University of Iowa

Iowa Research Online

Theses and Dissertations

Summer 2013

Artistic Development Among Young Children:

Evaluating Identity, Confidence, and Ability in the
Saturday Morning Art Workshops
Anna Elise Charles
University of Iowa

Copyright 2013 Anna Elise Charles

This thesis is available at Iowa Research Online: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/4828

Recommended Citation
Charles, Anna Elise. "Artistic Development Among Young Children: Evaluating Identity, Confidence, and Ability in the Saturday
Morning Art Workshops." MA (Master of Arts) thesis, University of Iowa, 2013.
https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/4828. https://doi.org/10.17077/etd.f3ze020n

Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd

Part of the Education Commons

 ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT AMONG YOUNG CHILDREN: EVALUATING
IDENTITY, CONFIDENCE, AND ABILITY IN THE SATURDAY MORNING ART
WORKSHOPS

by
Anna Elise Charles

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the Master of
Arts degree in Art
in the Graduate College of
The University of Iowa

August 2013

Thesis Supervisor: Professor Carol Coohey

 Copyright by

ANNA ELISE CHARLES

2013

All Rights Reserved

 Graduate College
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL

_______________________

MASTER'S THESIS
_______________

This is to certify that the Master's thesis of

Anna Elise Charles

has been approved by the Examining Committee

for the thesis requirement for the Master of Arts
degree in Art at the August 2013 graduation.

Thesis Committee: _________________________

Carol Coohey, Thesis Supervisor

_________________________
Rachel Marie-Crane Williams

________________________
Clara Baldus
To my mother and father and the wonderful Art Education and Social Work
departments at the University of Iowa.

ii
I want my children to understand the world, but not just because the world is fascinating and
the human mind is curious. I want them to understand it so that they will be positioned to
make it a better place

Howard Gardner
The Development and Education of the Mind

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to acknowledge the wonderful Art Education department at the

University of Iowa and all of my committee members for their support and

encouragement in the writing of this thesis.

iv
 ABSTRACT

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the artistic development of

young children enrolled in the comic class as part of the Saturday Morning art

workshops. I wanted to understand whether the children’s artistic identity, confidence

and ability in the comic workshop increased over time.

Methods: I used a case study method to evaluate development among five

participants, 9-10 year olds, in the comic workshop over seven weeks. I observed the

children and interviewed them during the workshops, and I also evaluated the drawings

they created in the workshop from the first and last weeks using a rubric.

Results: It is possible that the Saturday morning art workshops influenced four

of the participant’s artist development. In terms of artistic identity John and Gabe may

have been influenced by the workshop; they appeared to have experienced increased

motivation and confidence. Ethan, John, and Dalton seemed to have developed skills that

made them better artists. One participant, Liz, appeared to be confident and identify as

an artist prior to attending the workshop.

Conclusions: While the methodology I used could not demonstrate an increase in

children’s artistic development definitively, the results show that some children

developed as artists over the seven weeks. In the Discussion, I describe how instruction
could be improved in the Saturday Morning Art workshop to better assess and promote

children’s development. A future study investigating artistic identity, confidence, and

ability in children utilizing semi-structured interviews in a private location and with a pre

and posttest measures might prove to be useful determining whether the Saturday

Morning art workshops influences artistic development.

v
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii

LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix

INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1
Purpose and Research Questions .................................................................1

LITERATURE REVIEW. ...................................................................................................4

Artistic and Creative Identity............................................................................5

Identity .........................................................................................................6
Motivation....................................................................................................8
Instruction, Artistic Identity, and Skill Building .......................................10
The Importance of Art Workshops in Children’s Development ...............14
Drawing, the Development of Artistic Ability and Identity ......................15
Instruction, Self-Confidence and the Development of Artistic Skill .........18
SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................21

METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................22

Design .............................................................................................................22
Setting .............................................................................................................22
Sample .......................................................................................................24
Sample characteristics ...............................................................................25
Data Collection Procedures .......................................................................26
Instruments .....................................................................................................26
Observation, Questioning and Note-Taking ...................................................27
Observation and Note Taking ...................................................................27
Questioning and Note Taking ...................................................................29
Drawing Rubric ...............................................................................................30
Data Analysis ..................................................................................................32

RESULTS ........................................................................................................................35
Workshops Influence on Artistic Identity.......................................................35
Artistic Identity Using Jeffri and Greenblatt’s Definition ..............................38
Confidence in Artistic Skills and Ability........................................................41

ANALYSIS .......................................................................................................................46

Artistic Skill Development .............................................................................46

Analyzing the Comics without the Rubric.................................................46
Analyzing the Comics with the Rubric ......................................................48

DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................................63

Artistic Identity ...............................................................................................63

Confidence .................................................................................................68
Artistic Skills .............................................................................................70
Summary .........................................................................................................70

vi
 Limitations ......................................................................................................71
Implications for Future Research ...............................................................77
Implications for Art Education ..................................................................75

CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................80

REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................81

vii
 LIST OF TABLES

Table

1. Assessment of Drawing Rubric ................................................................................31

2. Artistic Identity as defined by Jeffri and Greenblatt, Questions on Artistic

Identity ......................................................................................................................64

viii
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure

1. Drawing from Gabe cover of the Savyor the Hero of Hero comics .........................39

2. Drawing from Ethan in color of a one page comic ...................................................40

3. Drawing from Liz week one .....................................................................................49

4. Drawing from Liz week seven ..................................................................................50

5. Drawing from John week one ...................................................................................52

6. Drawing from John week seven Joey the Superburger comic .................................52

7. Drawing from Dalton week one ................................................................................54

8. Drawing from Dalton week seven ............................................................................54

9. Drawing from Ethan week one .................................................................................56

10. Drawing from Ethan week seven Bighead Larry .....................................................56

11. Drawing from Gabe week one MP-40 Robots ..........................................................58

12. Drawing from Gabe week seven MP-40 Robots.......................................................59

ix
 1

INTRODUCTION

To identify oneself as an artist is something that happens as a process. For

children, identification with art making may begin at an early age. Some children like to

draw which is an essential part of their identity or who they are. Other children like to

draw but do not associate the love of drawing with their identity. The Saturday Morning

Art workshops are where children can explore both their love for drawing and develop as

artist. The Saturday Morning Art workshops have been part of the University of Iowa art

and education program since the 1970s. These art programs are a part of the education

program curriculum for pre-service art teachers. The art workshops are an alternative

educational environment: a place for studio art majors to teach art to children. They allow

artists a place to experience teaching in a very unique setting. In fact, the University of

Iowa College of Education newsletter mentions that the art workshops are different from

many school settings, because children are encouraged to be creative (Fishbaugh, 2011).

The experience of making art outside of the classroom provides an enriching environment

for encouraging young artists’ development.

Purpose and Research Questions

I hope to find that the art workshops offered by the art education department at the

University of Iowa provide a unique opportunity for children to develop as artists.

Specifically, I will answer three questions:

1. Does the experience of art education in the Saturday Morning Art

workshops influence children’s artistic identity?

 2

2. Does the experience of art education in the Saturday Morning Art build

children’s confidence in the artistic ability?

3. Does the experience of art education in the Saturday Morning Art

workshops affect children’s artistic skill development?

To answer these questions on artistic development in the University of Iowa

Saturday Morning Art workshops, I did a case study of the program including five

participants. In the case study, I described the events of the workshop from week to week

and whether the workshop affected artistic development--children’s identity, confidence

and abilities--and how they described their experiences in the Workshop. The

environment of the art workshops and instruction that these workshops provide was

important for children interested in art because they offer a different, and potentially

more powerful, experience than art in school. The art workshops are where pre-service

teachers can offer very individualized instruction to young artists. These pre-service

teachers are primarily artists who also want to teach art, therefore much of what they

bring to the art workshop are experimental lessons and new ideas about how to teach art.

The workshops do not have a set curriculum about how to teach art, and many of the

lessons feature new ideas or ways of teaching to engage and motivate children. In

addition children in these art classes experience new teaching methods and had access to

many different art techniques and supplies that are not available in art regular school

classrooms due to time and budget constraints. These children also have the opportunity

to be with other children who are very talented and enjoy making art. Therefore the

environment in the Saturday morning workshops seem like a good place to observe
 3

whether these innovative teaching practices, access to art supplies, and interaction with

interested students will affect young artists’ identity, confidence and skills.

In the next section, I review literature on artistic and creative identity, skill acquisition,

educational workshops, and confidence. There is not a lot of information about artistic

development in children as artists. The only studies on artistic and creative identity in

children outside the art classroom are by the Summer Arts Institute and by Rostan (1998,

2005). The only information about confidence in elementary children was an article about

play and motor skill development (Bunker, 1991), but the same ideas can be applied to

art. The Literature section focuses on Rostan’s work, because she conducted in-depth

studies about children and artistic identity. Her studies on artistic identity are important

because they take place outside of the art classroom where she has access to talented

young artists.
 4

LITERATURE REVIEW

In the literature review, I described three dimensions of artistic development:

identity, confidence and skills. I began by defining artistic and creative identity and how

this process happens in children. Artistic and creative identity may be self-

acknowledgement of the enjoyment of making art or an adopted label. Next, I identified

factors that may contribute to artistic identity and identity formation in children. Identity

for children was the self-discovery of enjoyment in making art or drawing which could

label or define them. Identity can be self-affirmation or a label given to an individual by

peers, family, or teachers. The factors that contribute to artistic identity were having

knowledge about art, motivation and purpose when making art. The acquisition of skills

was another important factor to artistic identity that builds drawing ability and motivation

through positive behavior in art and choice in art materials. Then, I will provide an

example where children have benefited from art workshops that increased artistic skills

because of the environment and talent of other students. One example of such a workshop

was the Summer Arts Institute at the University of Illinois, where youth benefited from

direct instruction, small classes, and working with talented youth. Next I discuss how

children explore their artistic identity and views of the world through the process of

drawing. For some children drawing is a process that includes developments in drawing

the figure and exploration of violence and aggression. Finally I will discuss self-

confidence and how it motivates children to make art by seeking positive experiences

where they are rewarded for positive behavior.

 5

Artistic and Creative Identity

In this section I provided a definition of artistic identity. Artistic identity is a

belief that one is an artist. It answers the question of “Who am I? What are my distinct

characteristics? What do I want to be? What do I want to do? How do I want to be

viewed by others? For children this occurs from the process of making something that

gives them pleasure. They like to create their own worlds or use their imagination.

Making art was also a way for children to make sense out of their surroundings. For

children, being able to realize that they like to make art may be enough for them to claim

that they were artists. The realization that what you like to do was a part of who you are

was an essential step for children to begin the process of identity formation.

In addition to the belief that one is an artist, it may be necessary for other criteria to be

met that relate to artistic identity. Jeffri and Greenblatt (1989) indicated five indicators

for artistic identity. These are as follows:

1. The person is recognized by his/her peers and labeled as an artist.

2. The person considers him/herself to be an artist.

3. The person spends a substantial amount of time creating art.

4. The person has a special talent (skill).

5. The person has an inner drive to make art.

For my research, I will determine whether children meet any of these criteria for artistic

identity. I modify Jeffri and Greenblatt’s (1989) criteria slightly. For criteria four, I will

measure advanced or exceptional artistic skill instead of talent, because skill can be

observed.

For children, meeting all of these requirements might be difficult because they are in the
 6

process of identity formation. Consequently they may not consider themselves to be

artists, but they might exhibit all of the other characteristics that could indicate that they

are artistic, such as spending a lot of time making art.

