FAQ's

Definitely. There are some experiences which could be expressed better through the medium of art. The first language a child comprehends is of visual forms, and it is easier for the child to express certain things visually due to lack of vocabulary. Hence, art is a very effective medium of self-expression.

No. Children should be encouraged to draw from their own experiences, observation and imagination and not be forced with it. It’s okay if a child observes something and wants to draw it, but force feeding is not good. This will benefit them when they grow up.

Yes, they should. Observations, experiences and emotions are all a part of one’s memory and imagination is a result of it. By drawing from memory, the child is indirectly referring to these.

It is normal for a child to have a poor sense of distance and perspective. Their sense of perspective is not physical but psychological. There is no need to ‘teach’ them the third dimension. With practice they will grasp distance and perspective in the visual sense too.

A very good question indeed. It’s important to understand that till the age of 10, children should be allowed to have fun and paint whatever they like and however they like. During this period, it is important to have fun and use drawing and painting as a medium of a child’s expression of their experiences, observations, emotions and imaginations. It is the age of poetry, without bothering with grammar. Here, the teacher’s role is that of a facilitator, guide and motivator. Generally, after the age of 10 years childhood ends and gradually the time to make the child aware of the concepts and technicalities begins. Although, by drawing and painting without instructions & corrections till that age, the child would have gained some understanding of proportions and perspectives by experience and the process of self-appreciation. Here, the teacher becomes an instructor and makes the child learn Grammar methodically. I hope this makes things clearer.  

To answer your first question, yes, it is more practical but there is no compulsion. However, children of age up to 9/10 and those above should be seated separately as the style and teachers’ actions are supposed to be different with both.

It is abnormal for the child; however, it is normal to find one child who draws better than others in a particular group of children within a socio-economic group. This depends upon number of factors like the child’s home and school environment, availability of resources, exposure, and most of all encouragement.

No, it is not. However, it is good for children to experience as many mediums as possible.

This calls for adult (parental) education. Parents need to be made aware that their child’s natural ladder of growth and their real aesthetic needs can only be fulfilled by letting them reach their optimum potential and healthy development naturally.

What do you think “splashing colour” is in her painting activity? Those splashes are her “articles and animals”. If you let her grow naturally, her splashing of colours will develop into the “thing” and “animals” soon.

There’s no hard and fast rule on the matter. Some children feel the need for help at a rather early age, whereas others continue doing their own work happily with equally successful development. Generally speaking though, children should be given the freedom to draw and paint in their own way till they are 10 years old.

It is not desirable, but sometimes when you find children painting the same thing repeatedly, you might feel the need to. Rather than asking everyone to draw the same thing, it’s preferable to chose storytelling or a field trip as the route to ask them to paint something from experience. You’ll have better results as this will bring a sense of excitement to the task and the children will draw with a lot of interest and passion.

There is no harm to do it occasionally. But you should encourage him to try doing this on his own. If possible, ask him for make one before you make one for him.

Children like to draw and paint; this is helps with healthy development of their mind and body but only when they draw/paint from their own experiences or imagination. Drawing books don’t allow them this freedom and moreover, they restrict on their movement. The illustrations also ‘suggest’ colour scheme which are gaudy and corrupt the child’s aesthetics and also restricts the use of the vivid colours of their imagination.

You make a fair point.  Educationally, copying is not helpful. It is wrong. We should try to prevent children from copying, but very gently and cautiously. It may help you give them different seats in the classroom, though that too is a sensitive matter. These children should not feel that they are being punished for copying. Teachers have to realize that some children do have less imagination or inclination to look for new topics for their pictures. Although copying is harmful for healthy growth, it is also true that some children learn, or can learn, only by imitating, at least at the beginning stage.  

There is no harm in it. As long as it is a matter of mutual appreciation and exchange.

Children like to describe the contents of their pictures. The story the child tells about the picture is another effective means of self-expression. Some children also like to write about their pictures. There is nothing wrong in asking a child about his picture but you should not be insistent about it. After all, the child has already expressed what he or she wanted to communicate through the pictures. He will respond to your question only if there is something more to communicate. Teachers should try to understand the mind of the child. The more experience the teacher gain about children’s mind, the more they will be able to grasp the meaning without asking the child artist. Psychologists try to understand not only the meaning of the pictures, but try to explore deeper into the child’s personality through them.

