CHILDREN - LESSON 1: HOW DOES A CHILD LEARN TO DRAW?
CHILD
Hi. This lesson is all about learning to draw and having fun with it. You probably made your first drawing long before you can remember it. Take a look at some children’s drawings below and then make some drawings of your own.
ADULT/TEACHER
Hello. The goals of this lesson are to help you work with a child who is learning to draw. Read the information below to help you to recognize some of the milestones of early drawing.
HOW DOES A CHILD LEARN TO DRAW?
You could ask the same thing about a child learning to speak. Acquiring language isn’t a single moment but a series of a thousand small steps: a gurgle, a babble, a droning sound, a recognizable word fragment. The developments are so subtle that they are easy to miss. A parent thinks, “Wait, did she just say her first word?” And then the race for fluency is on.
Now, consider another form of communication—drawing. Artist and art educator, Brent Wilson, writes, “Drawing provides children even younger than age three with their first way of recording thoughts and ideas about themselves and their worlds. Think of it this way, their words just float off into thin air; their little tunes and dances disappear, unless someone records them. When they draw, they do their own recording.” It takes years for a child to amass enough verbal tools to tell a complex story, Wilson adds, “A young child can draw a complex story with encouragement alone.”[1]
Let’s focus on encouragement. It is the key.
Learning to draw is so complex—although it is a universal and innate impulse—that reducing it to a checklist of recognizable stages obscures more than it reveals. The complexity shouldn’t be a deterrent, however. Do you have to be a professional therapist to help your child learn to walk or speak? No, you simply have to engage and encourage. Furthermore, you couldn’t explain the exact physiological mechanics of how you walk or talk if you had to. You just do it.
How Can Adults Help?
Regarding learning to draw, all you need to do, as the adult in the room, is recognize some of these “thousand small steps” and serve as a supportive and gentle bridge for the child to arrive at another one.
Years ago, there was a bias against adult involvement in a child’s learning to draw. The thinking at the time was that adult intervention stifled a child’s creativity. But the sad fact is that children become frustrated when they have exhausted what they readily know how to draw, and without an increase of skills their enthusiasm for drawing grinds to a halt. If your child wanted to learn to play the piano, would you deny him piano lessons because a teacher might stifle his creativity? No way. Moreover, while not all children want to play the piano, drawing is different: It is their graphic way of communicating, and it begins before they master their first complete sentence.
The above drawing was made by Brent Wilson and his great-granddaughter, Aoife, who is almost three years old. Brent drew on the left side and Aoife drew on the right.
“Can you draw a circle?” Brent asked. And Aoife drew a circle. “That looks like a head.” She smiled. “What else is in a head?”
And as simply as that, the drawing began. As elements of Aoife’s figure emerged on her side of the paper, Brent drew the same thing on his side. He matched her, step by step. If she drew a pile of hair on a slant, he did the same. If she drew four arms springing from a rectangular body, so did he. She signed her drawing with a squiggle; ditto Brent. But there is a subtle difference in the two figures. Aware of her level of ability, each of his elements was very slightly more accomplished. Just a little. The next time she draws, perhaps she will remember. These prompts to get more on the page with subtle, increased refinement of them are hallmarks of teaching.
MILESTONES
Below are some milestones that children are likely to experience as they build a vocabulary of drawing and some suggestions for you to assist in that development. The descriptions are a bit long, but each concept is important.
Irregular scribbles. A child making irregular scribbles will take a marker and make lines and shapes that seem random and erratic, but there is a lot more going on than that. The child is exploring all the possible marks that can be made, including stabbing the paper through. They might not appear to you as discernible shapes, but these are patterns that the child will return to again and again as muscular control develops. The best encouragement for a child who shows interest in making marks are the following: Show enthusiasm verbally and physically; draw—yes, scribble—alongside your child and keep plenty of paper handy with pencils, markers, and crayons. Be careful not to press the child too much. The greatest gift you can give the child is access to materials and your joyful attention.
