The Complete Guide to Children's Drawings: Accessing Children‘s Emotional World through their Artwork. Michal Wimmer

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      Figure 2-10:Excessive use of green

      In children’s drawings green symbolizes many characteristics of childhood such as fresh start, different and unique view of situations, learning and a need for space. Consequently, green appears more often in drawings of children who like nature and outdoor games.

      This drawing was made by a 5 year-old. No need to refer to the grass or stalk which are naturally green. However, it is clear that the child chose not to use any other colors, so that the house is made of green contour lines, as well as green windows and door.

      Recall that we must examine a large number of drawings in order to draw conclusions about the child’s personality. In this case, as in other drawings by the same child, green is used extensively. Excessive use of this color may indicate compensation, for example, for the child’s need to learn, start anew and blossom.

      In the case of this particular child, excessive use of green indicates his fears of learning. At the time of this drawing, the child started first grade and was afraid of studying and found it difficult to manage in class, mainly due to motoric difficulties not diagnosed before my analysis of his drawings. This child used to sit next to his classmates in front of the teacher and blackboard but could not compare himself to their capabilities, mainly because he could not copy quickly enough from the board. As already noted, the combination of excessive coloring with graphic indicators, such as the shaky lines representing the house walls and roof, lends further support to my conclusion regarding his emotional difficulty.

      Gray

      In nature gray is associated with fall and wintery weather. In many languages, a “gray” face is a weary facial expression. Gray life is a meaningless and boring life, and a gray job is similarly boring and lacking in glory. Nevertheless, somewhat ironically, shades of gray represent a balance point of view, as opposed to the sharp dichotomy of black and white.

      The brain tissue is called “gray matter”, associating the color with thinking. The term “gray market” refers to semi-legal economic activity. Finally, a “gray area” represents territories or activities known to be problematic but that is not dealt with specifically by the law or enforcement authorities.

      Lüscher associates gray with neutrality, a wish to “sit on the fence”, but also a border. This is why we often observe gray boundaries in drawings, which protect the painter from external threats.

      In children’s drawings, gray is usually used topically, as in gray clouds. In addition, gray, just as any other color, has a range of qualities – positive and negative. Children tend to use gray mainly in its negative aspects. However, gray may also indicate positive aspects such as the ability to integrate or perform measured steps. Remember that the color analysis must be supported by other indicators, primarily graphic indicators and that it is this combined analysis that will determine the meaning of the color.

      Brown

      Brown is the most dominant color in nature besides green. It appears in landscapes, plants, animals, as well as in the color of our eyes, skin and hair.

      Lüscher refers to brown as a symbol of sensation. Meaning, brown is the reflection of our physical aspect. In addition, it was found that when a person feels uncomfortable with his family, or experience physical insecurity or discomfort, he will tend to choose brown. That is, the choice of brown indicates an increased need for physical and sensory comfort. This could indicate lack of confidence or actual physical illness. The lack of confidence could stem from conflicts or problems the person feels unable to cope with.

      In most cases, brown will be used realistically in children’s drawings. For example, the earth will often be painted in brown. Exaggerated use of brown indicates difficulty to deal with changes and tendency to prefer the well-known and familiar.

      Figure 2-11:Excessive use of brown

      The following example represents excessive use of brown. The child draws all figures completely brown, without any distinctions among body organs: eyes, eyelashes, noses, mouths, arms and torsos are all brown. Usually, in drawings by children her age, human figures are more colorful and their organs more distinct.

      All shades of brown are characteristic of the human skin. Therefore, it may be that this girl attempted to find a color similar to natural body colors. However, other drawings by the same girls are also characterized by excessive use of brown. This means the girl may have needs associated with using that color, such as groundedness, stability, earthliness and confidence. She needs to know what is going on around her, down to the smallest details, to feel that confidence, otherwise she may suffer anxiety.

      Black

      One of the most commonly asked questions about children’s drawings is about the meaning of black. In western culture black symbolizes mourning, bereavement or depression. However, in other countries and cultures white is used to represent these situations and sentiments. In western society, if a person had a rough day, he would say that he had a black day. Black is also associated with dark and mysterious events – for example, a black cat as a sign of the evil eye, black lists, black humor and black magic.

      However, black is also associated in our culture with authority and momentousness, as in “black tie” events. In Japanese culture, black is a symbol of nobility, age, and experience.

      According to Lüscher, black negates any other color and as such symbolizes relinquishment, surrender and abandonment. But black also has an ability to emphasize and empower any color drawn next to it. Kandinsky associated black with eternal silence, without hope.

      When analyzing drawings, recall that the use of black is not culturally dependent. In that it is similar to many other elements in children’s drawings, such as houses, which appear in the majority of children’s drawings from diverse cultures in the shape of a triangle placed on top of a square, regardless of the real-life appearance of their lodgings.

      Likewise, the use of colors in drawings is not culture-dependent, and when a child draws exclusively in black, it definitely does not mean he is depressed or in mourning. Thus, you can find black drawings even in countries where mourning is represented by other colors, such as red in South Africa, blue in Iran, and the white flags hoisted along the streets of Colombo, Sri Lanka, following the Tsunami disaster.

      Figure 2-12:Excessive use of black

      Most children use black in their drawings simply because it gives a strong and dramatic effect to the drawing. Figure 2-12 was made by a 3 years and 5 months-old boy, who named it “The world in black”. By doing so, he increased his parent’s anxieties about his general СКАЧАТЬ