Identity

Rostan (1998), in her study on creative and artistic identity looked, at how young

artists defined identity. Her rationale for this study is the lack of information on artistic

identity formation in children. She argued that like adults, children, who like art, invest a

lot of time and energy acquiring the necessary skills to develop their talent as artists. The

reason that Rostan studied children was because they were at the beginning of acquiring

an artistic identity. Children who were interested in making art were really “artists-in the

making”; their work, progress and sense of self, provided information about artistic and

creative identity (p. 282).

In her study, Rostan (1998) finds that 39 young children, 8-10 year olds, define artistic

identity include being motivated to make art, working hard to develop artistic skills, and

focusing on making art. She interviews young art students who were participating in an

afterschool art program. Her interviews were open ended questions that encouraged the

participants to discuss artistic identity. She found that young artists know what it means

to be creative and artistic. She was able to see how these children are emerging artists

which were revealed in her observations and interviews during the art program.

In her results, Rostan (1998, 2005) mentioned children could discuss criteria to identify

good artists. The criteria for good artists are motivation, knowledge about art, how to use

materials. In her research, all of the young artists could articulate what it meant to be an

artist and creative. Rostan (1998) mentioned that “As young children learn about art and
 7

what is required of its practioners, however, they may extrapolate powerful information

that helps them identity with artists and evaluate their own abilities as artists” (p. 281).

The young artists described artistic identity as having knowledge, motivation and purpose

when making art. Their definition of artistic identity meant that others acknowledged and

recognized that they were artists. Besides being affirmed in their identity as artists,

children (8 year olds) felt that being able to draw well and use imagination was also a

part of making art and being a good artist. An artist for this age group was defined as

someone who works hard to make art, and enjoyed their work. Therefore for 8 year olds,

the definition of a good artist was to take part in something that makes them feel good,

use their imagination, and communicate feelings. In addition the acquisition of skills was

very important for all ages 8-10 year olds because they were interested in learning how to

be better artists (Rostan, 1998).

Rostan (1998, 2005) suggested that by comparing the young artist’s definition of

artistic identity with adults and adolescents, her conclusion was that young artists have a

very sophisticated definition of creative and artistic identity. In her interviews she noted

that the children participated in art criticism. The children’s descriptions of their art and

how they talked about artistic processes, and the materials and techniques they used,

indicated knowledge of art criticism (Rostan, 1998).

In addition to being able to define artistic identity, the participants in Rostan studies

(1998, 2005) had a positive experience making art feel confident about their artistic

ability. In this way artistic identity was also related to success because the artists have to

feel confident about their art. If a young artist was successful then there may be an

increase in confidence. The artist may then continue to see out other positive experiences
 8

to continue to make art. Therefore the accomplishment and achievement was an

important indication of continued confidence and success. If there was interest in a

specific task or a challenge then children continue to see out places to continue the

enjoyment that occurred and be motivated to continue to make art. Therefore, motivation

to participate in positive experiences where artistic talent was valued was a part of artistic

identity for children.

Motivation

Motivation to make art was part of the definition of artistic identity. For young

artists in Rostan’s studies (1998, 2005) children were motivated by their desire to be

good artists; this meant learning new skills and being recognized by others as talented.

The motivation to persist on a task was defined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1996) as

flow. Flow is where the time passes unnoticed during a task because of the desire to

persist.

The experience of flow is different for the observer and the participant. The observable

behavior looks like sustained work over a period of time where a participant worked

continuously unaware of the passage of time. These are the conditions that are necessary

for flow to occur. To the observer, flow, was time spent on task. For the artist that same

amount of time was sustained activity where time passes unnoticed. There are the

conditions necessary to reach this level of enjoyment where time passes unnoticed for the

artist (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996). For children, enjoyment, or having a positive experience

while making art, may motivate them to continue to seek out similar experiences for

making art.

As noted above, Rostan (1998, 2005) and Albertson (2011) wrote that artistic
 9

identity can be based on self-perception and/or validation by others. For children, being

rewarded by adults and peers may increase young artists pleasure during the process of

art making. The acknowledgement by others was important for artistic identity.

Albertson (2011) mentioned that the desire to be viewed as an artist and to be called an

artist, even if not being able to embrace that title fully, was an important step for the

validation of artistic identity (p. 63). Rostan (1998) also agreed that the opinion of others

who identified or labeled children as artists was a validation of their artistic identity.

Young artists were more likely commit to making art, if they found satisfaction and

fulfillment in making art; they will want to continue as artists. Rostan’s (1998) study

focused on identity formation in young artists demonstrated their desire to gain the

knowledge and experience necessary to develop as artists.

Having a positive experience in art class during childhood was also important to artistic

identity formation in adolescents. In her study on art and identity formation in the

adolescent artist, Albertson (2011) made the connection between early involvement in

extracurricular art activities and identity. In her study, she interviewed five female art

majors about their earlier childhood and adolescent experiences as artists. Each of the

women shared their stories about how art classes shaped their identity as adults. At an

early age, all five participants were encouraged to take art classes throughout childhood

by adults. All of the participants in (Albertson, 2011) her study had access to art

materials as young children and some took art classes. The encouragement from adults

and the choice to participate in enriching art experiences was what later resulted in all

five women from Albertson’s study to pursue art degrees in college. Therefore these

positive experiences as children validated their desire to continue to make art as adults.
 10

Albertson agreed with the results from Rostan’s study (1998, 2005) that young artistic

children may have had an understanding of their artistic identity which was similar to her

findings about college age art students.

Instruction, Artistic Identity and Skill Building

In this section I will examine how skills and instruction are important influences

on artistic identity formation. In young artists’ definition of artistic identity there was

often a concern with developing skills related to making art. The familiarity that children

have with art materials was related to the amount of time spent using a specific art

material or skill. For example, a student who knows how to draw most likely has more

experience and more practice then other students who have less experience and practice

(Bunker, 1991). Not only does a student who drew frequently have drawing abilities but

also have knowledge of drawing skills.

Another study by Rostan (2005) focused on the value of art education in teaching

artistic skills and the process that influenced artistic development. This study looked at

how children ages 7-11 develop artistically through a series of imaginary and realistic

drawings that were then judged based on creativity and technical skill. All of the

participants in this study progressed in artistic skill due to receiving instruction on artistic

processes. Analysis of the drawings, art materials, and problem-solving provide evidence

of change in the children’s development of measurable artistic skill development because

of instruction.

There was also evidence from Rostan’s (2005) study that guided instruction can

increase the quality of children’s art. Children learn how to look at objects and then draw

what they see through the process of experimentation and guidance. Young artists
 11

through guidance gain a deeper understanding of how to use art materials and processes

in art making. With guided instruction and skill development, artistic talent and creativity

will evolve. The process of experimenting with art materials and trying to problem solve

as a means of replicating visual information develop artistic ability. The conclusion was

that education in art impacts early artistic development and creativity.

A study by Joo Chua and Iyengar (2008), on the role of choice in creativity, mentioned

the importance of flexibility in teaching children art. This study indicated “task

flexibility during problem solving is conductive for human creativity” (p.176). The

combination of prior knowledge about art and the instruction to be creative, if given a lot

of choices, the result was that the product was more creative. Therefore flexibility and

choice in this study by Joo and Iyengar, (2008) was beneficial for students who have

knowledge of their domain or subject matter in art. By applying the findings of this study

to art making, appeared that a choice in materials motivated students and increased skill

development. In fact an example of this was evident in a study by Amabile and Gitomer

(1994) where children who had a choice in which materials to use made a more creative

collage than those children who were given no choices. In this situation allowing children

a choice of materials produced a more creative outcome in their work. Because the

children who made the collage had a choice in materials the familiarity with art resulted

in a creative outcome because they were allowed different choices (Joo Chua & Iyengar

2008).

In addition to having more choices in art materials, Joo Chua and Iyengar (2008)

said the instruction to be creative can affect the outcome of artwork. When the directions

are to be more creative, the tendency was to explore more options and find an original
 12

solution. Consequently if the directions to be creative are not there then the most obvious

solution to the problem will be used. Joo Chua and Iyengar suggested that if not

challenged to find a creative solution to problem that most individuals will not spend the

time or have the motivation to do so. Similarly this can be applied to art students, where

if they are not challenged in school and given no flexibility in choices, then, arguably,

they will be less likely to develop their artistic skills.

Artistic skills can be nurtured by teachers who provide individualized instruction,

challenging lessons, and techniques that meet the needs of talent young artists. However

these skills were according to Clark and Zimmerman (2004) seldom met in school art

classrooms. Many of the talented artists at schools who are recognized as artists are not

challenged by the curriculum and have limited access to art materials. There are two

reasons why teachers in school neglect to teach these students. One reason was due to the

curriculum and the other reason was that talent was not always recognized at school. The

needs of creative students challenging lessons, or instruction there was encouragement to

engage in free thought and original ideas was not included in the curriculum. The talented

artist was not taught beneficial skills because as Clark and Zimmerman (2004) mention in

the art classroom the teacher does not provide a challenge or teach new skills that would

benefit the student. Teachers felt that talented artists do not need new skills because they

are already at the top of their class. Along with not being challenged by the curriculum

was the fact that there might not be enough new or unfamiliar art materials. Having

access to new and different materials was important because talented artists can express

new ideas (Clark & Zimmerman, 2004).

Clark and Zimmerman (2004) noted a second reason why art teachers may neglect
 13

to reach artistically talented students was because they are not identifiable at school.

There are many reasons that these students are not recognized by teachers. One reason

was because there was little time in the school schedule devoted to art. The art class that

meets once a week for elementary and junior high children was not enough time for a

student who was interested in developing as an artist. Instead, the artistic self-expression

that children exhibit was often done outside school. This can be due to time restrictions in

school, or that they feel less threatened to express themselves at home. All of the

different types of self-expression that were a part of making art were often discouraged at

school. These types of self-expression were the construction of narrative, the creation of

imaginary worlds, and time to play that were also a part of the art making process for

creative children (Clark & Zimmerman, 2004).

Besides a wide range of self-expression in creating art, another reason why talented

students were not always noticed at school was because creative students may not meet

the expectations of teachers. Either these students do not perform exceptionally in

academics, or if are very intelligent discouraged from taking art classes because it was

viewed as a waste of time (Clark & Zimmerman, 2004). Clark and Zimmerman (2004)

write that creative students who excel at art need to receive instruction and skills to

continue to develop. It overturned a common assumption made by some art teachers that

artistic talent and creativity were something that cannot be taught or teaching talented

students would hinder children’s creativity. Therefore the needs of creative students can

be met by programs offered outside of school and the art classroom. Alternative art

programs, classes, or workshops are areas where the needs of talented art students can be

met. Unlike the regular art classrooms these students will have access to more and
 14

different art material’s and individualized teacher instruction that will meet their

developmental needs.

The Important of Art Workshops in Children’s Development

Educational environments offered outside of school art classrooms that are

stimulating for creative children are very important to their artistic development. Children

can learn more about art by participating in art workshops and art programs outside of the

art classroom.

The environment where education takes place was important for the process of art

making, “certain environments, like the University of Iowa Saturday Morning

workshops, have more interaction with the instructor and peers, provide more excitement,

and a greater effervescence of ideas; therefore, they prompt the child who is already

inclined to break away from conventions to experiment with novelty more readily then if

he or she had stayed in more conservative repressive setting” (Csikszemtmihalyi, 1996,

p.129).

