Children as Illustrators

Child drawing Material for this article came from the book Children as Illustrators: Making Meaning through Art and Language,written by Professor Susan Thompson

Children create symbols regularly as they strive to capture events and make meaning of their lives, and because it is an interesting thing to do. As a mother, I find drawings by my children on the sides of boxes, in the sand, and on sidewalks. Such drawings are not only art but also early forms of children’s written communication. The drawings tell a story, and, as temporary as some of them are, they represent the artist who created them, if even only for a short while.

Some of the most wonderful stories are told through art, and some of the most expressive pieces of artwork are created by children. Much can be communicated through art, and when art is used to illustrate writings in a way that enhances what is written, even more can be expressed.

I initially became aware of this process when I was a first and second grade teacher. My understandings grew when I had young children of my own and they wanted to write and create books almost every day and read them to our family. When I became an elementary education professor, I found myself working with teachers in their classrooms and teaching preservice teachers about this process. Over a period of several years, I wrote and had published a book entitled Children as Illustrators: Making Meaning through Art and Language. During the development of this book, I talked with and observed numerous teachers who work with young children in the writing and illustration processes, taught graduate classes on this topic, and observed and talked with children in many different classrooms in 17 elementary schools. This article summarizes some ideas about the creativity of children, children as authors and illustrators, what children can learn from adult illustrators and writers, and children creating illustrations using a variety of techniques.

Children as Creative Beings

Young children’s art activities should center on exploring art materials, relating their artwork to their experiences in the world, and enjoying the process.

Provide children with many opportunities to play with the art process. Children can use paintbrushes and water to paint on the side of a house, they can swirl their fingers in finger paint just to experiment, and they can draw in the sand with a stick. All of these activities represent ways children are enjoying the process of art. Only after they have gained an understanding of the process can they go on to create illustrations.
Allow children to create art from their own experiences. Learning takes place when children make connections between new experiences and what they already know – knowledge already learned at school or experiences they bring with them from home. Experiences children have give them a starting point for their art, and the illustrations reflect each child’s learning.

Children as Illustrators - Techniques and Activities

Children enjoy exploring and learning about a variety of art materials and techniques. When they have had experiences with many different illustration techniques, they will be able to select the ones that they feel best fit their writings. Teachers and parents can put the art materials for particular techniques in drawers or boxes labeled with both words and pictures; children can then easily find materials and tools to use in creating beautiful illustrations for their stories and poems. Illustration techniques build foundational knowledge for children. With encouragement and opportunities, children will incorporate their own creative and unique ideas for using materials.

Printing: Ask children if they have ever kissed a mirror and left the image of their lips on the glass. They’ve made a print! Leaving a muddy or wet footprint on the sidewalk is another way they might have made a print. A variety of tools for making prints can include: Leaves and other natural materials, sponges, clay stamps, pieces of wood, meat trays, weather stripping, and gadgets found around the house.
Painting: Talk with children about painting they have done. Children may have helped to paint a wall at home, painted at an easel at school, or even painted a piece of furniture. Many children’s book illustrators use paints to create illustrations. Their techniques include blowing paint with straws, splattering paint with a toothbrush, crayon resist, finger painting, watercolors, and painting on fabric.
Collage: Involve children in collecting collage materials. This can be a meaningful part of the activity for children. A collage is a composition that combines different objects. Brainstorm together different materials the children can use in their collages to form a picture, a portrait, or a pattern or to create a mood. The objects can be any kind of paper but are not limited to paper. Numerous materials can be pasted, glued, stapled, or taped, usually onto a background (stiff paper, a box lid, or even an egg carton) to make a collage. Natural materials can be used, everything from broken eggshells, corn husks or leaves to bones, seeds or wool. A collage could also contain other materials such as zippers, beads, ribbons, cotton balls, fabric scraps, springs, jewelry, buttons, or checkers. Materials must be clean and have some aesthetic appeal.

Conclusion

Understanding children is a journey; the more I learn, the more I appreciate how children acquire literacy and use language in a variety of ways as they express and communicate complicated thoughts and ideas. When we engage children in the world of writing and illustrations, we all receive a gift: a community rich with language, appreciation, and communication.

Resources

Dyson, A.H. 1993. Social worlds of children learning to write in an urban primary school. New York: Teachers College Press.
Engel, B.S. 1995. Considering children’s art: Why and how to value their works. Washington, D.C: NAEYC.
Graves, D.H. 1983. Writing: Teachers and children at work. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Jalongo, M.R. 2003. Early childhood language arts. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Schirrmacher, R. 2002. Art and Creative development for young children. 4th ed. Albany, NY: Delmar.
Thompson, S. 2005. Children as illustrators: making meaning through art and language. Washington, D.C: NAEYC.