching and
learning in higher education. Intellect Ltd.
Pink, Daniel H. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers
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Drawing Analysis

will rule the future. New York: Penguin Group Publisher.

Whatley, Lindsay M. (2013). Strengthening relationships
between art teachers and classroom teachers through
curriculum integration and collaboration.

Hi, Kylie! My name is Erin, and I am the tutor who will be

looking at your paper today. I'm really sorry that this
response is late, and I hope it will still be able to help you.
APA Citations
In-text APA citations usually look like this:
Smith (2010) wrote, "Insert quote here" (p. 13).
or
This suggests that "Insert quote here" (Smith, 2010, p.13).
The reference page entries vary depending on the source,
but some common rules are that authors are listed with their
last name and initials, and titles only capitalize the first word
plus proper nouns.
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Drawing Analysis

This source provides thorough coverage of APA

style: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560
/1/
Other Comments
Your introduction does not prepare the reader for the rest of
the paper. It reads like the beginning of an argumentative
paper on why we should teach art to students. That is part of
your point, but it is not all of it. When you first mention the
developmental stages in paragraph three, it takes the reader
off guard. What's the scribbling stage? I would recommend
introducing those ideas and the activity you are doing in
your first few paragraphs so that readers know what the
essay will contain.
You conclude that the child is in the scribbling stage, saying
that the stage is characterized by certain wrist movements
and that the child doesn't draw human-like figures. Make
sure you're clearly connecting the dots. Did you observe
those movements? Is lack of human figures a sign of the
scribbling stage? Lay out what that stage means and how
the child fulfills it.
Finally, your conclusion reaffirms why teaching art matters,
but why is understanding these developmental stages in
particular important? What is gained for an educator by
being able to identify that a certain child is in scribbling,
schematic, or any other stage?
I hope my feedback has helped you with your revisions. If
you would like more help with this or any other paper, feel
free to resubmit to the Online Writery or make an
appointment to see us in person. Good luck writing!
- Erin
A Childs Drawing Analysis Research Paper: Rubric
Name_________________________________________
Date____________________
_________/10 pts.

Analyzed/presented drawing in class

_________/20 pts.
and thought

Paper discussion of drawing/artist contained clarity

Drawing Analysis

_________/10 pts. Referenced/cited drawing theories/development

concepts and quotes4-5 references (APA style)
_________/10 pts.

Professionally used grammar/spelling conventions

_________/10 pts.
plans for child

Discussed/suggested guidance and drawing/art

artist, explained how this experience assisted

future teaching ideas
_________ /60 pts. TOTAL