It has been observed that children only use a few colours at a time, even if there are more options available. It is therefore advisable that they be given standard sets of six/twelve colours at a time. If more shades are made available subsequently, it would help the child understand the application and composition of the different shades and teach them to create those themselves. Brushes, which are ordinarily available, are okay for children to use, though the quality should be good. Very fine (thin) brushes are not good; using such brushes does not allow the child to be bold enough. Usually, mid-range brushes are adequate, but when making large pictures, thicker brushes will be required.

Children should complete the picture they have started to paint. You ought to encourage the child to complete it even after a gap of more than one period. Leaving a work incomplete is not a desirable habit. However, it has been observed that children generally prefer completing their pictures.

For giving art experience to children it is not essential for the teacher to be an expert in the technical aspects of art. In fact, my experience has convinced me that a teacher who understand the child, and is sympathetic to his needs, is better suited to help children in their art activities, than one who might be a very good artist but does not understand childhood.

As far as providing certain kinds of information are concerned, book illustration can be helpful, but those made in cheap taste can be a bad influence to the child’s aesthetic taste. In such cases, a good teacher will try to convey to the child that there is no relationship between his own art work and the illustration in their books. To my mind, a better solution is to use children’s art-work in illustrated books. And, better still, encourage them to write and illustrate their own books.

Copying is wrong for children, but copying good pictures may not be as harmful as copying pictures with cheap taste as these can distort the child’s aesthetic taste. Moreover, it is difficult, if not impossible, for an average teacher to be able to discriminate between good and bad pictures and hence avoiding copying is a better strategy altogether. Copying doesn’t leave room for the child to think and visualize which is more important than the simple task of drawing.

We should accept the principle that the influence of adult art destroys the natural quality and spontaneity of children. They would have plenty of time to learn from great masters when they grow-up. They will be able to appreciate the masters’ works better once they become adults, and hence would be able to learn in a healthier manner.

Works of child art are never realistic, but the child almost always feels happy with his work. Children paint things as they perceive them and not as they are, and that is the reason they may paint an elephant pink or a mother with four hands.

Yes it would be wrong as the intellectual or logical faculties and creativity are two different functions of the brain and are housed in different lobes and hence their development is also different. However, development of right brain functions (creative) do have a positive impact on the overall personality and certain functions and disciplines like observation and expression, which may help better performance in logical functions too. Nevertheless, what do you mean by ‘not that good’? For children, the process of making pictures is more important that the picture itself. All the pictures made by the kids up to 10 years of age are GOOD, EXCELLENT OR EXTRAORDINARYLY BEAUTIFUL only, nothing less hence please don’t be judgmental with them.

Art expression is the outlet for the most natural instincts and internal needs in a sublimated form. Art activities give joy, a sense of achievement and appreciation to children, which is very important.

It is not always so. However, we should realize that on account of their circumstances, the poor remain closer to nature and their experiences are more varied. Hence, their art expression is more natural and spontaneous.

At the time of entering adolescence, children start looking at the world as adults do. It is the time when they move from childhood to adulthood. To a great extent, the transition from childhood to adulthood could prove to be a very creative period. The state of aesthetics in today’s society is responsible for the pessimistic attitude towards an adolescent’s art expression. If the necessary perspective toward the education of the adolescent can be developed, the so-called “stage of crisis” during the changeover from childhood to adulthood could prove to be a very creative period. 

Children do not paint the objective reality. Their pictures depict their inner reality. They paint what they know and not what they see. The subject and size of object in children’s paintings depends on the importance they attach to them. The item that attracts them most becomes larger in proportion. Isn’t that the same in many of the old masterpieces? For instance, in the paintings at Ajanta, the Buddha is painted many times larger than the ordinary people.

Since children paint objects not as they are but as they see or perceive them, in their pictures the colour of the object also depends on their perception of the objects. In fact, children have very stark and definite sense of colour. They relate darker shades like black to bad or negative sentiments and colours like pink to things that they perceive as cute and good. Hence a bad character could be depicted with black colour and an elephant could be pink. Psychologist can thus identify a perpetrator in case of sodomy or abuse through the paintings made by children.

