I was pleased to see this message from you. The debate needs well informed
contributions such as yours.
Best wishes
Michael
At 10:55 13/05/2002 +0100, you wrote:
>Dear Marijke
>
>I don't know if I would agree with your definition of drawing as 'every act
>of leaving traces by moving with any material on a surface'. But your work
>with infants looks fascinating - it seems that, given the right environment
>and the right kind of encouragement, young children will continually
>surprise us with their drawing abilities. (The drawing by the 1 hour and 10
>minutes old baby must be some kind of world record!)
>
>I certainly agree that a drawing will almost always contain traces of the
>artist's motor idiosyncracies. Peter van Sommers* has done some fascinating
>work in this area, as I'm sure you know (is he Dutch?).
>
>Your classification of graphic elements sounds very interesting. Do you
>have anything published on this subject?
>
>George W.
>
>*van Sommers, P. (1984). 'Drawing and cognition: Descriptive and
>experimental studies of graphic production processes.' Cambridge, UK:
>Cambridge University Press.
>
>
>At 09:38 PM 5/8/02 +0200, you wrote:
>>Dear George
>>
>>I feel nicely challenged by your statement and I take it as an opportunity
>>to introduce myself to this list, which I am reading with pleasure for about
>>two years.
>>
>>I am a Dutch Creative Art Therapist, doing a PhD research on: "The
>>Rutten-Saris-index; a diagnostic tool for the assessment of interaction
>>structures in drawings". To day I will just give a small introduction. I am
>>in the administrative finishing part of my PhD and I am very tired. Being
>>Dutch, it is not easy for me to write spontaneous in English.
>>
>>I agree and disagree with Mona Brooke
>>
>>I AGREE
>>
>>I agree because I consider drawing to be a major fine-art technique,
>>generally defined as the depiction of shapes on a surface by means of lines,
>>using a drawing tool. Drawing is the basis of all pictorial representation
>>and is distinguished from painting by the dominance of line over mass
>>(DeVore, 2000) .
>>
>>Children between 18 months and five years show their amazement and pleasure
>>about the effects of the tool touching the surface, the tool leaving traces,
>>and their ability to touch the trace they just made. They are fully engaged
>>in and totally occupied with the interaction between paper, drawing tool,
>>and their own movement. These drawing experiences touch them emotionally,
>>aesthetically and elicit their interests. Their excitement concerns also the
>>fact that they are able to influence the environment that surrounds them.
>>
>>Although the ability to draw looks innate (Arnheim, 1974; Golomb, 1992), and
>>the phases children go through show a universal, robust development, I still
>>find training essential to enable representational and artistic drawing. A
>>newborn, toddler, stepper and pre-school child, should be provided with
>>age-appropriate drawing materials, tools and experiences. This improves
>>their skills and possibilities towards developing an appropriate drawing
>>language to enjoy and to express themselves as well as their artistic
>>skills.
>>
>>I wonder why so much attention is given by parents and business to the
>>language, music and cognitive development of the infant, while so little is
>>done about his active exploration between the eye, the hand and the
>>emergence of shapes in their own right, about his knowledge of image
>>elements. I suppose the first three subjects are considered to be good for
>>the representational development and therefore children get only a pencil
>>and a paper around 18 months to 'start to draw' the traditional
>>representative pictures of their culture (suppression) or they are just left
>>alone to 'express themselves' (neglect). Between these extremes teaching is
>>needed badly.
>>
>>Teaching is of big value and of big fun when sharing and challenging the
>>amazement of an infant while drawing. Naming the infants' and your traces as
>>line, dot, colours, place on the paper, relations, speed, fatness, size,
>>pressure, direction etc., is playful teaching image elements while exploring
>>paper and drawing tools and materials. To accompany their drawing movements
>>with sounds, with your movements on their paper or on your own, to answer
>>theirs with a contrary aspect, to make playful fights on the paper or with
>>the crayons in the air is teaching them inner and outside images. There
>>exist a wonderful exploration field between a right schematic representative
>>drawing, an authentic expression of feelings, enjoying motor movements,
>>letting emerge a story, representing an idea and creating aesthetics. All
>>these aspects (and many more) can be - and should be in my opinion -
>>supported by adults. Some by explicit teaching, some by showing examples,
>>some by doing together, some by commenting, some by naming, some by
>>challenging. In every interaction with the 'drawing/playing' infant, his
>>interests and spontaneity deserve as much respect, attention and support as
>>our personal wishes about his drawing skills.
