The Complete Guide to Children's Drawings: Accessing Children‘s Emotional World through their Artwork. Michal Wimmer
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Another phenomenon typical of this stage is drawing on walls. Almost every parent is familiar with this situation, facing the masterpiece and asking himself, why on the wall of all places?
The very act of drawing provides sensory stimulation and enjoyment, and since children at the scribbling stage have only begun internalizing the idea of boundaries, they see absolutely nothing wrong with testing their skills and expressing their talents on surfaces deemed unconventional by adults, like walls.
Drawing on walls is just part of a long sequence of attempts by children to test their abilities. The desire to move objects and “produce artistic output” is expressed in their playing at the sandbox, in the bathtub or on the dinner table – when the child grabs a fruit and realizes he is capable of taking it to his mouth. Children also leave their mark artistically, as if marking a territory, as if saying, “Look at me! Only I could draw that!”
The child experiences and explores the world in his own way, still without understanding why drawing is allowed on one surface but not on another. Since the sensory experience of drawing on a wall is completely identical to that which accompanies drawing on paper, children stop drawing on walls only after internalizing the spatial and conventional boundaries and enhance their ability to communicate with the adult world. In the meantime, frustrated parents can designate a wall space for scribbles, frame existing scribbles or let their children paint on china with water-based markers. Remember, however, that any such solution is liable to fail as long as your child has not internalized the concept of boundaries.
The parents of the 2 years and 9 months-old girl who made the following two drawings told me that recently, her behavior changed. Since they had been collecting drawings for a year, I could compare them and identify the differences. In her scribbles, I could see evidence of her willfulness and resistance. She wants to do everything herself and relishes in dictating her rules to the environment.
Figure 1-22:Shrunk and highly pressurized scribble
Among other things, this is evident in the strong pressure she applies to the drawing surface. In her scribbles, you could clearly see when everything began to shrink and she showed a withdrawal tendency that concerned her parents tremendously.
Figure 1-23:Unconstrained scribbling with balanced pressure
Her more recent drawings indicated that she was more attentive to external demands than to her own desires and acted quickly to please the environment. I could also see signs of the extraordinary fears which caused sleeping disorders, constipation and irregular eating patterns. Socially, she began to evidence adjustment difficulties and at home she kept clinging to her parents. After the parents were advised to move her to a kindergarten with fewer children, her scribbles showed a change for the better.
To conclude, the graphic complexity of every scribble (which makes it appear senseless) requires thorough scrutiny of a large number of drawings before any comparisons can be made. Such comparisons can offer important insights into the child’s temperament, behavior patterns, difficulties and fears he may be experiencing.
The Emotional Significance of Drawing: Process and Drawing Tool
The artistic experience is basically a sensory experience combining multiple modalities. Through this experience, the child structures his worldview. For the child, drawing is friendlier and more comprehensive than verbal expression; through drawing the child can create something out of nothing. This is in fact the starting point of the creative experience in art therapy: through creative experience, the child undergoes a process of trial and error which enables him to discover and express his inner world. Children “use” drawings as a way of sublimating aggressive drives and relieving stress. They let their imagination run wild and draw the world as they see it, rather than as an accurate copy of reality.
Sitting Position
At first, you must pay attention to the child’s sitting position: it is important for the child to feel comfortable, with the table and chair adjusted to his size. Don’t be upset if you see your child drawing lying down, because this position enables him to place more of their body’s surface on the floor, and often helps them concentrate on their drawing. Some children will prefer this position also in older ages and you will find them doing their homework on the floor, but in most cases this is a fleeting phenomenon.
For some children, lying down is preferred because their shoulder muscles are too weak for them to draw while sitting or because they have difficulty focusing their eyes and thus want to draw as close as possible to the page.
Page Size
The size of the page is also significant for the child. Above all, it should fit his physical size and experience in drawing. At the scribbling stage, it is recommended to use large pages. At this stage, the child is unaware of the page’s boundaries and it is important for him to delve into the experience of drawing. When the child begins to develop his drawing skill, he can use smaller pages and even let him try small notes that will encourage him to concentrate and develop fine motor skills.
Naturally, there is no mandatory age-to-page-size ratio, and it is always recommended to combine various page sizes so as to allow the child to hone his skills in drawing small details as well as to draw in a more uninhibited way. However, you should observe the degree of confidence and satisfaction experienced by the child: when an unconfident child is asked to draw on a large page, he might give up before even starting. Thus, make sure the child is exposed gradually to various stimulations and let him pick the page size that is best for him.
Drawing Tool
Drawing tools also play an important role in the process, and each exposes the child to a different experience. First, the way the drawing tool is held can indicated disabilities that could become manifested in a later age. For instance, children with low muscle tone will grasp the tool tightly within a fisted hand. Note, however, that you must be wary of rushing into conclusions, because children undergo multiple change processes at this age. In any case, if drawing requires the child to apply too much force, which wears him down and prevents him from drawing as much as he would have liked to, you are advised to seek professional diagnosis.
Markers are quite mechanic in nature, particularly the thinner markers that emit a screeching sound when applied to the paper. Usually, children aged 4–5 prefer markers, as you can see in figure 1-24. It is important for them to be precise when coloring the house drapes or the monster’s eyes.
Figure 1-24:Drawing with markers
Some children who prefer markers overwhelmingly and consistently will become children who need certainty and control over events, and will often express anger (at themselves and at the page) if they haven’t managed to draw as accurately as they had intended.
Using markers requires greater manipulative skill, and stresses color variety over working deep into the page. Therefore, they will be preferred by children with a strong need for neatness as an integral part of the creative process.
Pastel crayons introduce the child to a completely different experience. Using pastels requires greater muscular effort since the crayon has to be pressed down on the page to produce results. The child’s active contribution to the creative process makes him an integral part of the artwork. Some children pay the utmost attention СКАЧАТЬ