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Drawing Method
The drawing method is a playful experience to
express feelings.
First introduce drawing as:
Another way of
"talking," but with pictures instead of words
A means of
expression used by many (point out that some
people
express themselves by talking, some by
singing, some by dancing,
some by drawing)
Remember when
introducing drawing of any sort to clearly say
that the
goal is not to draw a "pretty picture"
but rather, a picture of expression
Drawing should be
presented to the child as an option for
expression,
not as a
required activity
REMEMBER: Use
previous questions to help lead these
activities:
A question can become a theme for a
drawing
Drawing Method Activities:
Draw/write a book together or make
journals with pictures
Do a
collective drawing such as a mural (murals tell
a "collective story,"
develop/support teamwork, and feel "safer" for
some children as opposed
to individual art)
Give the mural
a "place of honor" in the classroom
Make the mural
accessible for everyday viewing
Celebrate the
mural: use it to demonstrate getting through
something tough,
or to facilitate discussions
Take
photos/slides of the mural when completed
Draw aspects
of the event (people, places, activities, etc.)
Suggest lots
of options, not specifics (e.g., rather than
saying "draw
a fireman, helping someone," say
"draw a person you saw doing
something helpful.."
Create a
collage (a variety of materials) using a leading
question such as
"Where were you when the
disaster happened?"
The teacher
may draw/paste on the central image, then the
children
add photos, magazine pictures,
articles, fabric pieces, etc. around theme,
or
may draw directly onto it
Collages are
the "safest" form of "drawing" because the
child is
using others’ symbols. The child
may feel he/she is "losing less of
himself/herself"
Collages
provide "boundaries" for the child; this can act
as a safety
net (emotionally)
for some
You may also
want to look at other pictures (drawings,
paintings) and
talk about what they communicate
Avoid the use
of paint in this method as it is too "loose" of
a medium
for a traumatized child; the child
might use it to bring up things not
easily
handled in a classroom
Allow a full
range of expression: some children draw
recognizable "things",
others draw "abstracts";
respect all varieties
Allow children
to discard their artwork
Reassure them
that there is no "right way" to draw
Only exhibit
the artwork if a child desires to share with
others
Emphasize to
the children that their work will not be judged,
graded
or necessarily shown to others
Allow the use
of various mediums (pastels, crayons, pencils,
markers, etc.)
It’s
preferable to do the drawing method with more
than one adult present
Exercise as
little control as possible over the artwork
Concluding Drawing Activities:
A key element of
the Drawing Method is the
follow-up discussion.
This
discussion can help to bring
closure to the experience, an
important step
in the process of
expressing feelings
Allow those who
want to discuss their drawings
to do so
Use open-ended
questions in this process
Sometimes a
child’s artwork may be
especially expressive of his/her
feelings; a drawing can give
"clues" to some deeper problems
or feelings
within the child
Try to "read"
the picture in the same way you
might read words; what
might it
be
telling you?
Look at it as a
piece of communication, not just
fantasy
Keep in mind:
Colors, forms,
etc. have different meanings to
children of various
cultural
backgrounds and possibly to
different children within each
culture
Regard the
artwork as just a part of what’s
going on with a child;
look at
the child with a holistic view
The best source
for what’s going on behind the
drawing is the
child...ask
him/her
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