An art workshop at the University of Illinois showed that experiences in these

types of art programs are important because of the quality of instruction and different

materials. The findings from a study by Clark and Zimmerman, (1988) at the Summer

Arts Institute at the University of Illinois found that artistically talented students

benefited from the educational environment at the program. The student’s views

collected from the interview questions demonstrate the importance of educators having

an awareness of the differing needs of artistically talented students. One reason that

students continued to develop as artists from the art workshop at the University of Illinois

was because they were challenged by working among other equally talented students.
 15

The outcome of the interviews in Clark and Zimmerman’s study (1988) indicated that the

students like being in an educational environment where they are able to be challenged

more than in their art classes at school. This was because they have more varied

instruction and smaller classes. The art teachers taught them new skills that helped them

develop as artists which may have increased their confidence in their ability. In the art

classes they learned about new media and used different materials that opened up new

possibilities. The art instructors helped students more with observation and allowed them

to be expressive in their art. Small class size and more individual instruction allowed

students to learn more skills in a short amount of time.

In addition the Illinois art workshop provided a place where children were also

working with other children who were at the same ability level or more talented artists.

This was beneficial because they are challenged by working with others who are equally

or more talented. The work that they made in their in the Summer Arts Institute was far

better than their artwork produced in their school art classes. This was because, where

before these students were the most talented at their school art classes, at the Summer

Arts Institute, they worked with others who were as talented (Clark & Zimmerman,

1988).

Drawing, the Development of Artistic Ability and Identity

The Saturday Morning art workshop at the University of Iowa on making comics

focused on drawing. Therefore, it was important to include literature about how children

use drawing, specifically, as it related to identity formation. The act of drawing held

significance for children and a reason that children draw was to symbolically explore

what was happening in their worlds. Gardner (1975) and Parsons (1978), indicated by
 16

comparing developmental studies among children, adolescents and adults, young children

were aware artistic processes involved learning skills to be better artists. It was through

the process of drawing, children explore their world and trying to make sense of their

surroundings (Wilson & Wilson, 2009). As children we learn symbols that make up our

visual world which provides a framework for understanding our reality. Drawing was a

way in which children communicate ideas, feelings, and experiences (Wilson & Wilson,

2009). The role of drawing was also a self-defining process. This meant that children

experimented with different possibilities and identities. In fact they may not even be

aware of their drawings as self-images, but children can symbolically determine

behaviors in society when they draw. An example of this type of social exploration was

evident in comic books where the bad criminal was “punished, that is the normative

reality—depicted in drawing” (Wilson & Wilson, 2009, p. 33-36).

In addition to drawings of good and evil, children were also concerned with

creating their own realities in their drawings. In children’s drawings “events are

constructed, there are conversations between characters, and entire stories started and

finished in drawings. In fact, “drawings provide a vehicle for children to develop models

for their own future selves, actions, and worlds” (Wilson & Wilson, p. 36). For children

drawing was also a way of creating realities because in a “drawing children control what

is happening, the characters, the setting, how events unfold” (Wilson & Wilson, 2009,

p.41).

The drawing of the human figure is important for children. According to Maureen

Cox (1993), most children begin to draw a recognizable form of the human figure around

age 5-6. As children develop the way in which they depict the human figure changes.
 17

Young children will draw lines that indicate arms and legs. But as children continue to

draw the figure the lines will turn into “tubes” after which they will begin to use a

continuous outline of the figure (Cox, 1993). A shift in drawing the figure occurs

between the ages of seven and eight. These ages marked a time when the drawing of the

“human figure moves from intellectual realism to visual realism” (Cox, 1993, p.5). This

means that the child is concerned with drawing more realistic figures. The reason for the

shift from segmented body parts to outlining the figure at around seven to eight years of

age was because children want to depict a more realistic drawing of the figure. This

change occurs by outlining the figure which occurs because children want to add limbs

and clothes (p.54). It was around age eight that children show that they can adapt their

drawings of the human figure. This change means that they can change or modify part of

the body during part of while they are drawing the figure. At this age children are not

afraid to erase or alter the figure once the drawing was started (Cox, p.64).

When drawing the human figure at this age, children were also able to use a technique

called occlusion. Occlusion occurs when the figure is drawn with overlapping body parts.

Usually this happens when a “figure is drawn in profile where some part was obscured

from view” (p.66). When children become more capable of drawing they are also more

able change and modify the human figure. Children in their drawings of the human figure

tend to portray the human figure from the front. This tendency occurs because the front of

the figure contained the most “detailed information about the human figure is preferred

focal point of representation” (Golomb, 2011). The reason that children draw a figure

from the front is because this is where gender, age, and facial features are located on the

human figure. This view is very limited and during the middle childhood years children
 18

begin to draw a figure from the side and back. The attempt to show action is one of the

reasons that the frontal view of the figure is modified (Golomb, 2011). The change in

perspective that occurred in middle childhood was an adaptation to the desire to show

action. Therefore it could be an example of how children adapt their drawings techniques

to find solutions to problems.

Research on children’s drawings by Milbrath (1998), Golomb (2011), and Wilson

and Wilson (2009) indicated there were forms of composition that children used in

drawings that require skill and ability. By the time they are around 8-11 years old;

children discover and use some techniques that show depth and volume (Milbrath, 1998).

Children acquire these skills by looking at their peers’ drawings, by looking at books, or

experimenting till they are able to find techniques that resolve issues related to their

desired theme (Wilson & Wilson). For children there were difficulties in narration and

drawing because of perspective and composition. Children have to learn to develop

composition. In order to show a sequence of events the child must plan ahead and use

strategies that group events together in a sequence. There are two basic forms of

composition in drawing figures that children use: it is either a grid where figures are lined

up or a grouping of figures. Older children drawing comics, use a series of frames put

together to tell a story (Golomb, 2011, p.40-60).

Instruction, Self-Confidence and the Development of Artistic Skill

Children acquire self-confidence by experiencing success. Children need opportunities to

feel confident about their accomplishments. Self-confidence is the belief in their ability

to complete something successfully. In a study on self-confidence in elementary children,

Marston suggests that “self-confidence is a system of evaluative responses which

 19

motivate students to repeat specific positive behaviors and rewards for learning” (p.30).

Self-confidence can affect the success and evaluation of elementary students. For

elementary students, Flowers and Marston (1974) mentioned that self-confidence was

part of what they are evaluated on for class performance. Marston suggested that self-

confidence is visible in elementary children. Confidence was seen as both motivating

learning and the reason for a repeat behavior. For instance a student with high self-

confidence could possibly be more motivated and therefore rewarded for their behavior.

On the other hand a student with low self-confidence was more likely to avoid

preforming the same behavior. The teacher by reinforcing positive behaviors was

essential in helping students increase confidence. Teachers can increase confidence by

helping students succeed at a challenge.

For young developing artists, challenges occurred where there was a choice in art

materials. When students were presented with a challenge, it was possible that this

experience will help develop their confidence and personal identity (Bunker, 1991). A

study by Bunker (1991) mentioned that in order to provide help students develop

confidence it was necessary to match the learner abilities to their developmental

capabilities. If a task was too easy then there was little incentive to complete the task

because it was not a challenge. However when challenging students, Bunker (1991)

mentions that for a problem to be motivating it was “important to present a sequence of

activities that will lead the learner into a challenging activity” (Bunker, 1991, p.470).

The lack of confidence is therefore avoidance of a behavior. For instance when a question

was asked to a group of elementary students the student that knows the answer will raise

their hand. If the child answers correctly then they will continue this behavior because
 20

they are rewarded, which in turn reinforces the behavior. A study by Flowers and

Marston (1974) on sixth graders with low self-confidence found that when they raised

their hands more to answer questions even if they are wrong, their confidence increase

(Flowers & Marston, 1974).

 21

SUMMARY

In the literature review I described studies on children’s artistic development.

Children’s artistic development includes their identity, confidence, and ability which can

be observed in programs where they make art. Rostan’s studies and the summer art

workshops at the University of Illinois are examples of where children benefited from art

programs outside of school. All of the children in Rostan’s studies were concerned with

acquiring skills and instruction that would help them to continue to developing as artists.

The children in the study knew how to discuss art and understood what it meant to be an

artist. For children having a positive experience while making art can motivate them to

continue to pursue art.

All of the research on artistic identity was from educational experiences—art

workshops, or after school art classes. The research confirmed art workshops and

programs offered experiences that were important to children’s artistic development.

Because of the positive environment children can explore their artistic identity that is part

of these that art workshops and programs. My research was based on the existing

literature by Rostan (1998, 2005) and Albertson (2011) and their findings on artist

identity. However my research of artistic development; identity, confidence, and ability

was conducted on children in the Saturday Morning art workshops. The Saturday

Morning art workshops at the University of Iowa were the best place to find talented

young artists based on the results of a similar a study by Clark and Zimmerman (1988) at

the Summer Arts Institute at Illinois which demonstrated the success of talented young

artists.
 22

METHODOLOGY

Design

The design that I used was qualitative research using a case study method Hamel

et al., (1993). I used a case study method to gain an in-depth understanding of the

children’s development over a long period of time. A case study was the best way to

understand the participants’ development in the comic workshop because it provides a

method for telling the story of their experiences from the beginning to the end an allowed

me to use a variety of approaches to collected data.

I used four methods to collect data. My data and the description of what

happened during the workshops were collected through observation of the instructor and

children, my notes, my questioning of participants, and my analysis of students’ drawing

in the Saturday Morning Art workshops. I collected data by observing interactions

between the students and between an instructor and students (Charmaz, 2006) and by

asking children questions. I wrote down my observations and recorded children’s

responses to my questions. I used grounded theory to analyze my notes. Grounded

theory begins with a topic of interest where the researcher collects information and then

looks for common ideas or themes. In analysis of my notes, I marked anything about

identity, confidence, or skills. These research methods were discussed in greater detail

below.

Setting

My observations took place over seven Saturday Morning Art workshops that

were from September 29th to November 17th. These workshops were each an hour and a
 23

half. The weekly classes were about drawing in the blank comic books the participants

received on the first day of the workshop. The first day an assignment was given to the

participants to draw a comic about a real life event. During the second workshop the class

looked at comic books and drew superheroes. The fourth class the students finally made

covers for the comic book that they received the first day of class. The fifth class was

spent making a collaborative comic with other members of the workshop. After the fifth

class the participants could choose to draw in their comic books or work with a partner on

a comic. The sixth class was about including action words in the comic from the previous

weeks, and the seventh class the participants had to finish their comics.

The comic workshop usually started with the instructor showing an example from

comic artists, or students reading comic books. Then there was time for the students to

draw whatever comic they wanted. At the first workshop the instructor told the students

to draw a comic about a real life event then towards the end of the workshop students

were asked to share. There was no drawing instruction, demonstration, or techniques

taught in the comic workshop. At the end of the workshop class time there was no formal

critique of the student’s comics. The order for how the workshop progressed from week

was not flexible in accommodating students’ individual interests. Each workshop was

about making comics, but there was no drawing instruction on, for example, composition,

shading or perspective included in the lessons. During the last class, students were asked

to show their comics; however, there was no critique. The instructor did provide

examples of comics during the second, third, and fifth weeks for students and comic

books. However there was not a discussion about the layout of the comics, the
 24

sequencing of stories, or character traits from the examples that may have help students

with drawing comics.