Yes, we can. I have observed that different children like to explore different activities at a particular moment. Some like to paint, some like pottery, others prefer other mediums. They ought to be given the freedom to choose from the various mediums available in the art class.

Generally speaking, children start feeling the need to paint realistically between the ages of ten to twelve years. However, it would be a mistake to consider this a hard-and-fast rule. Some children may reach that stage considerably earlier than others and some later.

The answer to the question above (Ref.Q. 32) would apply here too. These concepts could be taught to children when they reach the age of 10 to 12 years.

Children who are continuously exposed to new experiences find ideas for their painting and would not do it. However if it happens, it is either due to the absence of a new idea at that time, or the subject in the particular picture has especially attracted him. Children who are comparatively backward in this respect are more likely to imitate. We should not make a fuss about it. Who knows, this kind of limitation might give them the incentive to draw their own picture in the course of time.

What you call a "better picture” may not be so for children. From the child's point of view, his painting without the element of perspective is "his own" work, and that is the real character of child art. Remember, there is nothing bad, wrong and incorrect in child art.

Just imagine the harmful effect it would have on the child if he is not allowed to live in his own world. Making children paint like adults would mean imposing the world of adults on them, which would be against their natural growth. It would be as bad as trying to mould the child into adulthood before they are ready for it. Painting realistic pictures is the nature of an adult, not of a child.

It only means that all activities a child is exposed to should promote creativity. Art and aesthetic sense should be the outcome of all his activities.

It’s a natural course and when the time comes, they start feeling the need for knowledge of perspective. They will find it easier to learn it if they receive proper help at that time. It has also been observed that they compare their paintings with the object after painting for a few years from instincts and found to be working on self-correction and improvement.

Not necessarily. If the general aesthetic standard of the community is high and the taste of the people is good enough, the presence of perspective would not be an essential aspect of a good painting. If the approach towards art education is correct and the taste of society is formed on the foundations of great art, children would not necessarily be inclined towards realism or achieving the third dimension in their painting.

If the teacher is good and knows the art of exciting, facilitating and encouraging children to have fun with art, the children would enjoy the activity very much and come to the class with lots of enthusiasm. To be able to play with colours without any restrain, restriction and directions is very liberating and entertaining at the same time.

Art is related to our visual experiences. Mental imagery is an essential part of the thinking process. Visual images are closely related to mental images. Art makes these images clearer and more concrete. The experimental aspect of art helps one go deeper into the other elements of life.

Today competition has become the second nature of man and this affects children too. Competition is not a gift of nature to children and they should be protected from it.

Very interesting. We considered this too when we designed the All India Camel Colour Contest, which is now known as Camel Art Contest. The aim was to encourage children to participate for the love of art and not for the prizes; participation is key and not winning. Conscious efforts were made to minimize the ill effects of a contest and maximize the benefits of child art. Large scale participation, freedom of subject and medium, no physical movement of children, a large number of winners, low monetary value or prizes, which are very high on motivational value, are the defining features of the contest. That is the reason it has attained such a high degree of success and popularity.

You cannot make a rule about it. It depends on the subject, comfort level and the subject matter at hand.

According to psychologists, children first start drawing with shoulder movement, followed by elbow, wrist and fingers. This way their gross and fine motor skills get developed. That is the reason they choose to paint walls first and then move on to sheets and drawing books.

Children have vivid imaginations, a keen observation, honesty and boldness of expression and a language of colours, which together results into the use of abnormal shades in their paintings. They don’t paint the objects as they are but as they see them. This process of visualizing and imagination helps them in thinking of the unusual shades. Also, as they have a very strong sense of colours and their moods, they use them to express their emotions towards the objects. The objects which they find cute and likable become pink whereas the objects which are harsh and hurting are shown in black or grey.

No, you shouldn’t. If you do, they will keep asking for suggestion and stop thinking on their own. You could tell them a story, go for a walk, or visit a zoo or museum. All these would fire their imagination and help them visualize and paint many pictures, and also teach them how to get inspired.

It is not necessary to go in for very expensive material. Nevertheless they should be appropriate and sufficient. All the material you provide children with should fulfil their need for an art experience. Also, it is of prime importance to select only Non-Toxic and child safe material for children to protect their health.