Regular scribbles. At some point, a child’s marks begin to show repeated patterns. Often, a circle emerges first from a tangle of scribbles. These lines—circles, and later, squares—indicate that the child is mastering a skill. He may identify the mark as something he knows—the sun, or “Mommy,” or his eye—and although the connection might seem questionable to you, the concept that a drawn image represents a physical object, a person, or an idea, is a powerful and magical discovery in a child’s development. Other recognizable objects might begin to appear, including a letter or a number. The regular scribbles might begin to show symmetry and balance, in limited ways—this might be the overall composition or shapes with repeating forms, like a ladder or a zigzag. Adults can assist children in this stage by helping them recognize and name the shapes they have created. This will make it easier to repeat and master their forms. Make reference to the “circle” or “zigzag” that the child has drawn. Ask her to explore with you what the drawing is about. Questioning is better than guessing. Ask, “What is it?” This is not seen by a child as criticism but rather that you are interested in him or her. (And be prepared for some surprises.) You can help the child refine shapes, too. Do it without pressure, but if you draw a more carefully rounded circle next to hers, she will gradually want to do the same. Remember that there is no wrong here. Think of these drawings as communication rather than “art works.” Your impulse will be to display these drawings proudly—many a refrigerator was an artist’s first gallery—but be aware of the pressure that comes from that visibility. Monitor the child’s reactions. Your goal is to encourage your child’s development. Some children like the public attention, some don’t. Have fun. Be patient.
Combined simple configurations. It goes without saying, but there is no recommended timeline for drawing development. A child’s physical and mental abilities and disabilities come into play as well as his experience and motivation. There is no age-appropriate designation here (although rough correlations have been suggested by some experts in Child Development) [2]. Development happens gradually, and it will include moving backward as well as forward. At some point, a child will start to combine marks to make images that are more recognizable than before. A circle with lines radiating out from it will be called a “sun,” an expanding number of circles connected by lines will be a “spider web,” and so on. Some of these images will be designs that are not depictions of other things but are finished shapes in and of themselves. These include simple mandalas, geometric compositions, designs, and explorations of invented shapes. Enjoyment is the best reaction an adult can provide at this stage. Sincere compliments are golden. If you look at the drawings from the child’s point of view, you will be able to find things readily that are “amazing,” “great,” and “beautiful” in their drawings. You can participate in the drawings by asking questions like this, “How did you make that? Can you teach me how you did it?” Draw with the child, not to show him how to do it better, but to add a little complexity, a little refinement, and to indicate how his future drawings can evolve.[3]
The figure, part I. Early markings of circles and lines lead toward the creation of a human figure. This impulse is as old as the earliest cave drawings. A child wants to make sense of her worlds, and this begins by looking at herself. If left to her own design—and she should be allowed to do that—her first drawing of the figure is likely to be a circle with some kind of demarcation of a few physical features: Eyes, a mouth, a nose. The circle is often drawn close to the outside dimensions of the paper, or it may be the paper’s edge itself. Anatomical boundaries are blurred. A child may put legs, a tummy, and arms inside the circle, as if it is a tadpole encased in a single, encompassing shape. Recognize that your way to draw a figure—maybe you never graduated past a stick figure—is not the same way the child’s will develop. You are not teaching the child to draw as you do; rather, you’re helping the child develop the ability and temperament to draw. The best approach is to be additive. Early on, it is unlikely that these will include refinements such as fingers and toes. You know they’re coming, but the child doesn’t, probably. When you draw next to the child, and when you make a similar shape, show him how an extra line can “become” an arm or a leg. The focus—although the child does not know it yet—is adding and refining.
The figure, part II. Just as a tadpole develops into a frog, the child’s drawn human figure will eventually sprout arms and legs. Probably, this drawing will be a Humpty Dumpty-like oval with straight lines sticking out to represent arms and legs. The concept of a separate head and body is still in the future, although the child might draw a line horizontally through the oval to represent where the torso begins. Frustration management is an important part of the adult’s role in a child’s development. The child will be increasingly aware that there is a big world out there to draw, but the inability to capture it might be difficult, emotionally. It is not unlike when you were trying to learn a foreign language and spending many hours learning only to realize the inability to manage even a simple conversation. Furthermore, the development of drawing is not a straight line of progress. Do not be concerned if your child goes regresses from time to time. It is just like a piano student who can play Chopin but every once in a while likes to play “Chopsticks.”
The body. One day, a separate head and body will appear on the page. Somehow, the body will be shown—perhaps lines descending from the head for legs will be met with a horizontal line creating a body form. Before then, the child’s human form might have been generic. Now, features will be added that make it specific: Will it have clothes? Will it represent gender? Will its proportions indicate the human’s true size? A full-fledged human figure drawing brings with it philosophical complications, as well. How so? Your simple question, “Is it a boy?” will bring up complex identity issues. If your goals for the child are to help develop drawing, then let the child explore all of these things without pigeonholing and stereotyping. Don’t overreact to any given answer. Drawing can be a way for children to explore one idea of identity one day, only to discard it the next. Avoid being the adult who says, “That can’t be a girl. She isn’t wearing a dress.” At the same time, drawing is a way for a child to investigate and make sense of her surroundings. She will want to examine how to make a drawing that is specific, and that includes appearance.