>>
>>
>>I DISAGREE
>>
>>The art definition of drawing is fine with respect to the arts, but does not
>>suffice the purpose of my research. I, therefore, propose the following
>>definition: drawing is every act of leaving traces by moving with any
>>material on any surface.
>>I disagree that teaching is necessary because I consider a trace left by any
>>person, with any tool on any material, to be a drawing; a graphic drawing, a
>>presentational drawing. I research children's' graphic development of zero
>>till five year olds, which emerge like natural for all people. Normal
>>children all over the world, and probably of all times, develop graphic
>>drawing without specific teaching because their motor movement develops
>>according the same phases in the same sequences including the same graphic
>>elements.
>>
>>The development of motor movement is the basis of my theory on graphic
>>development. In a matrix I summarise how motor movement leads to the
>>emergence of implicit neurological structures that enable a person to
>>interact with himself, others, things, and situations (see Cools, 1985,
>>1996, 1997; Dornes, 1994; Lichtenberg, 1990; Pycha, 2000; Stern, 1985).
>>Graphic elements (GE) make these structures visible.
>>
>>The focus of my theory is on the traces left by the (drawing) movements of a
>>person of any age. These traces have two qualities, a familiar one, and a
>>less familiar one. Well-known is that these traces known as scribbles are
>>precursors of representative drawing. Mostly unknown is the fact that these
>>traces, as graphic elements (GE), remain visible in representative drawings
>>as well as in adult art work. What appears to be neglected is their
>>idiosyncratic motor and aesthetic qualities. These qualities exist in their
>>own right. Teaching 'to draw' does not by itself change the kinds of GE or
>>the moods that accompany them.
>>
>>Almost all the products of the drawing process, that is the traces or GE,
>>remain visible as frozen movements on the paper. Since each child has his
>>way of responding to the traces he leaves behind, each drawing reveals also
>>the individual history of the child's graphic and interaction structure
>>development.
>>
>>In sum, infant graphic development is about the general natural development
>>of motor movements including drawing movements. It ignores explicitly the
>>aesthetic and pictorial aspects as well as the semiotic functions of the
>>drawing. It (only) focuses on how the hand/tool with the material has left
>>traces of his motor movements on a surface. It shows HOW the child interacts
>>with himself, others, things and situations. It emerges without teaching as
>>a result of the general development of the child.
>>
>>I found, between 0-5 year, a phase/layer for every year in a fixed sequence
>>(ABCDE) with typical graphic elements (GE) belonging to each phase (87 GE in
>>total). For everyone at any age, it is as IMPOSSIBLE to make a drawing
>>without these GE, as it is to write a word without letters.
>>
>>Phase/layer A of graphic development (0-1 year olds)
>>The GE 0-17 constitute the graphic area 'fading-out' with the graphic
>>sub-area 'point'. The drawing motor movements are 'passing-by'. The fading
>>out character of all the lines is a general characteristic of Layer A. The
>>characteristic interaction is the artist who is attuning to his hand, to the
>>drawing tool, to the paper, and to up-down directions. While moving he can
>>put himself down here, he can begin, continue, and stop. He is busy with -
>>being busy with obtaining organisation.
>>
>>The GE from phase/layer A can be recognised by their fading touch,
>>interrupted lines, mostly shorter than 3 cm, open shapes, and by variable
>>pressure. The overall quality of the GE is little and light. The computer
>>image shows fraying and fading-out image points, which form knots and holes.
>>
>>The ability of the infant changes dramatically between graphic element 0 and
>>graphic element 17. The initial behaviour is characterised by accidental
>>encounters of his hand holding a drawing tool with a surface. After some
>>time, his hand is more or less directed more towards the paper. Then one
>>day, it rests about one second on the same spot, goes straight up, and
>>leaves a perfect dot on the paper.