What do you mean by mistakes? Is it when they spill colours on the floor or their clothes or face? If that is what you mean by mistakes, you should surely discourage them. But if they use colours according to their own thinking & colour scheme, how can it be called a mistake?

Obviously, they should if help means making the required material available, and exposing them to art by taking them to museums and art galleries, or motivating them with appreciation, discussion and display. They can also support the child in case of some physical or psychological issues. But if help means assisting them in drawing or in selecting colours or filling colours, adding finishing touches, it is an absolute NO. One should never help the child by doing their work, either fully or partly as it will rob the child of possibilities.

Yes, there is sometimes. It is generally found that girls like to create more delicate, expressive and ornamental work than boys. But that could also be on account of the age-old conditioning.

Yes. With regular practice of art, the power of imagination gets a boost and remains with the child forever.

There could be two explanations to this. Either there is no new experience worth drawing about, or the child has something embedded deep in his mind and is trying to gain the attention of the teacher or parents towards it. In case of the former, conscious efforts must be made to expose the child to fresh ideas by visits to Museums or art galleries, or roaming around in the city or fields. In case of latter, it is important for the parents or teacher to lovingly try to find the reason behind it and address the issue. In some cases there may be a need of a professional intervention of a qualified psychologist.

It is common for children to get distracted and loose interest in art at adolescence.  It is natural and takes place due to exposure to different things, pressure of studies etc. However, if the child has been nurtured well in art and has had a lot of fun with it, there are fewer chances of disenchantment. Regular exposure to serious art, careers in the art field, engagement in creative hobby, support of teachers and parents as well as a wide range of exciting and new art material could help uphold adolescent’s interest in art.

Yes, they have a great impact. Young children may not recognize the painter and his importance or whether the work on display is original or a print, but they adore good paintings and are greatly inspired by them. They may not say it, but they do love to be surrounded by beautiful objects. Great paintings would also have long term impact on the child’s aesthetics.

That thought must have made a deep impression on the child's mind. It was probably an outlet for his aggression against someone or a feeling of pity or fear. All such cases should be referred to a qualified psychologist for analysis as there might be a deep-rooted issue and the child might be in need of support.

Yes, let children draw such pictures if they wish. If their aggression or fear does not get an outlet in this manner they might find some other manner which may be more harmful. Such self-expression is useful for liberating the child's mind from stress.

Yes, it is recommendable. Mutual criticism and appreciation is always good. It motivates children in terms of critical observation, comprehension and making critical appreciation without hurting their friends personally. They also notice the good in others work and try to learn from them.

Leaving aside the question of children’s art, can you tell me how much regard is
given to children as individuals? However, good parents and teachers who want children to grow as imaginative, creative and innovative individuals with a balanced mental development should value pictures made by children. They should make an effort to motivate children by discussion and display of their works.

Yes, this is very important. They should provide all facilities for children to explore art including colours, papers, tools and accessories and the necessary space too. Also, it’s very important to maintain the freedom of what to paint, when to paint, how to paint and with which colours to paint. Even the option of whether to paint or not should rest with the child. Parents can play a great role by taking the children to art galleries, museums, and other places which can provide aesthetic exposure. Children will draw and paint better if they are exposed to a wide variety of literature like stories or poems that can inspire children to visualize.

Gradually and with lots of patience. It has also been observed that children do not draw complete pictures; they generally paint a single object. The parents and teachers should attempt to sensitize the child about various other objects which may help the child to draw further and complete their immediate physical and mental surroundings.

There is no alternative to freedom. Like other children, these kids also should be free to do whatever they like, but at the same time the parents and educators need to identify the cause and take the required corrective action. Mostly such children lack variety of exposure and experiences and given to feel that whatever they are given is beautiful and hence there is no need to try something else. Hence, the first task is to provide a holistic aesthetic exposure to such children to give them more topics to paint. A balanced critical appreciation will also help as it will help the child realize that although what he’s doing is good, he needs to widen the horizon and try to balance his growth.

They ask for help at the early stages, but if parents and teachers don’t directly help in painting their pictures, they stop doing so. They realize that they need to draw their own and learn independently. If the child cannot visualize, help could be offered in terms of exposure to art, storytelling etc.

