The Age of Reason (Ages 11-13)
Children begin to thing abstractly around this age. Coordination and physical growth often fall out of alignment at this time, hindering the artist's ability to create what he believes he should be capable of. Additionally, children at this age begin to favor same-sex friendships rather than those of opposing sexes, often relating to issues of self-esteem.
During the Age of Reason, many children discontinue their formal artistic education. An increased focus is placed on the final product rather than the creative process and oftentimes young artists are dissatisfied with their artwork. Artists in this stage of development will pay greater attention to the proportions of elements in their work, the creation of three-dimensional space, and the use realistic color.
At this stage, artists prefer to draw from observation rather than imagination. An increase in experimentation with both materials and concepts occur. Artists also have a strong interest in depicting the human figure at this time. This stage has also been referred to in part as pseudo-naturalistic, in response to the "adult-like" naturalism of their drawings.
All of the pieces listed on this page have been created by Courtney Teixeira.
During the Age of Reason, many children discontinue their formal artistic education. An increased focus is placed on the final product rather than the creative process and oftentimes young artists are dissatisfied with their artwork. Artists in this stage of development will pay greater attention to the proportions of elements in their work, the creation of three-dimensional space, and the use realistic color.
At this stage, artists prefer to draw from observation rather than imagination. An increase in experimentation with both materials and concepts occur. Artists also have a strong interest in depicting the human figure at this time. This stage has also been referred to in part as pseudo-naturalistic, in response to the "adult-like" naturalism of their drawings.
All of the pieces listed on this page have been created by Courtney Teixeira.
Figure 1
This drawing depicts a young brown bear in nature. A great amount of care was placed in the blending of oil pastel colors. There is an inclusion of smaller lines on the bear's surface to give the illusion of texture. The proportions and angle of the bear have also been rendered with accuracy to create a realistic representation.
Figure 2
This still life of wooden blocks has been created with graphite. There is an attention to shading and the direction of light, although there is still outlining occurring on the edges of objects. There is evidence that the proportions and perspectives have been edited multiple times in search for an accurate depiction.
Figure 3
This piece was created as an observational drawing while sitting in front of the television. The focus of this drawing was on the proportions of elements and the the angles of the furniture to create the illusion of a three-dimensional form. Elements of this piece are shaded in graphite to distinguish various colors that were seen and the shadows that were observed.
Figure 4
This drawing is an attempt at an accurate self portrait. Although shading and line weight are used in some parts of the face, the skin is untouched with the graphite for fear of inaccuracy. This piece seems to have been drawn strictly from observation while looking at a mirror.
Figure 5
This rendering of an elephant seems to have been drawn from a photograph. Shown at a slight angle, the elephant's limbs are depicted by overlapping forms. The proportions of this piece seem to be carefully drawn with the hind legs being slightly smaller than those in the front. The shadows on its body are carefully drawn with lines in black marker, indicating that there was probably an underdrawing in pencil at one point.
Figure 6
This watercolor painting depicts a view of the Slocum River. Demonstrating an interest in using new materials, the skill of this piece is not as advanced as in other mediums. There are large rocks in the foreground, a grassy area and the river in the middle ground, and a far shore in the background. The colors used are naturalistic and attempt to describe the dimensionality of the space through the use of color blocks on the rocks. Additionally, a receding space is evident through the scale of the trees from middle ground to background.
Figure 7
Drawn with a standard graphite pencil, the artist has attempted to draw her left hand in an irregular position. The folds of skin are indicated with lines and there is no use of shading to create dimensionality. Although this piece reads as a hand, many inaccuracies are still present under further scrutinization. The artist is still learning how to approach complex forms such as the human body, mastery of which may only be achieved through practice.