Early drawings - including examples of inventories
Tudor (3 years, 6 months), drew a lot of vertical lines. Then, taking a thicker felt tip pen he drew over and over on the same part of the paper, pressing so hard that he made a hole in the paper. Seeing what he'd done, he announced, "Like a lion". Perhaps it was his (fierce?) actions that suggested a lion to him, or was it the shape of the hole he'd made? | |
Megan (4 years, 5 months) explained that she had been on a "very big, fast roller-coaster" at the weekend. Containing both spatial and temporal qualities, this may be understood as both drawing, and a map indicating the route that the roller-coaster took.
| |
Three-year-old Tore was drawing excitedly at the whiteboard, explaining his marks as a "shark". It seemed possible that his marks suggested the rapid movement of a shark through (or vigorously thrashing in) the water. Perhaps the dots and short vertical lines suggested 'teeth', although without further explanation of course we cannot know. | |
Hamzah drew a row of circles (as wheels) to signify 'cars'. It was only towards the end of his drawing that he added the two black wheels beneath the brown circles. Finally, lower down he drew the rectangular shape, and pointing to the black dot inside it, explained "driving wheel".
Hamzah's drawings are both inventories of features he'd especially noticed.
| In his second drawing on the same day, Hamzah divided the internal space of the car for seats, explaining where various members of his family sit in the car. The black dot (lower right) inside the car is again, the '"steering wheel".
|
Ayaan referred to her rapidly drawn lines as a cat. Perhaps she was thinking of a cat's whiskers?
| |
Pointing to the various elements of his drawing, Max (4 years, 9 months) itemised them: "A man holding a flag and a dinosaur with a hammer in his back-pack and a mummy dinosaur with a bigger back-pack."
Max's drawing is another example of an inventory. | |
Shereen (AGE) was ouside in the garden. She drew zigzagging stairs, the faces of two girls (one that she designated "a princess'" Her drawing developed into complex picture with a block of flats, a car and an elephant.
Shereen's drawing may also be understood as an inventory.
| |
Oliver had written a birthday party invitation. 'Reading' his graphics he explained, "This is all the things. This is the oven [two squares with a row of dots at the top of one], where the cakes are going in and they are already in and the party is starting in a minute. The people [pointing to his drawing of one person, top right]. Lights, party lights on the roof. 1 o'clock - now!"
Oliver's party 'inventory'. | |
At home Shereen was drawing, telling her mum, that she had drawn a house: she explained that it was surrounded by many things: ‘I was climbing up the stairs and I looked out the window, I saw a butterfly, ladybird, snails, flowers, mountain and a dog eating its food."
Shereen's drawing is also an inventory of items she decided to draw. |