>>
>>1 hour and 10 minutes old is the youngest artist in my research (see
>>attachment). Presenting the newborn with a drawing tool, it becomes clear
>>that the capacity for leaving drawing traces, emerging from his motor
>>movements, is present from the time he is born. The traces of his drawing
>>activities only become visible when we present him with a tool that is
>>suitably adapted to a surface and his physical capacities. Once these are in
>>place, traces caused by his movements become visible. Leaving traces is
>>guided in a direct, sensory way. The GE come from very close to his body.
>>When I put an eatable wax crayon block (2,5-1 cm)in or under the hand of a
>>newborn, his motor movements as well as his mood leave observable, reliable
>>recognizable specific kinds of traces (GE). They have always a floating tiny
>>character because his hands fly around, touching the paper on his belly (or
>>against his parents breast) accidentally. For example an angry newborn will
>>have the same tiny floating traces but the moment he touches the paper the
>>motor pressure, speed and direction will leave a darker piece, may be a
>>little larger line or a sharper hook.
>>
>>The baby (2 till 6 months) has a different grip of the drawing tool than a
>>newborn and he has more attention for the tool, the paper, and the marks. He
>>uses the entire length of his arm. Some babies are attracted by the radiant,
>>coloured spots and lines they have produced. They try to eat them. Other
>>babies are more interested in touching, scratching, or folding of the paper.
>>
>>The crawler (7-14 months) has as much with the drawing tools, the paper,
>>and the table as he is leaving traces. Some crawlers have no interest in
>>drawing at all, and others like to draw all the time.
>>
>>>From newborn to crawler, the most common graphic changes during the first
>>year are the increase of the size of the GE, the increase of pressure, and
>>the variations in direction and pressure.
>>
>>On the Art Therapy site some of my writing is available. Although it is not
>>up to date, its essence is still actual.
>>
>>Marijke Rutten-Saris
>>SRCT reg. Creative Art Therapist
>>LSVB reg. Supervisor
>>EBL Arts Therapy Centre
>>Weezenhof 3406
>>6536 GS
>>Nijmegen
>>Netherlands
>>
>>e-mail: [log in to unmask]
>><http://home.hetnet.nl/~beeldende_therapie/>http://home.hetnet.nl/~beelde
nde_therapie/
>>Click on: Werkvorm/ Methode/ Scheppende Lichaamstaal/ Emerging Body Language
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
>>Van: The UK drawing research network mailing list
>>[<mailto:[log in to unmask]>mailto:DRAWING-RESEARCH
@JISCMAIL.AC.UK]Namens George Whale
>>Verzonden: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 11:24 AM
>>Aan: [log in to unmask]
>>Onderwerp: Sound common sense
>>
>>
>>Dear All
>>
>>I came across the following in Mona Brookes' book, 'Drawing with Children'
>>(1996, Tarcher/Puttnam):
>>
>>'We don't expect children to play the piano, study dance, or learn a sport
>>without showing them the basic components of these subjects. Why do we
>>expect them to understand the complexities of drawing on their own? Imagine
>>expecting children to write creative stories without teaching them the
>>alphabet and the structure of language. Learning the language of drawing
>>and painting is likewise essential for anyone wanting to pursue those arts
>>creatively.'
>>
>>The idea that children (and art students, for that matter) should be given
>>explicit teaching in observational drawing seems to me like sound common
>>sense. But I'd be interested to know whether anybody on the list disagrees.
>>
>>George Whale.
>>
>
><http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ac/ad/htmlpages/staff/gwhale.html>http
://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ac/ad/htmlpages/staff/gwhale.html
>
>George Whale
>Research Associate
>Loughborough University School of Art & Design (LUSAD)
>Loughborough
>Leicestershire
>LE11 3TU
>UK
>
>Tel: +44 (0)1509 228967
>Mobile: 07944 751088
>Fax: +44 (0)1509 228902
>
***********************************************************
Dr Michael A R Biggs
Reader in Visual Communication
Faculty of Art and Design
University of Hertfordshire
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United Kingdom
Telephone UK+ (0)1707 285341
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