Stages of Artistic Development- Preteen

What can you expect when your 10 to 12-year-old wants a drawing class? Understanding the stages of artistic development in the preteen is key to enjoying and taking pride in your child's art production as they move from a symbolic style to adding more realism to their art works. See key features of children's art work at this important developmental art stage. Learn about the importance of introducing the elements of art and how you can encourage, engage, and provide meaningful learning opportunities for the preteen who wants their art to look "real".

Stages of Artistic Development In art, we can notice , encourage , engage , and provide learning opportunities to expand and strengthen growth and development. Preteen ages 10-12 Your child is ready…to be a Realist! The art you see is starting to look more realistic, based on your child’s increasing awareness of the appearance of objects. Without instruction, picture-making can stagnate, resulting in continued dependence on symbols such as stick figures. However, with instruction in three-dimensional drawing and the elements of art, children in this stage quickly acquire the more realistic drawing skills that they desire.

YOU MAY NOTICE THAT YOUR CHILD’S: • concentration is growing; can focus on one activity from 45-60 minutes. • love of facts is building their knowledge base and they have confidence in what they “know.” • attitude may be all or nothing, success or failure • critical abilities develop before their skills in art; they can see the problem, but not know how to fix it to their satisfaction. • favorite tool is a pencil. Able to advance beyond line drawing, they develop proficiency, patience, perseverance, and feel successful. ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD: • It’s a great time to teach your child to step back, evaluate what they’ve done, and fix their perceived drawing problem, as opposed to giving up. Say things like, “You have so many good lines it would be sad to throw it all away. Show me the area of the drawing that you’re frustrated with. OK, let’s look at the airplane that you’re drawing. I see your line goes in this direction, but when I look at the plane, the edge of the wing goes in the other direction. Can you erase just those lines and make the change?” “I’m so proud of you for seeing the problem. You have good visual skills!” ENGAGE YOUR CHILD BY: • trying a new drawing technique (shading), or draw a new subject (horses) alongside your child no matter what skill level you are at. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, laugh, and try again as a way of teaching perseverance. Travel to a place where your child can observe the subjects that are of current interest to the child. Draw the subject with pencil and paper from direct observation.

“Art is far more than imitation; it is a visual language that allows the doers, our children, to speak for themselves and to express their ideas and interests through pictures.” – Brenda Ellis Abbey

This is the Realism stage. We can help the preteen’s logical mind catch up to their desire to create more realism in their art. Their art develops naturally and improves rapidly when given consistent exposure to lessons that teach how to use the elements of art. Without this information, many preteens give up on art with the idea that they don’t have the talent. Early Realistic Drawing • Gained control of large and small muscle groups; the preteen enjoys activities that require greater detail and control • Becomes less fully-dependent on “outline” as the only means of portraying likeness of the subjects • Strives to make meaningful art by drawing subjects that they share a connection with; may draw the same subject repeatedly • Strives to mix colors close to what they see; less invention and imagination are used as child strives for more realism Later Realistic Drawing • Begins to apply visual cues such as overlap to show placement or horizon line and size to show distance • As light, shade, and textural effects are introduced, their art work takes on a greater realism • Enjoyment increases as the child gains confidence in their abilities to draw from direct observation

FEATURES OF THEIR ART

Overlap: Atempts to understand overlap ; hair over shoulders, arm over arm, and body over chair.

Logic over Sight: Not yet fully grasping propor�on , but uses logic to solve visual problems; may shorten appendages to get arm or leg to fit onto the page

Elements of Art: Will progress when taught to apply the art elements, like texture, value, and shading to their art.

Conven�ons: Enjoys rules such as using a grid, horizon line, or perspec�ve line .

ART CLASS OBJECTIVES

PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

ARTistic Pursuits resources are designed specifically for your child’s stage of development. We provide learning opportunities with art class objectives that fit your preteen’s needs as a growing artist and expand their visual experiences.

https://artisticpursuits.com, @artisticpursuitsinc, alltheanswers@artisticpursuits.com, (303)-467-0504, Artistic Pursuits Inc., 2626 East 109 th Ave., Northglenn, CO 80233 COPYRIGHT ©2024 BRENDA ABBEY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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