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Greetings All,

Does anybody here specialise in analysing children drawings? My 6 year old son drew this for an upcoming school �cops and robbers� themed art competition, seems a bit unusual for his age. He is otherwise a normal, friendly, little guy. I�m no expert but from what I have seen six year old kids don�t normally experiment with complex perspective in their drawings..

So I guess I have two questions.

1. Is this an early indicator of intellectual and/or creative giftedness? (Which parts of the drawing indicate this if yes or no?)

2. If yes, can anybody here possibly recommend how to nurture this? E.g Methods to encourage him, future schooling suggestions etc

Thank you for your time.

Very cool! I think the drawing shows interest, creativity, and ability to plan! As far as artistic ability, I'd be guessing. He represents figures symbolically, which is developmentally appropriate for his age. His artistic ability won't be apparent in symbolic or imaginative drawing though. It will show in observational drawing. "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" is the gold standard textbook. The reading will likely be too complex or boring for him, but the drawing exercises are appropriate if you explain them to him. Please take a look at it, he has potential and may surprise you if you can give him the instruction to get over the developmental hump into observational drawing.

I don't buy into the art as exploration approach. I learned to draw by observation rather than exploration. I don't perceive myself as "talented", but as having bypassed an ineffective way to teach art. Observational drawing first, THEN explore working with various media.

I would recommend getting drawing pencils in 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B, a sharpener, 100 grit sandpaper, and 8x12 paper - lots of it and preferably unbound. Paper quantity is more important than quality, although it should not be cheap. Look for paper that is not see-through, not mottled, and with a smooth surface. Avoid use of erasers! When he's ready for an eraser, get a kneaded eraser.

Expose him to as much art and as many styles as possible! His exploration into media will likely be driven by his exposure.

Enjoy the journey!

There are several art classes on Outschool.com. Maybe let him try one of those.

Excellent detail and quality! Most 6-year olds are not drawing with that level of detail. I have a son who loves drawing, and I began to notice that when he was with artistic adults, they would draw together in their own little world. So I contacted the local high school art teachers, and got a high school art student to meet my son once a week and they would draw together. The student could give him some ideas on how to advance his art, but more than anything, it was just a healthy relationship with someone else who expresses himself through art. They both loved there time together (plus it gave the student something to add to college applications).

These are all wonderful suggestions! Thank you so much to everyone for your input and for sharing your experiences. I definitely have a better understanding how to nurture his interest in art going forward. Appreciate it!

I am late to the party but here is a list which I recently constructed for another thread... it includes a small roundup of discussion threads on drawing.

I have two children. One is gifted with high ability in art, and one is gifted with interest in art, but no special ability. Interestingly, both have won art contests. The reason as I see it is that the one with no special ability has a gifted child's ability to concentrate, put in a lot of time, and use humor and interest in his work.

This topic is of interest to me, and your son's work is unusual for 6. I see some skills which DD also had at that age. Just keep providing him with material, ideas, and encouragement. You may find, as we have, that he wants to learn technique and that no one teaches it anymore. Art classes and camps tend to be experiential with a focus on "cool materials" these days. YouTube can help if this becomes a concern.

My dd6 is artistically gifted, your son may be too!

We ended up getting her into a very casual art class which focuses on allowing students to draw/paint with a tutor making suggestions as to techniques to try every now and then. Sometimes they even step in a do a bit of the drawing themselves so the student "creates" an artwork they are proud of. Trust me the parents can tell when this has happened!

We did this because the rage to master got obsessive at age 5. and she was losing self confidence. It has been the very best thing we could have done. We also supply her with good quality materials, allow her to draw whatever she likes (good or iffy) she colours in pictures for relaxation although I've heard this is frowned upon. She does a lot of lead pencil drawings and cartoons for fun.

As for it being an indicator of IQ it's hard to say. She is HG+ and reads at a 10th grade plus level, I think though that the art is a talent that perhaps may have been there without the IQ. It's really hard to know. It just consumes her in a way that other things she is very good at don't. We have actually made the decision to stop pushing the school to cater to her giftedness (a futile task anyway) and just let her focus on her art. There are so many wonderful career options for artistic people these days that we would be incredibly supportive of her pursuing this.

As for your sons picture, it does look very good and intricate. My DD sometimes does similar drawings, perspective is starting to come out at this stage and there is a very wide variety in what is normal. Like others have said, more than anything it is a sign of being able to focus and detail which is definitely something gifted kids often possess. I think the thing that stands out when looking for creative giftedness is the rage to master, that obsessive quality to draw to the exclusion of other activities etc.

Good luck!

Monart is a great. Drawing with children.


https://monart.com/monart-books/