The workshops took place in the basement of North Hall. In the basement there

were about 40 children in the basement at the same time all attending different

workshops. This means it was noisy because we are all in the same place. Each group of

students sat around a table with one instructor for the duration of the workshop. The

instructor was responsible for lesson plans and materials as well as teaching each class

during the workshop.

My aim was to observe what kinds of experiences children have in the Comic

Workshop. Each workshop was based on a different theme where children will have art

lessons on that theme. During this time I observed the art lessons on drawing comics.

These art lessons are given by a pre-service teacher. The teacher was responsible for

motivating the students and giving them direction on their comic-making.

Sample. The aim of my research was to gain an in-depth understanding of purposively

selected participants and learn about their perspectives as they relate to artistic identity,

confidence in artistic ability and artistic skill building (Pattern, 2005). In the comic

workshop there were seven boys and one girl; all of the children were about the same

age, but attended different schools. Two of the boys knew each other and one student

attended previous art workshops.

My sample originally consisted of six children ranging in age from 9- 10 years.

Initially I had six participants who agreed to be part of my study, but one did not come

back after the first workshop. Of the five participants, four were male and there was one

female. The workshop met for eight weeks, but only three participants, Ethan, Dayton,
 25

and John, had perfect attendance. Since two of the participants did not attend the entire

workshop series, there was less information about Liz and Gabe. Liz only attended three

workshops; therefore, it was difficult to arrive at any conclusions about her experiences

in the workshop or her artistic development. My sample included John, Dalton, Gabe,

Ethan, and Liz, who were the oldest group of children in the Saturday Morning Art

workshops. All of the participants were in fifth grade in the 9-10 age range. Anna

Kindler (1997) categorized this age group as the period of middle childhood the

developmental period when stimulation and education was very important for future

artistic growth. Without a deliberate effort in increasing artistic skills; Kindler mentioned

that any progress beyond the “initial imagery” stage will not occur and was “the critical

turning point where a child could develop a very expressive individualized style or stay at

a generic level of visual representation” (Kindler, 1997, p.35).

Sample characteristics. Next, I provide a brief description of my sample of children’s

behavior. John was a quiet boy with straight blond hear and an earnest face. He was a

student in the fifth grade and attends school with Ethan. He was a serious student but did

not appear to have very much self-confidence although he liked to draw comics. John

only let Ethan see his comics until the third week of the comic workshop.

Ethan was a small quiet boy who wore glasses, and a friend of John. He also drew comic

at home. He was very serious and worked hard at drawing comics in every workshop.

Ethan planned out the story before he drew any of his comics. He also enjoyed reading

comic books before and after the workshop.

Dalton was the most talkative participant in the comic workshop. However he was

easily distracted from working on his comics. He only worked for about half of the class
 26

time. He attended every workshop but was often easily distracted from drawing his

comics. Dalton had difficulty spelling words, so he did not use them in his comics.

Liz was the only girl she was very confident and willing to share or talk about her work

during the first day of the comic workshop. However she only attended three out of the

seven of the workshop which made it difficult to make any conclusions about her

drawings.

Gabe was very quiet and has long hair, most of the time he arrived late. A shy and

quiet boy Gabe would only answer a question if he was asked by the instructor. He was

very serious about drawing and reading comic during the workshop. However his

attendance limited the amount of information available about his experience in the art

workshop.

Data Collection Procedures. I sent an email to the coordinator of the Saturday Morning

Art Workshops to ask if I could do research in the art education program. After receiving

permission to conduct research in this program, I began the process of human subject’s

research approval. After getting approved, I sent an email to see what workshops were

available. The one that fit my criteria for age and subject was the comic workshop. Once

I obtained written consent from the parents and verbal assent from the five children, I

began my research. To protect the privacy of children, pseudonyms were used and there

was no identifying information in my observation notes or in the photos of their art.

Instruments

I used two types of instruments to collect data: (1) systematic observation,

questioning and detailed note-taking and (2) a rubric to evaluate children’s drawings over

time. As an adult who was an observer in the workshop, it was important to be aware of
 27

the imbalance of power when I interviewed the children and recognize the importance of

asking questions in language that they can understand (Kvale, 2009).

1. Observation, Questioning and Note-Taking

Observation and Note-Taking

My observations were based on children’s reaction to the lesson, the process in

which they make art during the workshop, and how they discuss their art with me, their

instructor and other participants. Observations of children making art activities provided

information about the child’s internal process and address artistic development related to

the three concepts: identity, confidence and skills. Observation includes watching the

amount of time spent on task during the lesson, the amount of concentration spend

working, the perseverance to make a drawing, and the “fleeting look of approval” when

the work is set aside. All of these external factors indicate what was happening within the

child (Horovitz, 1967, p.192).

I wanted to know if the workshops were beneficial in developing an identity

where the participants felt like artists and experienced a growing sense of self confidence

in their abilities and their skills. I also wanted to know if the workshops teach them new

techniques and if they use materials that are new or unfamiliar at more skillful level. To

understand how art was made in the comic workshop, I asked children to describe their

drawings. I recorded how students talked about their art. I also asked them if they

identify themselves as an artist.

For the observation of artistic identity, specifically, I noted how children

responded to the question: are you an artist? I wanted to know about their perception of

artistic identity: both how they are viewed by others and how they viewed themselves.
 28

The claim of artistic identity can be defined as accepting that were labeled as an artist by

family, teachers, or peers, and the self-identification as an artist. Some children may not

have had the language to express artistic identity, while other children may lack self-

awareness of their talent in art. In this case I observed non-verbal responses, body

language; and the amount of time spend drawing. As part of the observation process I

asked the children open ended questions that were meant to start a dialogue about the

content of their drawings.

For the observation of confidence in artistic ability, I noted if there was a change

in confidence from one week to another. A change in confidence was measured by a

willingness to share work with other participants or the instructor. Behavior and

willingness to try the lessons provided by the instructor also indicated an increase in

skills. In addition I observed how the child acts in the workshop, interactions between the

child and instructor, and adaptation of the lesson and perceived drawing ability. An

increase in confidence was indicated by the participant’s willingness to discuss their work

in the context of the comic workshop with the instructor. Confidence in artistic ability

was noted if the participant felt pride in their work. I wanted to know their reaction to

their drawings at the end of the workshop. For example, was there a sense of

accomplishment and pride in their drawings; did art to parents and others in the

workshop? And what was the drawing process like while working on the comic, do they

cover their work with their hand, or appear embarrassed about their drawings?

For the observations of artistic skill building, specifically, I noted the lesson

taught in the workshop and the behavior of students from the time the workshop begins

till it ends. The choices children made about the lesson and what materials they used
 29

influenced the art they create. Observations about the lesson included what materials the

participants could use and how they adapted the lesson to their comics. I wanted to know

if drawing skills are taught in the workshops or individual needs are addressed for the

participants. The reason was that the access participants have to art materials or

individualized instruction can affect their learning. The attention that each student

received by the instructor and the content of the lessons impacted the development of

artistic skills and knowledge about drawing comics. My reason for observing lesson

plans and use of art materials was to see how this influenced each of the participants over

time from the first week to the seventh.

Questioning and Note Taking

To get at identity, confidence and ability, I also will ask children questions like:

What is this image about?

Does it relate to something that you can think of?

Do you like/dislike what you made? Why?

What is your favorite thing that you made?

Is there a story or event that happened here?

Did the experience in the workshop make you feel like you could make art?

Do you consider yourself an artist?

Is this experience in the workshops helpful to making art?

Do you feel confident about what you chose to make?

Do you enjoy using these materials to make art?

Did you like the lesson better this week or last week?

Do you see a difference in your very first comic and the one you are making now?
 30

2. Drawing Rubric

My analysis of the children’s art was based on the new model of artistic

development (Kindler & Darras, 1997) definition of art and art making as a “plurimedia

event.” This meant that pictorial expression was defined as an all-encompassing activity

that involves a wide range of expression—performance, role playing, narrative, etc.

Therefore, art making was not an isolated event but the inclusion of many different forms

of communication (Kindler and Darras, 1997, p.41). Accordingly, I also documented in

the case studies any gestures or play that was also part of making art.

To understand whether children’s artistic ability improved over time, I analyzed their

drawings from the beginning of the workshop until the end of the workshop. By the end

there were anywhere from a page of comics to five pages of drawings. In addition to

studying each of the children’s drawings, I used a rubric to systematically evaluate their

art (see Table 1). It was important to mention that the children were all the same age but

had different skill levels and abilities at the beginning of the workshop. My goal was to

see if the individualized instruction, the environment of talented peers and access to new

art materials affected the participants artistic identity, confidence, or ability.

 31

Table 1. Assessment of Drawing Rubric

Lesson Features Needs Work 1 Adequate 2 Strong 3

Effort completion Work appears Some diligence Drawing taken to
finished, rushed, is evident but a high level of
poorly considered; could be finish; much time
little or no reworking reworked and effort
is apparent.
Drawing techniques in Poorly drawn, Drawing of Drawing shows
comic characters, use of characters are knowledge of
“symbols” stick consistent, character
figures, no objects have development,
experimentation with volume, some there different
perspective or use of perspectives, and
movement action perspective, but evidence of action
some action

Storytelling/narrative: Little consideration Story is original Story is well-

given to the story of but presentation developed
1. Original the comic, vague is predictable presentation
2. Connection connection between events and original, and
between panels story and characters characters are events are
difficult to follow well connected, connected,
but little dialogue characters
consistent
 32

Data Analysis

I analyzed the weekly data from my observations and field notes; I used grounded theory

and the rubric. To develop grounded theory, I looked for common themes in my notes on

identity, confidence, and ability. My research questions guided the analysis of my field

notes. I used my definitions for each concept as the basis to determine whether there was

any evidence about the concept based on the children’s experience in the art workshop.

For Question 1, I looked for artistic identity, then carefully read all of my notes and

highlighted any major themes about artistic identity. My assessment of artistic identity

was based primarily on whether participants thought they were artists and the criteria

proposed by Jeffri and Greenblatt (1989). This self-identification or labeling as an artist

was in their response to the question do you think you are an artist? Then I looked

through my field notes to determine whether there were additional indicators of artistic

identity. In addition to my notes, I also used the criteria proposed by Jeffri and

Greenblatt (1989) where they specify five criteria that make up their definition of artistic

identity. I used that definition to indicate which of the participants met any of the

criteria that define artistic identity in the art workshop.

Confidence (Question 2) was observed through the participants’ actions and willingness

to participate in sharing their work and talking to others or the instructor. To determine if

the participants were confident about their drawings in the art workshop, I looked for

non-verbal behavior in my notes and their verbal responses to my questions. This

included time spent on task during the workshop, and during class time participation,

willingness to share their work with others and the instructor, and their answers to

questions about their comics.

 33

For artistic skills acquired in the workshops (Question 3), I used my notes and the rubric.

I looked in my notes for how the participants’ responded to the lesson introduced in each

week of the workshop. I wanted to know how they applied the examples or exercises in

the lesson to their drawings. Visible evidence of artistic skills was noticed by changes or

adaptations they made to the drawings in their comics for weeks one and seven. I

compared the comics from the beginning and end of the workshop to look for evidence of

artist skill development.

For skills or artistic ability, I systematically determined whether the drawings developed

over the duration of the workshop. I looked for changes in drawing style or development

in their work that indicated a new skill or adaptation from the lesson influenced their

drawings. In their drawings these changes could be implemented by a variety of different

ways. There may be changes in drawing style including more detail in drawings of the

figure, experimentation—in shading, line quality, perspective, or abandoning one style of

drawing for another.

