Do you have the materials to compare drawings done by different children of the same age? I think the stages of development of the brain is fairly standard among children and it’s natural that Sarita’s age 10 drawing would be quite different from Oliver at age 7, But I’m wondering if it’s possible to differentiate between the children who seem, for example, to use line in specific intentional ways as opposed to those who play without any patterns in their usage.

I am afraid I’m still with Arthur in thinking that most children aren’t artists, at least not within the definition of artist that I use. That they in their play stumble into artfulness, that I do believe. I also think I could come to believe that perhaps specific children work with art tools until they come to use them in very intentional and specific ways, which we might only know because we see a pattern of use.

I wouldn’t expect a child to articulate about what they do, but if they are to be called artists rather than playful animals happening into intriguing drawings, then I think a pattern that differs from the norm or perhaps simply a pattern itself should emerge. Am I making sense?

It’s an interesting and difficult topic and perhaps Sunil, with his interest in vision and neurology, could add information. I read an article he had posted on his blog last night and found it wonderful — here’s his blog url; the link works from there.
Sunil Sunil?

I like this drawing by Sarita better.

I never saw any of these drawings before.

The first one is very curious, with the figure on the left with hair flying about the figure on the right. I like the way that the figure on the left is mixed-media with pencil and pen. It is interesting the way that, except for the hair, the different media are used for distinct features.

I think the second drawing is quite expressive. Interesting that it has a “frame” around it. The expression seems a bit down for a seven year old to make.

The third drawing captures my imagination less than the first two. I think that is because it is a much more literal drawing of a person, but without elements of style that I react to in the way of the previous drawings.

I noticed this too. It seems to be a temporary problem with the web host, because it affects more than my sites. I’ve contacted the web host. If they can’t explain what is wrong, or if it happens regularly, I’ll get a new webhost.

Thanks for reporting the problem. I appreciate this kind of feedback because it allows me to see what kind of service we are getting.