Earliest Artistic Development

Creating art is a physical and expressive act for young children. When making art, very young children use their whole bodies, babble, and playful gestures. At 1 ½ years children form marks with their fingers and manipulate objects. Scribbles are their first graphic symbols. Lowenfeld (1947) identified four types of scribbles: random scribbles, longitudinal scribbles, circular scribbles, and naming. Random scribbles are children’s first scribbles. They form these marks by clenching a drawing instrument in their fists and making shoulder movements. They do not possess the fine motor skills to control their drawing instrument. As they gain more control of their drawing instrument, they can produce longitudinal scribbles and later more complex circular scribbles. Eventually children will name their scribbles and tell stories about them. They may change the names of their scribbles and alter their stories.

Random Scribbles

Longitudinal Scribbles

Circular Scribbles

Big Ideas in Children's Artistic Development

 Debrah C. Sickler-Voigt, Ph.D.