Besides looking at changes in drawings, I wanted to know specifically how the weekly

lessons are reflected in the comics. Where do the students use the lessons in their comic

and how does the instruction offered in the workshop benefit students’ development. This

should be visible in the development of their comics. This was important because in

developmental psychology, for artistic learning to occur, it is necessary to have

“stimulation, challenge and encouragement that takes advantage of the “zone of proximal

development,” as defined by Vygotsky” (Kindler & Darras, 1997, p.41). The zone of

proximal development is the space between the current level and the next developmental

level that is potentially within in reach. Ideally this means the level of learning is just
 34

above where students are at developmentally for them to benefit the most from

instruction (Kindler & Darras, 1997). Then the lesson would be adapted to address the

needs of each student.

After I analyzed my notes, I then used the rubric to assess the drawings from the first

week of the workshop and at the last week of the workshop to see if there were visible

improvements in the participant’s comics. Although they made several drawings over the

seven weeks, in order to see a change I decided to analyze the drawings from the first and

six weeks. Each participant was assigned a total score based on a point system from 1-3

depending on how the drawings fit the criteria in the rubric. The total scores from the

rubric ranged from 3 to 9.

 35

RESULTS

Workshops Influence on Artistic Identity

For my first research questions, I asked questions about artistic identity to find out if

the participants were labeled by others as artists. I also wanted to know if they see

themselves as artists. My questions were based on how the participant viewed their

identity and how they were labeled by others—teachers, family, and peers. For artistic

identity I was looking for the participant’s response to these questions:

Do you think that you are an artist?

Do other people say that you are good at art?

Did the experiences in these workshops make you feel like an artist?

Based on your experiences in the comic workshop, do you feel that you are (a

better) an artist?

I found that during the workshop the participants were very reluctant to talk about their

identity as artists.

I completed my analysis on artistic identity for each of the participants. During

the workshop Ethan discussed artistic identity during the third and last week. A common

theme for three of the participants Ethan, John and Dalton, was the feeling of not being

accepted by an art teacher at school. For example, during the third week, Ethan

mentioned his experiences in art class at school. He said that at school he likes to do his

own style, but his art teacher was always very disappointed in his art. John felt the same

way and said that the art teacher was critical of his art in class and tells him what to draw.

Ethan likes to draw comics but can’t draw them at school.

 36

Disappointment from an art teacher at school was also true for Dalton. When

discussing artistic identity during the first workshop he talked about how his art teacher at

school didn’t think he was an artist. Dalton, like Ethan, was not allowed to draw comics,

but liked to draw aliens and monsters. When I asked him again during the last workshop

about his artistic identity, Ethan said that that during the workshop he learned a lot about

being an artist. For Ethan being an artist meant that he can now make better comics

because of what he learned in the comic workshop. Dalton told me that he draws comics

at home and that he has been taken a workshop on comic last year. When I asked Dalton

if others label him as an artist, he said that he received art supplies for his birthday. The

only other comment that Dalton made about artistic identity was towards the end of the

workshop during week seven. When I asked him if he was an artist he answered, “Yes,

ok, I am an artist.” However he seemed reluctant to accept the label or any affirmation of

artistic identity.

On the other hand, Liz, the only female in the art workshop, seemed confident enough to

label herself as an artist. During the first week of the comic workshop, Liz told me that

“people say she is good at art.” In school her teachers and other students told her that

“she is an artist.” Although Liz easily identified herself as an artist; she was only there for

three of the workshops, so the evidence was inconclusive about whether the workshop

further developed her artistic identity.

John also had a similar response about his artistic identity on the last week of the

workshop. His comment was like Ethan’s in that the workshops made him feel like an

artist because he learned more about drawing. However, there was just not enough
 37

information about John’s thoughts on artistic identity to arrive at any conclusions about

whether the workshop increased his identity.

The participant who had the most evidence about artistic identity was Gabe.

Although he was very quiet and shy during the workshop he answered a few questions.

For example, during the second week of the art workshop when I asked if others

identified him as an artist he said, “No, not really,” but then later I asked him if he liked

to make things he said “yes.” During the second week he did not want to answer any

questions beyond a one word response. When I asked him a question, he did not make

eye contact. However, by week four, when I asked Gabe if he likes to draw and if he is

an artist, he said that “he loves to draw,” and “yes he is slightly an artist.” This was

really all that he said about artist identity during the first part of the workshops. Towards

the end on the last day, I asked him again if his experiences during the workshop made

him feel like an artist. Gabe answered that he, “already was an artist.”

From my results on artistic identity I think that each of the participants spent time making

art and liked to draw although they did not connect that to their identity. My results for

the participants’ time spent making art and inner drive was inferred through my

observations and questions during the workshop. For three participants Gabe, Ethan, and

Liz they spent most of the time drawing their comics in the workshop. Dalton and John

spent about half of their time in the workshop making comics. However it seemed that

two of the participants Ethan and Dalton liked to make art or draw outside of the

workshop. Gabe and Ethan had the most inner drive to work on comics during the

workshops.
 38

My results about artistic identity showed that the Saturday Morning art workshops

may have influenced all five of the participants Gabe, Ethan, John, Dalton, and Liz

participants’ perception of themselves as an artist; however, it appears that three of the

children Liz, Ethan and Dalton may have viewed themselves as an artist prior to

beginning the workshops. Liz was already very sure of her artistic identity and both

Ethan and Dalton liked to draw. John agreed with Ethan that the workshop made him feel

like an artist

Artistic Identity Using Jeffri and Greenblatt’s Definition

For each of the participants, artistic identity, as defined by Jeffri and Greenblat

(1989), appeared to be child specific in the comic workshop. The criteria proposed by

Jeffri and Greenblat (1989) indicated specific information that was applied to each of the

participants. Instead of basing my analysis on the questions that I asked participants

about artistic identity, I applied the criteria to my observations and notes about the

participant’s during the workshop.

In the Saturday Morning art workshop there were observed similarities in Gabe

and Ethan that can be applied to Jeffri and Greenblat’s definition of artistic identity. For

example, Gabe and Ethan spent the entire hour and half drawing their comics. This

indicated that they both had the inner drive to make art and spent a substantial amount of

time creating their comics. Ethan’s goal was to finish a comic by the end of the workshop

while Gabe worked slowly on his robot comics. Although they produced different

amounts of work, both of them spent the most time on task out of the five observed

participants.
 39

In addition to spending the most time working on their comic, Ethan and Gabe

also received the same score of eight on the rubric for their drawings of comics from

week one to week seven. This may have indicated that both of these participants have

advanced artistic skill. To have special talent was one of the definitions of artistic identity

described by Jeffri and Greenblatt (1989). For example when looking at the drawings that

Ethan and Gabe completed during the last workshop it was evident that they consistently

produced detailed drawings while also using color.

Figure 1. Drawing from Gabe cover of the Savyor the Hero of Hero comics.

In Gabe’s comic book cover (Figure 1) that he made during the last workshop, he drew

the same detailed figures but also added colors. He took time and filled in parts of the
 40

figure using very solid areas of color. Gabe did not color every character but only the

largest figures on the cover of his comic in (Figure 2). Ethan also used color while

making the last comic in the workshop.

Figure 2. Drawing from Ethan in color of a one page comic.

In this comic Ethan started by drawing the first frame. He did not begin his comic

by first drawing a grid like in week one (Figure 9) Instead he started by writing the text

in the top far left corner of the paper before drawing any of the figures. After working

all of the drawing he added color. First he filled in the entire top row with black colored
 41

pencil. In the middle frames of the comic (Figure 2), however, Ethan used different

background colors in the comic frames but was consistent with the theme of the comic by

using colors similar in intensity. He then colored the bottom frames in black which

border what was happening in the middle frames of the comic. In this example, Ethan

experimented with the layout and design of the comic through his use of color by his

choice to keep all of the text the same color.

My results about artistic identity as proposed by Jeffri and Greenblatt (1989)

indicated Ethan and Gabe both met three (3, 4, and 5) of the criteria for artistic identity;

both had the inner drive, spending a large amount of time, and advanced artistic skills.

However they did not meet two of the requirements proposed by Jeffri and Greenblatt

(1989) which were being recognized by others as an artist and considering oneself to be

an artist.

On the other hand two of the participants, Liz and Dalton were recognized by

others as being artistic. Liz mentioned that her teachers and other students at school tell

her she was good at making art. Her classmates labeled her as an artist and that was part

of her identity. Dalton did not have the same recognition by his peers as being an artist.

However Dalton mentioned that his aunt bought him art supplies for his birthday that

indicated affirmation of him as an artist by family members. In addition to being

recognized by others as being an artist, both Dalton and Liz accepted the label and self-

identified with the term artist. Liz was more confident that she was an artist while Dalton

seemed to be reluctant to admit anything about artistic identity. Although two of the

criteria for Jeffri and Greenblatt (1998) definition of artistic identity were met for Liz and
 42

Dalton, they did not fulfill any of the other requirements. Similarly John did not meet any

of the criteria for artistic identity.

My results about artistic identity, as defined by Jeffri and Greenblatt (1998), are

different from my results from questioning the participants. For two of the participants

Gabe and Ethan showed the Saturday Morning art workshops may have influenced their

artistic identity because both met three of the criteria for artistic identity. Two of the

participants Dalton, Liz met criteria (1, 2), Ethan and Gabe met three of the criteria (3, 4,

and 5) and John did fulfill any of the criteria for artistic identity.

Confidence in Artistic Skills and Ability

My second research question was does the art workshop increase the participant’s

confidence in their skills as artists. Confidence in the Saturday Morning art workshops

was evident based on the participants’ willingness to share or discuss their drawings with

the instructor or the class. The participants’ level of confidence can also be observed by

the amount of time that they spent working on their comics during the workshops and

what they say verbally.

John’s confidence changed the most as evidence by his experience in the art

workshops. This change was apparent in his progress from the first to the last workshop.

In the first few workshops he did not let me or the instructor see his comics. While he

worked during class time he covered his work with his hand. When I asked to look as his

comic he shut the cover. John refused to share his comic at the end of any of the classes

during the first few weeks. The third week he and Ethan worked on a comic together.

John was very concerned about Ethan’s opinion of his drawing while they worked on the

comic. When the instructor asked him which cover he wanted to use for his comic John
 43

asked Ethan. Then John decided he liked the same cover as Ethan. After John finished the

cover for the comic book, he showed it to Ethan. At the end of class when the students

were asked to share their work, John offered to show his comic book cover to the class.

Usually Ethan shared his work, but this time it was John. Towards the end of the

workshop, John was surprised at how much time he spent drawing the cover. He was so

proud of his progress that he told a parent to look at his comic book cover.

The fourth week marked a turning point for John. This was when he began to

spend more time working in class on his comics. He no longer covered his work with his

hand while drawing and was willing to share his work at the end of class. John also

continued to draw throughout the next few workshops on a new comic character. He

created a series of comic books around this character and by the end of week six

completed three pages in one of the comic books.

