Drawing is one of the most important activities you and your students can do. Drawing not only provides the basis for other creative activities – like painting, sculpture and printmaking – but it also provides a direct link with reading, writing and especially mathematics. The connection between drawing and geometric shapes and measurements simply cannot be denied. And do you know what else? Drawing is the single most accessible form of art available. All you need is a pencil and a sheet of paper.      Art and drawing technique can stimulate and encourage the learners to reach their highest functional level and enrich their lives through the use of the creative process (Furrer 1982)

     Much has been written about how art enhances creativity, imagination, and self-esteem, but far less is said about how art encourages cognition, critical thinking, and learning. Our current education system places great emphasis on academic development. As a result, arts programs are being reduced or even eliminated from classrooms to accommodate more didactic teaching methods. While art educators and child development specialists recognize that the arts are not a “frill” or enrichment activity, the arts are basic to education. With the many challenges our public education system faces today, combining art with academic subjects in the classroom becomes increasingly important. The arts can be a critical link for students in developing the crucial thinking skills and motivations they need to achieve at higher levels” (Deasy, & Stevenson, 2002). 

     A teacher can use drawing as a diagnostic tool for exploring interpersonal relationships at home and schools and interpersonal issues and an intervention strategy for helping the learners discover potential solutions to problem situations in their lives.     Art is an outstanding tool for teaching not only developmental skills, but also academic subjects such as math, science, and literacy. The most effective learning takes place when children do something related to the topic they are learning. When children study any given concept, they learn it better and retain it longer if they do an art activity that reinforces that learning.

Teaching your students about art is a good idea—here’s why:

• It’s been proven that early exposure to visual art, music, or drama promotes activity in the brain.
• Art helps children understand other subjects much more clearly—from math and science, to language arts and geography.
• Art nurtures inventiveness as it engages children in a process that aids in the development of self-esteem, self-discipline, cooperation, and self-motivation.
• Participating in art activities helps children to gain the tools necessary for understanding human experience, adapting to and respecting others’ ways of working and thinking, developing creative problem-solving skills, and communicating thoughts and ideas in a variety of ways.
• ØIf a child repeatedly asks for clarification, permission and approval, he/she is probably unsure of himself/herself and frequently seeks acceptance and expects some type of punishment or approval.
• ØIf a child constantly erases or starts over or destroys the finished product, he has a tendency toward expecting perfection from self and others.
• ØPermanent markers would mean self confidence.
• ØWhat a child chooses to construct will tell something important about him/her.
• ØThe size of the product has the correlation with the artist’s self esteem.
• ØIf a child draws the figure at the center  it indicates security, self direction, self centeredness.  If at the top, he may have a tendency to strive for unattainable goals, if at the bottom he may have a tendency toward insecurity and depression, if at left hand side of the page, he may tend to focus on the future, if left hand side of the page he tends to focus on the past.
• ØA well adjusted person will frequently have a moderate number of erasures resulting in an improved quality of drawing.
• ØSteady moderate pencil pressure is usually sign of good mental  health.

Different  Principles in Interpreting Drawing and Art:

 

Here are some quick art ideas you can implement right away without a lot of preparation or materials:

• Have your students create picture stories. Everyone draws a series of images—use stick people and box-shaped houses
• Youngsters can dip their fingers in some washable ink and make fingerprints on paper. They can then use markers to add eyes, ears, and noses to create people, cars, animals, and more.
• Suggest that each student keep a scrapbook that belongs to him or her alone. Drawings, postcards, clippings, and pieces of grass can all go into a scrapbook. Once a month you can have a scrapbook-sharing day.
• Hand out paper and invite students to draw circles of all sorts, letting them overlap. Next, they can color in the shapes that appear
• Provide cut-up pieces of fruit and vegetables, along with paint and paper. Have your students paint a fruit and veggie picture.
• Enlist your students’ help in creating signs. Supply paper, cardboard, or wood and lots of brightly colored markers.
• Have your students imagine there is a hole in the wall. What is lurking behind the wall? Talk about it. Ask them to draw it.
• See if your students can make figures using torn paper. No scissors, no pencils, just paper. If you have more time, the torn paper can be glued on another sheet and painted with watercolors.
• Set the clock and have your students draw stick figures on a sheet of paper for 10 minutes, spending no more than 10 seconds on each drawing. When a sheet of paper is full, they can move on to another sheet. Discuss the drawings at the end of the session.
• Try having your students draw their names in big blocky print with pencil on paper. Next, encourage them to fill the paper with all sorts of designs using markers, crayons, or oil pastels. If there is time, cover the paper with a light watercolor wash .

By: Elvie R.Mendoza | Teacher III | Saysain Elementary School | Bagac, Bataan