Describe the six stages in the development of drawing, and indicate what factors-including an understanding of symbols, availability of drawing materials, and culture-influence progression through these stages.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ideal answer should include:
1. Scribble stage (ages 18 months to 2 years): Children make several different scribble marks that are the basic elements of later drawings.
2. Placement stage (ages 2 to 3): Children place their scribbles in distinct locations on the page.
3. Shape stage (age 3): Children begin to draw six basic shapes, including circles and squares.
4. Design stage (ages 3 to 4): Children combine the basic shapes to form a design (e.g., circles inside a larger circle to produce a face).
5. Early pictorial stage (age 4): Children produce simple drawings of complete objects, such as a house and "tadpole" people.
6. Late pictorial stage (age 5): Children add details, such as eyes and eyelashes on a face, to their earlier drawings.
7. Children appear to progress through the stages of drawing at different rates, depending on the availability of materials. Children with more access to drawing materials will progress through the stages at a quicker pace.
8. Progression through the stages also involves culture. For example, one study examined 10- to 15-year-old Jimi children in Papua New Guinea who do not have indigenous pictorial art and had not attended formal schooling. When they were asked to draw a human figure, they produced stick figures that are similar to the drawings of preschoolers in industrialized cultures, suggesting that this is a universal starting point for pictorial art. However, they emphasized parts of the body that appear influenced by culture, placing greater emphasis on the hands/feet compared to the head/face, as is common in Western preschool children.