Another student who appeared to be very shy and quiet at the beginning of the

workshop was Gabe. He did not make eye contact or volunteer to answer or share his

comics. However by week two he was willing to share his robot comics. Throughout the

workshop he spent the entire time working on a series of robot comics. His drawing style

was very consistent in all of his comic books. Like John, by the fourth workshop Gabe

described how one of his characters was shrinking and he used jagged lines to show

movement in his robot drawing. Towards the end of the workshop by week six, Gabe

raised his hand to show the instructor his comic. Gabe wanted to describe what was

happening and point out that he used scribbly lines to show action in his comic. At this

time in the workshop, Gabe also mentioned that he had used narrative in his comic since

the beginning of the workshop.

 44

Whereas Gabe used narrative in his comic at the beginning, Dalton, another

participant, did not use words in his comics at all. Dalton was very willing to talk about

his comics but could not write down what happened. Each workshop he would start on a

new comic and only finish about a page before he stopped working. It was not until the

third workshop that Dalton said that he didn’t like to use words in his comic because he

couldn’t spell. Dalton would occasionally share his comic at the end of the workshop. He

also talked the entire time about the character in his comic but would not write anything

in the comic until week six. By this time he figured out how to use words that he could

spell and put those in the speech bubbles.

Ethan and Liz, from the beginning of the comic workshop, were the most

confident. They were always willing to share their work with the class or discuss their

comics with the instructor. For example during the lesson on the first week Ethan

identified the most speech and thought bubbles. Liz knew about several comic book

characters and identified them for other students in the workshop. At the first and second

workshops Liz was always ready to share and discuss her comics. She was ready to

answer every question during the introduction of the workshop lesson. Likewise, Ethan

was usually very confident in his drawing ability. He knew which comic book cover he

wanted for his comic. As he worked on his comic he wanted to show the instructor his

progress. Ethan also planned out the entire story of his comic books and could tell the

story behind each character before he begins his comics. By week five, Ethan mentioned

that he was always confident in his drawing ability and noticed a difference in how he

made comics. The change that he noticed was that at the beginning of the workshop he

started with a grid only using six panels on a page. But by the end of the workshop Ethan
 45

now used several panels of different sizes. My results about confidence, skills and artistic

ability showed two of the participants John and Gabe confidence may have been

influenced by the Saturday Morning art workshops however, two of the children Liz and

Ethan were very confident about their skills as an artist prior to beginning the workshops.

My results about Dalton are not clear if the Saturday Morning art workshops influenced

his confidence.
 46

ANALYSIS

Artistic Skill Development

For my third question, artistic skills acquired in the workshops I used two

approaches to evaluate skill development: analyzing the comics without the rubric and

with the rubric.

1. Analyzing the Comics without the Rubric.

The development of the participants’ artistic skills can be assessed by their

drawings and how they used the lesson in their comics. In my observations I am looking

at the participants’ knowledge of how they adapted the lesson in their comics. I asked the

participants what changes they saw in their comics from the first week to the sixth week.

The purpose of this question was to find out about their learning in the workshop. For

two of the participants, Liz and Gabe, they did not see a change in their comics form

week one to week six. Gabe’s drawing style and the way he made his comics remained

very consistent throughout the entire workshop. Occasionally he did go back and change

his comics by adding more detail or use lines in different ways to show action. From my

observation, too, there seem to be no obvious visual change from week one to week six.

Similar to Gabe’s comics, Liz did not see a change in her work from the first week to

week six. I agree: her drawing style and the way in which she designed her panels

remained the same from the first to the last workshop.

Two of the participants, Ethan and John, noticed a change in their work between

the first comic from week one to week to week six. Ethan noticed that he only used six

panels in his first comic. In his later comics, he used more panels to tell a story. I noticed
 47

changes in Ethan’s comic over the course of the workshop. In some of his comics he

experimented with design by abandoning the grid system that he always used to adopt a

style that used multiple frames or a single frame within his comics. Ethan also

experimented with perspective and viewpoint during the sixth week. In the first frame he

drew a three dimensional house and also the interior of a room. He also used more

expressive detail and facial features in his drawings of characters.

The first comic that John drew was based on the use of a grid. In later comics he began to

draw the characters first and then drew the frames around the characters. This was the

process he used to make his Joey the Super Burger comics. John noticed a difference

between his first comics and later drawings. During the last weeks of the comic

workshop, I observed that John used more detail and the entire page as one panel in his

later comics.

The third participant that changed in the way that he made comic during week one

and six was Dalton. In the first workshop, Dalton used arrows to indicate what was

happening in his comic. As the workshop progressed Dalton said that he did not like to

use works in his comics because he couldn’t spell. By week six Dalton included speech

bubbles in his comic. More importantly, however, was the change in his drawing as

evident in the comic from week six. Although perspective and motion lines were not

taught in the workshop, I noticed by week six, Dalton was experimenting with

perspective. His comics showed a character from the side and used motion lines around

the car to show movement as the car moved towards the viewer in his comic. My results

about artistic skill development for analyzing the comics without the rubric showed that

the lessons taught in Saturday Morning art workshops influenced three of the participants
 48

however two Liz and Gabe noticed no changes in their comic. Three of the participants

Ethan, John, and Dalton noticed a change in their comics. Ethan and John both

abandoned the grid system for a less rigid way of drawing comics. By the end of the

workshop Dalton’s used perspective, speech bubbles, and movement in his comics. My

results for four of the participants Dalton, Ethan, Gabe, and John the workshops increased

artistic development: skills, confidence and artistic identity.

2. Analyzing the Comics with the Rubric.

For analyzing the comics with a rubric I was looking for a change over a period of

time in the comics from week one to seven the range on the rubric was 3-9. For the first

week of the comic workshop, the participants were assigned to make a comic about a real

life event. Two of the participants based their comic from week one on a real life event.

Liz’s comic was about her step-mother eating olives and then a cat licking her teeth while

she was in bed. Overall, this comic was scored a seven with the story receiving the

highest score of three. The drawing and effort both received a score of two. For the comic

from week seven there was really no change in drawing, so both of the comics from week

one and six received the same score. The comic from week seven was about items in the

bathroom. Both of the stories behind the comics were very original. The drawings of the

bathroom containers and the figure were also consistent as objects from panel to panel.

In the week one comic, the figure was drawn not as a “stick figure” but with the use of

“tubes” representing the limbs of the figure. The furniture and hair of the figures had

volume through the use of value.

 49

Figure 3. Drawing from Liz week one.

 50

Figure 4. Drawing from Liz week seven.

In addition, the comics are drawn from different perspectives from the profile and

frontal views. For both week one and seven, I believe the drawing could have been

reworked. More detail could have been added to improve the comic.

For Liz, the narrative was the most significant part of the comic. It could be because of

her desire to communicate an idea was more important than the quality of drawings in the

comic. Or, as suggested by Kindler and Darras (1997) in the findings in Project Zero
 51

(1997), that for children “between the ages of 8 and 11…children seem dominated in

their productions by a quest for the replication of photographic reality or stereotypical

equivalencies thereof, their work appears more slavishly executed, less unified or

balanced, and too constrained to be truly expressive of emotion” (Kindler and Darras,

1997, p. 48). Or, another possibility for this age group is that drawings are “symbols

systems” that are a part of the culture at school. This means that the drawings in the

comics function as a means to tell the story in the comic with only the “right details.”

For this age group school teaches them the clear cut definitions of right and wrong;

because of this, it can be suggested that “their literal bent lowers their tolerance for the

abstract” (Kindler & Darras, p. 51). These reasons could also explain why the drawings

in Liz’s comics were not as strong as the story. The rubric score for Liz did not increase

from week one to six but instead stayed the same.

The comics produced by John also relied on symbols. His comic from the first

week received a total score of four. For his first comic on a real life event, John did not

experiment with new characters. The drawing does not appear to be reworked or the

comic finished. Instead he relied on stick figures as his main characters. As John made

the comic from week one, he covered his work with his hand. He did not appear to be

engaged in his drawings and would spend time looking around the room during the

workshop. By week four, John began to make a series of comics about Joey the Super

Burger; this was when he became interested in making comics. The score on the comics

from week one was four and there was a change by week seven was a six.
 52

Figure 5. Drawing from John week one.

Figure 6. Drawing from John week seven Joey the Superburger comic.
 53

In week seven the comic was more detailed then in week one, but there did not

appear to be very significant differences in drawing style. What changed the most was

John’s motivation to make more comics. Suddenly he worked the entire time during the

workshop on his series. Instead of just making one page of comics during the workshop

he made three pages. This was what changed the most for John, his motivation to draw.

John’s score increased from a four to a six due to changes in his drawings which

indicated an increase in skill.

The second participant that created a comic about a real life event was Dalton. His

first comic was about a man who got a pie thrown in his face. His total score for week

one was a five. The storyline of his comic was difficult to follow. Instead of speech

bubbles, Dalton used arrows to connect the comic frames. By week seven, his last comic

the total score was six. Dalton’s comic about a character who worked in a junkyard

included the character dialogue.

 54

Figure 7. Drawing from Dalton week one.

Figure 8. Drawing from Dalton week seven.

 55

Dalton’s drawings were always very consistent. His did not use symbols in his

comic; however, he experimented with different perspectives. By week seven, he drew

the character from the side or profile view. In addition to the profile, he drew the back of

a chair as seem in the middle of the page one (Figure 8). And as the comic progresses

towards the middle of the page there was an action drawing of a car coming towards the

viewer. There were also action lines around the car to indicate forward movement.

Dalton’s comic included the use of speech bubbles to show what the character was

thinking and doing. This was a change in the comic that he made from the first week of

the comic workshop. The changes in week seven are evident in that the character had

more facial details and emotion. The storyline was well developed and there the comic

included a better sense of time and place. Overall his score increased by one point from a

five to a six because of a noticeable change in drawing ability. By week seven Dalton

added more detail and perspective that included drawing a character in profile. He also

added a few words to his comic but the storyline was unclear.

Ethan, like Dalton, also demonstrated a change from the first to the seventh

comic. The total score that Ethan received for his comic from week one was a five. In his

first comic, Ethan did not use many frames. He created this comic by first drawing a grid

and then filling in the characters. By week seven he was experimenting with different

sizes of frames and not using a grid to draw all of his comics. Ethan’s total score from

week seven was an eight. The story line was well throughout out and easy to follow. By

week seven in his comic Bighead Larry, Ethan’s was using three dimensional

perspectives. Some examples of his use of perspective were the house in the first frame

and also the room in frame 3 and 6 of the week seven comic (Figure 10).
 56

Figure 9. Drawing from Ethan week one.

Figure 10. Drawing from Ethan week seven Bighead Larry.

 57

For effort Ethan always worked the entire workshop to complete a comic. Ethan

always planned his comic before he started drawing. He worked the entire time trying to

finish a comic. His goal was to complete a comic by the end of the workshop, and then

the next time he would start a new comic. The grid system that he used for the first comic

was a way to ensure that the comic would be done by the end of the workshop. However

by week seven Ethan was drawing frames on a page by not using the grid (Figure 10).

His drawing style remained the same throughout the workshop. He was always very clear

in narrative in his comics and consistent with drawing the characters. The results from the

rubric indicate that Ethan’s drawing remained consistent throughout the workshop;

however there were changes in his drawing style. For Ethan what changed in his drawing

style was his approach to the layout of the comic. By week seven he used perspective,

more frames on a page, more detail and abandoned the grid system of laying out comics.

In addition to Ethan, another participant whose drawing remained consistent was

Gabe. Throughout the workshop there was no discernible change in his drawing style

according to the dimensions in the rubric. His comic from week one was about a robot

named MP-40; this was a series of comics that he continued to week seven. Gabe’s

comics were about fighting scenes between two robot characters. He used jagged lines in

both examples of his comics from weeks one and seven to show movement and action.

