Hallemeier

Art Analysis
Students can communicate in many ways, more specifically
through their artwork. Drawing or creating any artwork allows a
student to communicate what they cannot say through words. As a
teacher it is important to understand how your student is
communicating to you and what they are communicating. Teachers
need to understand how their students are developing, so they can
guide them in their learning and the creative process. Each student
learns differently, so it is important to create many methods of
learning. I believe that art is a good way to teach children and better
develop their minds. According to author Daniel H. Pink in his book A
Whole New Mind states, The future belongs to a very different king of
person with a very different kind of mind creators and emphasizers,
pattern recognizers, and meaning makers (Pink, 1). The arts should be
integrated in the classroom because art is good for way for students to
learn. According to Dr. Terry Bergeson the Superintendent of Public
Institution of Washingtons State School Districts, The Arts are an
essential part of public education. From dance and music to theatre
and the visual arts, the arts give children a unique means of
expression, capturing their passions and emotions, and allowing them
to explore new ideas, subject matter, and cultures. They bring us joy in
every aspect of our lives (Joseph, 2002). The purpose of this
investigation is to understand how a student can create meaning from

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the marks that they draw on paper. Through this investigation I

worked with a student to learn how she communicates on paper and
the meaning behind her drawing. I have also taken a look at what the
student drew and said during my interaction with the student. Every
student is at different stages of their artwork. I believe that every
student communicates differently through art and that no two pieces of
artwork are the same.
In order to conduct this investigation I had to find a student that I
could sit down with for a short period of time and have them draw for
me. I choose to do this investigation during part of my field experience
time at Mill Creek Elementary. This was perfect because I had many
students willing to sit down with me. I asked the teacher which student
I should ask to draw for me and she told me I could choose anyone.
The teacher had no problem with me completing this investigation
during her class time. I decided I did not want to distract the students
from their work so I choose a student that was done with their work. I
wanted a student that would be able to stay on task and would get the
job done. The student needs to be someone that wants to interact with
me. Most of the students asked me lots of questions, but some
students did it more then others. I knew that if I chose a student that
asked me many questions he or she would be more excited to work
with me. I decided to have the student draw during their Daily 5 in the
morning because they didnt have too much to do and it wouldnt

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interfere with any assignments. During Daily 5 the students get to

choose between reading to self, reading to someone, listening to
reading, writing, word work, and some students will work with the
teacher in groups for ten to fifteen at a time. After I picked Haley, I
told her she could either draw a self-portrait, family portrait, or a tree.
She chose to draw a self-portrait, or at least that is what I thought she
was drawing. I told her she could use any paper she wanted and she
could draw with any writing utensil. I asked her draw during her writing
free time during the students Daily 5. She chose to draw with pencil
and to draw the portrait on the back of one of free writing sheets.
While the student was drawing I asked her different questions. After
she drew for a while I realized that she was drawing me instead of
herself. She seemed very excited and willing to participate. While
Haley was drawing she smiled the entire time. When drawing the detail
on my face the student drew two lines on both sides of my cheeks.
Confused on why she drew that tiny detail, I had her explain her
reasoning for it. She said that they were meant to be the blush that I
was wearing. In first grade I noticed that women wore makeup, but I
didnt usually include that in my drawing. Haleys ability to notice small
details was very impressive. After that I asked her if the little dots she
drew on the face were suppose to be my freckles. She said yes and
then she tried to have a conversation about them with me. She told
me that I had freckles all over my face and that she had freckles too.

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She said that her freckles could not really be seen because she didnt
have very many. After she drew the face and the details she began to
draw a half circle around my face. I couldnt figure out what it was, so I
decided to ask her. She began to explain that the drawing was my
scarf. I was shocked that she drew that detail. Whenever I draw people
I dont usually draw what they are wearing, I just pick clothes for them
to wear. The last thing that she drew was my feet and hands. For the
hands she drew one line with another line through it about a third
down. I asked her why she drew my arms that way. Haley said that she
always drew hands that way and she thought hands were very difficult
to draw. After she was done drawing, I told her thank you for helping
me and she gave me her drawing to keep.
In order to analyze the students drawing I had to take some time
to take a closer look. There are different
stages that students can been in when it
comes to their drawings. There are six
stages according to the Mizzou
Publishing Notebook Art for children
(Lowenfeld, 1920). When analyzing the
different lines and different parts that the
student drew I came to the conclusion
that she was between the stages of
Preschematic and Schematic. These

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stages are between the ages of four and nine years old. Haley is seven
years old so she is right where she needs to be in terms of drawing.
The stages have three different criteria. The criteria are drawing
characteristics, space representation, and human representation. Some
drawing characteristics that the student had were shapes for things
are geometric and lose their meaning when removed from the whole,
drawing shows concept and not precept, and drawings reflect a
children active knowledge of the environment (Lowenfeld, 1920). The
child drew what she knew and she knew that I was older so she had
the lines to show that I had make up on. The student knew exactly
what I told her to draw, but she didnt know the meaning behind why I
had her draw the picture. The student does not know that each of the
marks that she makes on the paper having a special meaning. The
student did not have any space representation for the Preschematic
stage but she had one for the Schematic Stage. This representation
was not or little representation (Lowenfeld, 1920). There were not
overlaps and her drawing did not go off the page. For human figure
representation the features include smiling viewer, gradual inclusion of
body features, clothes/hair/details, and body made up of geometric
shapes. According to Maryland Institute College of Arts the students
drawing includes a simple shape plus lines, simple alignment, some
special details, and repertoire of simple shapes (School of Arts, 2004).

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If you were to hand a person a childrens illustration of a person

or themselves I dont think most people would understand that there is
so much meaning behind the different marks that a child makes. They
would not think of the student being at different stages of drawing or
that there is so much to analyze. It is extremely important for teacher
to include art in their classroom. Art allows students to express
themselves in many ways. Students can express what they cannot say
in words, through their artwork. A person can be in their own world
while they are in their creative process. Art is a way to let all your
feelings out. I would recommend that a teacher give student time to
work on art projects at least two or three times a week. It gives the
student time to relax to learn more about the creative process.

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References
A Rubric for Understanding Early Steps in Drawing Development.
(2004, January 1). Me and My Family.
Joseph, A. (2002, January 1). The Value of the Arts to the Community
and Education. Retrieved February 20, 2015, from
http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/Arts in
Education/joseph.htm
Pink, D. (2006). A whole new mind: Why right-brainers will rule the
future (p. 1). New York: Riverhead Books.
The Childrens Art Center. (n.d.). All about me: A teachers resource by
the childrens art center. Cape Town, South Africa: The Office of
the Chief Director: Districts of the Western Cape Education
Department.
W.L., B., & Lowenfeld, V. (1970). Creative and Mental Growth. 474-479.