Visual representation in the drawings of children from 6 to 9 years old

: creating an animated project

Abstract

Drawing has been one of humanity's most widely used forms of expression. It has been used for communication since the prehistoric period, long before written communication was developed, and for artistic purposes, both as final objects and as drafts for the development of other pieces. Although many abandon it in adulthood as a primary tool of expression and communication, everyone experiences it at some point in their life, especially during childhood. Children use it as part of their play, to create narratives from simple characters or actions, and to express their perceptions of the world around them. With this in mind, this research work’s aim was to study the aspects of cognitive and visual development that represent children from 6 to 9 years old, the impact of creativity and imagination on their artistic activity and the playful way in which children face the act of drawing and their own drawings. Furthermore, this research focused on the characteristics of children’s visual representation and how their drawings could be incorporated in an animated project. The research was developed in two distinct components, a theoretical and a practical one. After a continuous observation and monitoring of the drawing process of children between 6 and 9 years old, the research evolved through a literary review of the various theories of children’s drawing and art, as well as the role of artistic education and external influences for children’s artistic development. At a cognitive level, perception, symbolic thought, the concepts of imagination, creativity and play were studied, and a revision of the drawing and denotative systems and the canonical views was also addressed. Some of the main characteristics common to most of the drawings corresponding to this age group were compiled. Then, through the organisation of drawing sessions with a group of children between 6 and 9 years old, a careful observation was led, making it possible to verify some of the theoretical investigation in practice. These drawing sessions were organised reflecting the various authors previously reviewed, with the aim of presenting activities that were not limiting to the child or with some defined endpoint. Although only three sessions were organised specifically for the project, the monitoring of these children was continuous, taking place throughout the year, so practice and theory were constantly nurturing one another. Afterwards, the drawings and audio recordings resulting from the sessions presented the starting point for the making of animated experiments. In this way, considering that animation and drawing are closely related, we approached animation as a tool to reflect on the children’s drawing process, as well as to praise and value some of its characteristics. This research allowed us to achieve an understanding about the impact of drawing and artistic activities in children’s development: that drawing, combined with play, works as a means for children to investigate and get to know the world, to understand the relationships that are established around them, as well as exploring the possibilities of representation and meaning. In addition, it allowed us to understand the role of the environment and that external adult support should be guiding and assisting in artistic activities, without, however, limiting and restricting children to their adult vision. Moreover, the fact that the vocabulary and terms used to describe children’s art are generally comparable to adult art helps to propagate the theory that children’s drawings are fraught with errors and faults.

Date of Award	7 Dec 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Sahra Kunz (Supervisor)