The total scores for the comic are the same for week one and seven: both received a score

of eight. The drawings were very developed, and there are consistencies in the

characters. However, it was impossible to tell what the storyline was in the examples

from weeks one or seven.

 58

Figure 11. Drawing from Gabe week one MP-40 Robots.

 59

Figure 12. Drawing from Gabe week seven MP-40 Robots.

Gabe, in both of his comics, had a very distinct drawing style although there not changes

in his score as indicated by the rubric his drawings became more complex as the

workshop progressed. Gabe reviewed his drawings of robots during the workshops. As he

worked on the comics he erased or went back to drawings from previous weeks and

added detail. I don’t think that the rubric captured the depth of detail in Gabe’s drawings

since the criteria for drawing only attributed a higher score to changes in drawing style.

For Gabe his level of drawing was the most complex out of all of the participants. The

rubric did not account for the level of detail, and action necessary to perfect the MP-40

robots that Gabe showed in his drawing. I think that Gabe’s drawings indicate a level of

ability not measurable from the rubric. To assess his drawings his flexibility during the
 60

drawing process, his knowledge and capacity for drawing robots the rubric does not

capture or indicator his level of artistic skill.

Research by Millbrath in 1998 on talented children provided an explanation that

fits Gabe’s level of drawing. The detail in Gabe’s drawings are as Milbrath (1998)

mentioned similar to artistically talented children around age eight who may display

“adultlike processing capacity for maintaining images” and the changes made during the

process of drawing indicate flexibility in the sequence of drawing (Milbrath, 1998, p. 38-

39). The process in which Gabe edited his drawings by erasing and changing as he drew

may have indicated that he tried in his drawing to perfect his robot schema. Since

children do not typically draw from objects, they have to construct visual details.

Milbrath (1998) suggested that talented children are better at “visual configurations and

comparisons between real world referents and their drawings they are able to integrate

conceptual and figurative schemes” (p. 370). Gabe’s drawings indicated had an

understanding of action scenes and robot fights that was much different from the other

participants’ level of drawing.

In assessing the drawings it was important to mention that Gabe’s comics did not

exhibit significant changes like Ethan or Dalton’s comics. Gabe continued to draw these

figures without incorporating very much of the weekly lessons. In the last comic (Figure

12), Gabe did draw boxes abound the characters and use speech bubbles instead of

narration boxes, which indicate an effort to capture storytelling narrative, however,

because of his writing it was impossible to tell the story in his MP-40 robot comics. The

function of drawing for Gabe and more specifically his preoccupation with robots might

be that he wanted to describe visually the robot scenarios. The desire to draw how
 61

something looked as Gardner (1980) indicated as a central preoccupation for children and

the preoccupation with violence and aggression are themes that are explored during the

process of drawing. It was in creating scenes of violence that shows the interest in good

and evil and furthermore a place where these themes can be understood (Gardner, 1980).

Therefore his robot drawings allow Gabe a place to explore violence and aggression by

drawing battle scenes with robots. In these battle scenes by the way figures are placed

Gabe was an example of what Gardener defined as “spatial arrangements” (Gardner,

1980, p.115). Gabe was experimenting with the placement of objects in his drawing.

Gardner goes on to discuss the idea of “expressiveness in one’s artistic symbols”

(Gardner, 1980, p.133) and how that can be used to show emotion in drawings. This

quality along with what Gardner (1980) calls “repleteness” makes it a work of art. This is

how materials are used in an artistic way—that is “if in his drawings the thickness, shape,

shading and uniformity of line contribute to the work’s effect, the child is exhibiting a

command over repleteness.” Gardner goes on to note that these are useful criteria for

assessing whether drawings “produced by a child are actually functioning as successful

artistic works” (Gardner, 1980, p.133). Based on Gardner’s (1980) definition it appeared

that Gabe’s drawings could possibly be artistic works. Gabe’s drawings of robots

demonstrated a use of line quality and detail that indicated his knowledge of drawing

conventions. However Gabe’s drawings when analyzed with the rubric indicated no

change. His scores on drawing style did not change from week one to week seven.

My results from week one to seven when analyzing the comics with a rubric showed

varied results for the participants. For three participants John (4 to a 6), Ethan (5 to an 8),

and Dalton (5 to a 6) there was an increase of points over time from week one to seven.
 62

For analyzing the comics with the rubric for a change from week one to seven my results

about artistic skill development showed the Saturday Morning art workshops the may

have influenced three of the participants John, Ethan, and Dalton; however two

participants, Liz and Gabe scores did not change both for different reasons. For Gabe the

rubric did not capture the complexity and depth of his robot drawings because his scores

did not change from week one to seven. It seemed that Gabe cannot be assessed by the

criteria on the rubric because it did not accurately measure his level of skill that was

evident in his drawings. Liz’s drawing skills or rubric score did not change over the

course of the workshop. Based on the rubric three participants the workshops increased

artistic development; however, it appears that two of the children Liz and Gabe may have

not had many changes in their drawing style when analyzing the comics with the rubric.
 63

DISCUSSION

While the methodology I used could not demonstrate an increase in children’s

artistic development definitively, the results show that the children developed as artists—

including increases in their artistic identity, confidence and skills—over the seven weeks.

The results varied, however, by child.

Artistic Identity

For my first research questions, I asked, Does the experience of art education in

the Saturday Morning Art workshops influence children’s artistic identity? Artistic

identity was assessed by participants answering questions related to artistic identity and

the five criteria for artistic identity proposed by Jeffri and Greenblatt (1998). Table 2

summarizes my results. According to the responses from the participants, I think that

each of the participants spent time making art and liked to draw although they did not

connect that to their identity. My results for the participants’ time spent making art and

inner drive was inferred through my observations during the workshop. It appeared for

three participants: Gabe, Ethan, and Liz; they spent most of the time drawing their comics

in the workshop. Dalton and John spent about half of their time in the workshop making

comics. However, it seemed that two of the participants Ethan and Dalton liked to make

art or draw outside of the workshop. Gabe and Ethan had the most inner drive to work on

comics during the workshops, with John becoming interested over time. John said that

the workshop made him feel like an artist. It was possible that Liz may have already

identified as an artist prior to the start of the Workshop.

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Table 2. Artistic Identity as defined by Jeffri and Greenblatt, Questions on Artistic

Identity

Participant Jeffri and Greenblatt’s (1989) Criteria for Evidence of Artistic Identity My
Questions
About
Labeled by Self as Time Advanced Inner Artistic
Others artist Spent Skill drive Identity
Gabe X X X X

Ethan X X X X

Dalton X X X

Liz X X X

John X

Therefore, my results about artistic identity showed that the Saturday Morning art

workshops may have influenced all five of the participants’ perception of themselves as

an artist; however, it appears that three of the children Liz, Ethan and Dalton may have

viewed themselves as an artist prior to beginning the workshops. Liz was already very

sure of her artistic identity and both Ethan and Dalton liked to draw. The difference noted

about artistic identity when comparing the two assessment approaches (my criteria versus

Jeffri and Greenblatt’s criteria) was that John did not meet any of the five criteria of

artistic identity proposed by Jeffri and Greenblatt’s (1998). However, when answering

my questions on artistic identity in the workshop, he agreed that the workshops made him
 65

feel like an artist. For two of the participants Gabe and Ethan showed the Saturday

Morning art workshops may have influenced their artistic identity because both met three

of the criteria for artistic identity. Two of the participants Liz and Ethan met two of the

criteria proposed by Jeffri and Greenblatt, and John did not fulfill any of the criteria for

artistic identity. For two of the participants Gabe and Ethan showed the Saturday

Morning art workshops may have influenced their artistic identity because both met three

of the criteria for artistic identity. Two of the participants Dalton, Liz met criteria (1, 2)

and Ethan and Gabe met three of the criteria (3, 4, and 5) and John did fulfill any of the

criteria for artistic identity.

Out of all of the participants, Gabe and Ethan met the most criteria for artistic identity

proposed by Jeffri and Greenblatt (1998). They both spent the most time during the

workshop drawing constantly and had the inner drive to make art. Time on task was

measured by how diligent or focused the participants were while drawing their comics.

Fulfilling the requirement for time spent drawing was evident not so much by the amount

of art created but how the participants used the class period to draw. For instance the

amount of work for these participants was different, but Ethan and Gabe both devoted the

entire class drawing comics. They had different aspirations. Ethan wanted to finish an

entire comic by the end of the workshop. On the other hand Gabe drew slowly but spent

the same amount of time drawing very detailed comics. Gabe did not finish his comics in

one class setting but worked on the same comic for the duration of the workshop.

Therefore Ethan and Gabe differed in the number of drawings produced but were similar

in the fact that they spent the same amount of time working. The same inner drive was

observed for Gabe and Ethan by the fact that they worked during the class and spent a
 66

substantial amount of time drawing. In addition to the amount of time on task and time

spend drawing, artistic identity as proposed Jeffri and Greenblatt’s (1998) included

evidence of advanced artistic skill met by Gabe.

In her study, Rostan (1998) noted acknowledgement of artistic talent by others

was important to artistic identity. A part of artistic identity was based on self-perception

and validation of being labeled as artist by others. The desire to be called an artist was

important validation of one’s identity (Albertson, 2011). Three of the participants Liz,

Ethan, and Dalton were labeled as artists before the workshop: their artistic identity was

acknowledged by their peers and family. On the one hand Dalton was reluctant to admit

in the workshop that he was an artist, but, on the other hand, his family enrolled him in

art workshops and bought him art supplies.

Rostan (1998, 2005) in her conclusions about artistic identity, mentioned four important

indicators of identity: motivation, knowledge about art, knowledge of materials, and

focusing on making art as significant factors in artistic development. In her study with 8

to 9 year olds Rostan (1998) saw these as the important conditions for this age group in

their definition of artistic identity. All five of the participants experienced at least one of

Rostan’s indicators of artistic identity by the end of the Saturday Morning art workshop.

Each participant met some criteria of artistic identity. Liz and Ethan may have already

been artists prior to the workshop. Ethan and John both felt the workshop made them an

artist and could discuss their enjoyment of art and drawing. However, John liked being

with others who draw comics and because of the art workshops felt like an artist. My

results on artistic identity from the Saturday Morning art workshops indicate Liz, and

Ethan, were considered artists before the workshop.

 67

The artistic identity of the participants was affirmed by their participation in the

Saturday Morning art workshops. For two of the participants, Ethan and John artistic skill

development was discussed when questioned about artistic identity. This was because

Ethan and John liked the art workshop because they were accepted as artists outside of

the art classroom and were with peers his age that liked to draw comics. Ethan said that

he could make better comics because of the workshop. John agreed with Ethan and felt

the same about the workshop. When Ethan said he liked the comic workshop, he enjoyed

being with peers who also liked to draw comics. Both Ethan and John felt supported by

their experience in the comic workshop and being with their peers who liked comics was

a positive experience. The experience of acceptance that Ethan and John felt from

working with their peers who liked making comics was similar to the findings in a study

by Clark and Zimmerman (1998). In the study at the Summer Arts Institute at the

University of Illinois, they mentioned the participants benefited by working with others

who had similar interests in making art. This study indicated talented artists at the Art

Institute at the University of Illinois for the same reasons liked working together, similar

to Ethan and John in the comic workshop.