No, it is not recommended. Children are very close to nature and need to experience every aspect of it - colour, form and movement - right from the beginning. Though schools only recommend crayons and pastels for convenience, there are no limits. Children can start off with liquid colours, and often do so.

No, they will not. In fact, it will be harmful.

They are not encouraged at all. Although these days many children are fond of them, they account of their parent’s ignorance of childhood and its real needs. Children ought to be encouraged to draw and paint their own pictures.

Instead of becoming easier, the teacher's task turns out to be more difficult. “Teaching" generally implies: Explain how it’s done. It’s usually done by holding the child's hand and directing it according to your plan. But the method we believe to be the correct one requires the teacher's attention at every stage of the child's development, without giving them specific directions about "How it’s done".

There is no sense in using the system of examination papers for children. Their day-to-day work itself is their examination. If they are happy and engaged in making new pictures they are successful.

There is no harm in asking children to explain their pictures. Children actually love it and will go on at length to explain their work. However, if the child is not in the mood to explain it or does not come forth easily, it’s best to drop the subject. It might be something that the child does not wish to talk about and if pressurized he may convincingly lie and the truth, which may be of vital importance, will stay hidden.

The tree in nature is different from the tree of the artist's imagination. The real search is for joy and not for the so-called correct imitation of nature. It is his poetic imagination, we’d be wrong to correct it.

Rather than having a large number of artists in the country, it is more important to assure a fuller and balanced personality development of the average citizen, which is possible only if all the schools give art its due importance and practice its teaching honestly and efficiently. It will make the public at large more understanding about art and the artist.

It will build the spirit of good craftsmanship which we lack today. The average person's capacity for using tools and gaining skills will be enhanced. The kind of art education we are asking for will also help in developing a technical approach among the population.

It will not only help to understand nature, but will also give the spirit and capacity of feeling along with it. Today, the process is just the opposite. The older the individual grows, the farther away he shifts from nature. Art education can fix this.

One of the most important aspects of art education is awareness. It actually means identifying with the environment.

Leave him alone for that day. However, there is a need to work on two fronts. One, to make the child realize that copying is of no great value and importance and second is to provide the child with wider exposure. Give him new experiences to draw from.

Yes, it does. We assume that the child's educational environment is in line with good taste. Hence, the art education we are asking for will be considered of the right kind.

We hope that it will not only last longer, but also be of enhanced quality.

If the development of the child has been according to the principles of his natural ladder of growth, he will automatically imbibe the sense of proportion.

We should exhibit all the good ones and make sure that every child has his or her picture(s) on the wall. No one should be left out.

All children of the group should see all pictures, but no child should think that he or she is considered especially good compared to the others.

By telling stories. Giving descriptions, and by showing good example of art objects. More importantly, by giving assurance of your respect for his personality.

If the child’s creative spirit is nurtured properly during the formative years, it would have a lasting impact on the person’s life and aesthetics. It will leave a distinct mark on their work and orientation.

Not only joy, but also the fuller development of the child's personality.

Appreciation is very important for the child and since the process in case of child art is more important than the product, we should be generous with it. The thumb rule is that whatever the child paints is right, even if it is wrong, there is no chance of pointing out any mistake or suggestions for correction. Only appreciation, and to an extent critical appreciation, is acceptable.

There’s nothing wrong with left-handedness so we shouldn’t be bothered by it. It is just a different orientation. According to belief, these people are more creative and innovative than the right handers.

More than one if you can manage it. And also coloured chalk, so that children can make large pictures

By making adequate arrangements for art material and extending all the possible facilities, and by expressing respect and sympathy towards them and their work. And the most important thing is encouragement through appreciation, discussion and display.

By saying this, you’re implying that children by nature take the wrong path and hence correction is must. This is the real issue. Children by nature are creative and explore their surroundings through their drawings and paintings. They draw, not what is there but what they see, which is a personal perspective. You may not like it, but it is not wrong and hence doesn’t need correction. Hence, the real task of education is to allow children to explore and understand their world and be able to understand and explain it. There is no need of correction as there is nothing wrong. The path of children is of straightforward truth. It may seem harsh, but the truth almost always is. They will learn through exploration, making mistakes, and correcting them on their own.