Characters. Nearly all children gain skills to draw that lead them to a stage of drawing development that includes the milestones above, but for many, this will be the end. (Not with your child, though!) Once a human figure with a body has appeared, a child will next want to give the drawing additional qualities that provide the foundation for storytelling. Who is this person? What is he or she doing? What are the emotions depicted on the page? One challenge for almost all children is movement. They will naturally try to focus on joints in their pictures: shoulders, knees, elbows, etc. The positioning of limbs implies motion. Still, it is difficult for them to show a figure running and jumping…or doing something. And in their frustration, many children will stop drawing at this point because they lack the tools to make the characters “real.” It is your job to get them through this challenging period. You can do it. Drawing is about depicting things, but it is also about imagination. Speak to the child about the characters’ possibilities—astronauts, cowboys, dancers, princesses, or even dancing princesses on the moon wearing Stetsons. Encourage them to make images they see in the world and also in the mind’s eye. Using the same techniques that helped the child turn a tadpole into a human figure, expand the discussion you have with the child about character as a way to provide additional layers of meaning. You will encounter drawings that are fanciful and unrealistic. (We call that imagination.) Cheer for it. You can, however, ask questions that cause the child to add details to the drawing that will make it more exciting. Ask, “What could the princess be holding?” Or “How does the astronaut breathe?” You want to help the child to provide more and more information in the drawing.
Articulated bodies. When you look back over the thousand small steps your child has made, it will seem like a long road, but it is all perfectly logical. At long last, the child will draw a human form with articulated limbs and body parts. Perhaps the child will be able to make a long, single line that outlines the head, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, torso, legs, feet, and then continues on with the opposite side of the body. Some children will have taken years to get to this moment; others will move more rapidly. A child’s drawing such as this is likely to include an over-sized head and contorted limbs, but this is a signal that the child wants to incorporate more details in the face and more action in the body. Typically, all the human forms by the child to this point will have been facing forward, but the child will want to explore figures from other angles, and they will need some assistance and prompting to do it, comfortably. The breakthrough that a human form can be drawn from the side, for example, or shown running, falling, and playing, is likely to be mind-blowing. And frankly, it might be more advanced than you have achieved yourself. That’s ok, too. Don’t be embarrassed about it. Show by example that learning is fun. (If you feel completely unqualified, take a look at the teen/adult lesson, Can I Draw If I Think, “I Can’t Draw”?) The keys to helping the child are approval and enthusiasm, and the process of drawing a human figure is no different. Leading questions are the best way to initiate progress. For example, if the drawing represents a child running, ask, “How do we know he’s running?” Then follow the responses with additional concepts about bent legs, position of feet, direction or movement. If the child can’t quite figure out how to do something that seems more complicated, try to show her how to do it or experiment together. (“Do you want to show a runner? Let’s draw the leg bent and see if that works.”) A child who can draw confidently needs to make peace with complexity. That includes drawing a figure in action, including details that personalize the figure, and moving beyond horizontal/vertical contrasts and images that overlap. This is the gateway to everything else that is possible. It is the adult’s role to encourage development through gently accelerating what the child can do instinctively by providing tools and experiences that stretch and nurture.
Do we want children’s drawings or children drawing?
The adorableness of children’s drawings might make you want to keep their skills in a childlike state, rather than to encourage development. Co-authors Marjorie Wilson and Brent Wilson share this perspective with adults who seek to help children draw, “As enchanting as it might be, we would not wish to retard the child’s growth at, say, the crawling stage or the one-word stage; neither should we retard the child’s drawing at the point at which we, the adult, find it most delightful, or spontaneous, or charming. Child art is simply ‘child art’ and should be allowed to grow along with the child who produces it. If the child’s graphic abilities keep pace with her growing perceptions of the world and herself, then she will see her art as not only satisfactory but pleasing as well. More and more children will continue to construct, through drawing, ever more complex and elaborate realities.”[4]
[1] Email between Brent Wilson and Glen Nelson, July 19, 2019.
[2] See Jean Piaget’s “Four Stages of Cognitive Development,” https://www.theneurotypical.com/piagets-four-stages.html, accessed February 5, 2019
[3] For an expansive overview of the subject, see Teaching Children to Draw, Marjorie Wilson and Brent Wilson, 2009, David Publications, Inc. (Worchester, Massachusetts)
[4] Teaching Children to Draw, p. 63