Chapter 3

Artistic Development

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”

--Mark Twain

Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni

MutualismThe interaction of organisms within an

ecosystem in a manner that significantly benefits both, although the resulting relationship is not critical to the continued existence of either.

When does art begin?

• When the time is right each child begins their artistic journey….

• They begin as scribbles

• To enclosed shapes

• To symbols

What do teachers make?

Why drawing?

• An artist would say drawing is the manipulation of lines to create a visual effect.

• At it’s simplest form, drawing can be done with a finger.

• Drawing tools are an extension of the finger. • Children’s drawings are the BEGINNING

OF THEIR WRITING!• A drawing tool is a writing tool!

Teachers make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

US Dept. of Education

• “Children who are encouraged to draw and scribble stories at an early age will later learn to compose more easily, more effectively, and with greater confidence than children who do not have this encouragement.” (1986, p. 14)

Teachers make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor. 

OK... Let’s Look at a professional article

Lifetime Payoffs: The Positive Effect of the Arts on Human Brain Development

On the 3 x 3 grid - put in either 3 facts, OR 3 points of interest, OR a combination of facts and interest. FILL IN ONLY 3 BLOCKS!

You have 15 minutes to read the

article.

Teachers make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5

without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental... 

What is known about artistic development of children?

Physical Growth and Drawing• 1 year-olds - Children develop from the

head down and from the center of the body out.

• They grasp the crayon or pencil with their fists and make whole arm movements.

• They stab and punch the paper.• The muscle control is not there,

but the mind is growing.Teachers make them criticize.

What is known about artistic development of children?

Physical Growth and Drawing• 2 year-olds - They begin to have

control over their elbows.• Sweeping arcs are created. Lines have

curved edges.• They may become conscious of the act

of drawing.• May verbalize the desire to draw.

Teachers make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. 

What is known about artistic development of children?

Physical Growth and Drawing• 3 year-olds - They begin to have control over

their wrists.• They can start and stop at will when drawing.• Scribbles begin to join with geometric figures.• The tight fist might be replaced with a looser

grip.• Children still have no hand preference.• Children begin to give meaning to drawings.

Teachers make their classrooms a place where all students feel safe.

Kellogg, Lowenfeld, Gardner, team of Kindler

and Darras• Each of the following researchers have had a

major impact on how we view the art of young children.

• Kellogg • Lowenfeld • Gardner• Kindler and Darras?

Teachers make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their

hearts, they can succeed in life. 

Social and Cultural Factors• Adults determine what materials are

appropriate.• Adults determine how much experience

children should have with a material.• Children are influenced if they see other

people around them doing art.• Children are influenced by pictures they

see.• Teachers need to understand their own

reactions to child art.

Child Art Developmental Models Guide Educators

4 Ground Rules

1. Set realistic expectations (not all children develop at the same rate)

2. Value child art as a developmental process not a product!

3. Understand better what the child is thinking. (Look for clues from their behavior.)

4. Select activities that are suitable for particular children. (open-ended)

Child Art Developmental Models Guide Educators

Types of Activities

1. Exploration activities (This is the “meat and potatoes” of early childhood art!)

2. Practice activities (Use the same materials over and over.)

3. Responsive activities (Stretch children’s thought processes.)

Child Art Developmental Models Guide Educators

Providing a Continuum of Art Activities

1. Some children will require longer periods of exploration.

2. Teachers must not demand that children produce a particular image.

3. Artistic development is not a separate process, but part of the total growth of the child.

How Children Grow through Drawing

1. Physically - Children use large and small muscles of the arm to draw (bodily-kinesthetic)

2. Socially - working alongside other children and sharing materials (interpersonal)

3. Emotionally - learning to enjoy the act of drawing and the ability to control a part of their environment (intrapersonal)

How Children Grow through Drawing

4. Visual perception skills - exploring new ways to make marks and responding to the visual effects they have created (spatial)

5. Cognitively - learning vocabulary and using sound and language in combination with graphic production (linguistic) - seeing that their motions can cause the effect of making visual lines (logical-mathematical)

6. Art awareness - becoming familiar with the ways drawing and lines are

used in books and the artwork of others.

For Tuesday……………….

• Read chapter four - Make sure you know the three elements of creativity and 6 steps in the creative process (hint, hint!)

• E-mail me after Thursday’s studio class using the questions posted on the wiki page title Line.

• Think about one concept learned from an art researcher and let me know what you found interesting.