The Schematic Stage (Ages 7-9)
Artwork created during the schematic stage is used as a tool for visual communication. Young artists develop specific schemas to portray objects. Children still tend to be more interested in the process of making art rather than the final product at this stage. A key characteristic and the benchmark at this level is the use of a baseline (either visual or assumed) or simply a more organized space. The child at this stage may also begin to show depth in their drawings. Additionally, the colors used are based on what the object actually looks like rather than having been arbitrarily chosen.
Around this age, children begin to develop thought processes similar to those of adults although they are not yet able to think abstractly. Motor skills and hand-eye coordination are well developed at this stage allowing children to create artwork that is easily understood by others.Figures are created by either contour outlines or stacking shapes and what is created is symbolic rather than realistic. Although both the face and body are drawn accurately, everything is only seen straight on. The challenge of larger forms is resolved through foldout drawings, x-ray drawings, multiple-viewpoint drawings, and bird's-eye views. Lastly, the themes of children's drawings revolve around narratives at this stage.
Figure 1
Juliana's drawing falls under the schematic stage. Although there is an indication of a baseline, most of the figures and the tree are still floating. The figures are created by stacking several shapes and colors seem to have been chosen based on the true realistic color of the object. This drawing may read as a narrative about Juliana and her friends.
Figure 2
My drawing from early childhood is of my father. The figure is recognizable as a man with short hair, dark eyes, and light skin. The colors are realistic for a child's rendition. There is a neck connected to the head and each of the body parts are resolved individually. As is typical in this stage, the man is drawn staring at the viewer. Additionally, there seems to be a consideration of creating different shades with the pressure of the crayon; the orange on the face is light enough for other crayons to be used on top while the hands, neck, and arm have been applied with greater pressure.
Figure 3
Alexander's drawing is of a swing set that sits on the implied baseline of the base of the page. He uses a single green crayon and a pencil to render the image. To render the cross bars and the main structure he uses individual straight lines. He also attempts to draw multiple viewpoints of the swingset at once by using the foldout technique.
Figure 4
Juliana's drawing shows that she is beginning to attempt the use of multiple baselines but has not fully grasped the concept. These features place her late in the schematic stage. The scene shows grass at the base with sand in the middle and either water or air on top. There is a large blank area between the water line and the sun and sky indicating that she does not yet understand the idea of a horizon line. The water line seems to be arbitrarily ended at that location.The colors Juliana used are realistic, but the piece seems to be rendered without much care for the final product.
Figure 5
This drawing depicts a girl in a dress with a crown on her head. She is drawn directly facing the viewer and each body part is an independent shape. The artist did not include arms on her figure and the drawing as a whole may have started as a straight line. A graphite pencil is used for the entirety of the piece, but the experiments with achieving dark and light shades by applying pressure. This drawing may be telling a narrative of the child herself or a person she has created.
Figure 6
Alexander's drawing depicts a man with a bow and arrow in his hand. Drawn in a single blue marker, the figure was created by stacking stapes on top of each other. By including the bow and arrow, an element of action was added to the drawing, creating a narrative.