Clark and Zimmerman (2004) also wrote talented and creative students were not

always recognized at school because they did not meet the expectations of a teacher. My

results indicated for three participants, Ethan, Dalton, and John, were not recognized as

artists by their teacher. Two participants Ethan and Dalton both liked to draw (criterion

5), and Ethan had his own unique style of drawing; however these participants were not

labeled as artists but felt that they were artists. Dalton also said that he enjoyed drawing

comics at the workshop but not at school. Ethan, Dalton and John felt accepted more in
 68

the comic workshop than at school it was because these participants lacked confidence or

were not acknowledged by their teachers as being artistic. In summary, using Jeffri and

Greenblatt’s, Rostan’s and my criteria for artistic identity, it appears that all five of the

children identified as artists. However, it was difficult to conclude whether their identity

as artists develop over the course of the workshop.

Confidence

Does the experience of art education in the Saturday Morning Art workshop build

children’s confidence in artistic ability? Confidence was measured by how the

participants felt about their drawings in the workshop. The levels of confidence based on

their observable behavior varied among the participants in the comic workshop. Liz,

Dalton and Ethan’s level of confidence was evident because they were willing to share

their comics with their peers and the instructor at the end of the workshop. Liz was very

confident at the beginning of the workshop. She knew that she was an artist because of

validation of her talent by her peers and teachers. However, not all of the participants

were confident in the workshop. As the workshop progressed John and Gabe became

more confident and shared their comics with the class and the instructor.

Gabe would share his work if asked, but John benefited in confidence the most from the

Saturday Morning art workshops. His lack of confidence was apparent when John did not

share his work for the first three workshops. He covered his drawings from week one

with his hand and then shut the comic book and refused to show it to the instructor or his

classmates. John refused to show his work to the comic class, until week four then after

he discovered how to show action in his comics his confidence increased. John felt
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accepted because he was among peers who also enjoyed drawing which may have

improved his confidence in his comics

Flowers and Marston (1974) see confidence as a motivation for learning and also

as reinforcement for behavior. When John hid his work during the beginning of the

workshop, his behavior may be because of a lack of confidence in his ability to draw.

John’s behavior was similar to what Flowers and Marston (1974) describe as a student

with low confidence; they will avoid sharing with a teacher, behavior accepted by a

student with more confidence. For the participants Liz, Ethan, Dalton, who were

confident, it was easier for them to share their comics at the first workshop. Likewise Liz,

Dalton, and Ethan were confident in their answers about artistic identity.

In addition to sharing art, the adaptation of lessons introduced by the instructor, also

indicated a level of confidence. If lessons presented a challenge, then students might be

motivated find a solution. A study by Bunker (1991) on self-esteem and confidence

found that if elementary students were challenged the result could be an increase in

confidence. If the participants in my study were confident in their drawing skills then

they wanted to share their comics. My results on confidence for three participants Liz,

Dalton, and Ethan indicated they may have been confident because they were successful

in making art or secure in their drawing ability, prior to the start of the Saturday Morning

art workshop. Two participants, Gabe and John, became more confident because of

experiences in the workshop; however, John experienced the highest increase in

confidence and motivation.

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Artistic Skills

Does the experience of art education in the Saturday Morning Art workshops

affect children’s artistic skill development? In addition to artistic identity and

confidence, part of artistic development was defined by looking at artistic skills in the

comic workshops. I analyzed comics from the first and seventh workshop with the

rubric. I looked for change in the comics over a period of time. My results indicated that

three participants, John, Ethan, and Dalton, developed artistic skills because of a noticed

change from week one to week seven. The range for John was an increase from a 4 to a 6.

Ethan’s score increased from a 5 to an 8, and Dalton’s score increased from 5 to a 6.

Two participants Gabe and Liz had no change in drawing skills from week one to seven.

In addition to a change over time, artistic skills were measured by change over time,

scores on a rubric, and from my questions about artistic identity. For two of the

participants Ethan and Gabe had the highest overall score on the rubric with the range in

scores being 3 to a 9. My analysis of their drawings, using the rubric, showed they both

received a score of eight which was the highest overall score received by any of the

participants in the workshop. However Gabe score’s did not change from the first to the

seventh week.

Summary

My findings indicated that the Saturday Morning art workshops positively

affected the children’s artistic development, identity, confidence, and artistic skills, for

most of the participants. My results show four of the participants: Gabe, Ethan, John, and

Liz’s may have experienced an increase in artistic identity because of the Saturday

Morning art workshop however; it appeared three of the children Liz, Ethan and Dalton
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were considered artists prior to beginning the workshops. My results about confidence

showed two of the participants’ John and Gabe, confidence may have been influenced by

the Saturday Morning art workshops; however, two of the children, Liz and Ethan, were

very confident about their skills as, artists prior to beginning the workshops. My results

about Dalton are not clear as to whether the Saturday Morning art workshops influenced

his confidence. My results for artistic skills indicated that three of the participants Dalton,

John, and Ethan changed in drawing style possibly because of the Saturday Morning art

workshop, although drawing skills were not taught in the weekly lessons.

Limitations

This study had some limitations. First, the lack of information available about the

children’s artistic development limited my ability to draw conclusions for all children for

all of my research questions. My role as observer in the workshop may have impacted my

relationship with the participants and my ability to get information from them. Because of

their age and the nature of the workshop, I could not really develop a strong relationship

with them that was necessary to talk about artistic development. They were very

reluctant to answer any questions about being an artist or whether they saw themselves as

an artist. On the other hand for a few of the participants, Dalton, Liz, and Ethan, said they

liked discussing their comics and the weekly lessons. Many of the participants, Ethan,

John, and Dalton, attended the comic workshop because they could not make the kind of

art that they wanted at school. This feeling of being disliked by an art teacher or

prohibited from making art did not occur in the comic workshop.

Second, the lack of drawing instruction in the Workshops may have impacted children’s

skill development. Drawing instruction is important to artistic development as indicated

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in studies by Rostan (2005), Wilson and Wilson (2009), and Kindler and Darras (1997).

A study by Rostan (2005) mentioned that teaching measurable skills to children age’s

seven to eleven influenced their artistic skill development. Therefore acquiring the

knowledge to develop those skills for making art were important for artistic development

for children. The fact that only two participants Gabe and Ethan received high total

scores on the rubric indicated that more guided instruction in the workshop may have

increased the rubric scores of the other participants.

At nine years the participants want to learn skills that will help them be better

artists. Wilson (2009) and Rostan (2005) mentioned skills are an important part of artistic

development because nine to ten year olds are interested in learning how to draw The

results for skill development show this may be true for the comic workshop, for example.

Liz and John might have scored higher on the rubric with more attention from the

instructor. But it could be argued that all of the participants would have benefited by

learning some drawing techniques. The role of the instructor was important for teaching

lessons, and “adult assistance is actually necessary to evoke the child’s spontaneity and

creativity” (Wilson & Wilson, 2009, p. 52). The lack of teaching any direct drawing

techniques may have affected the rubric score or for some participants the acquisition of

artistic skills. Because the rubric scores were based on progress or change, for this to

occur, it is necessary for children to feel what “Piaget calls a level of disequilibrium.”

This experience can be defined as the point where a child is ready for a developmental

change (Milbrath, 1998, p. 221).

For the participants Dalton, Liz, and John, there may have been times where they

were uncertain on how to proceed and needed further instruction. These instances in the
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workshop were where they either did not know how to proceed with their comic, did not

spend time working, or did not know how to solve a drawing problem. For Dalton, Liz

and John this probably affected their scores on the rubric and artistic identity as proposed

Jeffri and Greenblatt’s (1998). For example, Dalton’s score was low because he did not

spend time on task. He liked to draw and would spend half of each workshop drawing his

comic. Then at certain points in the workshops, he would stop drawing and start playing

with erasers. This could be for two reasons: because he did not know what to do next in

his comic or because he had a problem in a drawing he was trying to solve. Whatever the

reason, this marked a point where he may have benefited from adult attention or drawing

instruction.

Like Dalton, Liz’s rubric score may also have been due to the lack instruction.

This was because over the duration of the workshop her comics did not progress or

change from the first to the seventh week. The absence of change indicates her ability

was affected because of absences or the shortage of drawing skills in the lessons.

The lack of teaching any direct drawing techniques may be an explanation for John’s

low rubric score. A low score on the rubric and on Jeffri and Greenblatt’s (1998) artistic

identity criteria seemed to be related to his struggles with self- confidence and problems

in his drawings. John was not confident enough to share his comics for the first three

weeks of the workshop. He was also struggling with how to develop actions or show

movement in his character. His efforts to show movement was evident when comparing

comics from week one (Figure 5) with later drawings from his Joey the Superburger

comics. By week four John had resolved how to show action in his comics by altering

his choice in character representation. He did not use stick figures in his comics but
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instead a round figure with arms. His experiences are similar to the findings of Wilson

and Wilson, (2009) that show an example of a fifth grader who used a pickle for a

character before learning how to draw figures doing actions and movement in his comics.

After he received instruction on how to draw action and movement in people, the ten year

old abandoned the pickle character. He did so because he learned how to show action

and movement and decided that he could not express this with his former character

(Wilson & Wilson, 2009, p. 76). John altered his character choice because he could not

resolve how to create movement in a human figure. The evidence for John’s resolution to

show action happened by week four he discovered a new character. Through this

character John drew all kinds of action in his Joey the Superburger comics. This

motivated him to continue to draw a series of comics about this character for the

remainder of the workshop.

The findings in the study by Wilson and Wilson (2009) demonstrated the

struggles of a fifth grader, who like John, was struggling with how to solve a problem in

drawing action figures. The problem that the fifth grader experienced with his pickle

character was similar to John’s problem. However John abandoned the stick figure for a

different character where he could more easily show action. His motivation and lack of

confidence may have been related to not knowing how to express action in his comics

from the first week (Figure 5). This appeared like a lack of motivation and confidence

which affected his score on the rubric for artistic development and ability. More

instruction may have improved the participant’s scores from week seven on the rubric,

confidence, and interest in drawing comics.

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Inadequate instruction on drawing techniques could also have affected the

participants time on task, confidence and drawing ability. The inadequate instruction was

also a limitation which may have affected the outcome of my research, specifically the

acquisition of the drawing skills, are the weekly lessons. The participants, all nine to ten

year olds, were interested in learning more drawing techniques to apply to their comics.

The lack of drawing instruction may have affected the outcome of the comics especially

when looking at drawings over a period of time. This was evident in the comic drawings

by Liz and John, who could have benefited from drawing techniques. If each lesson

began with a drawing exercise or activity where participants learned a new technique and

then applied the lesson during the class then there may have been a change in their

drawing ability noted in the final comic.

For Dalton, and John, trying to solve problems in the comic drawings, appeared

like time not spent on task or lack of motivation, which may have affected the

participants’ scores. Liz did not attend enough which may have been the reason there

was no observable progress in her drawings which lowered her overall score on the

rubric. Since instruction was important to this age group, especially as the participants in

the workshop are around the age where they want to develop their artistic ability (Kindle

& Darras, 1997, p. 96) the lack of drawing instruction affected the participants’ artistic

development. Therefore, with some adult intervention, Dalton, John, and Liz may have

benefited from adult intervention during the workshop which affected his scores on the

rubric.

Third, in addition to inadequate instruction, there were a few other aspects of the

study that may have affected the results. They include the location of the art workshops
 76

and access to art materials. The space where the comic workshop took place had the most

effect on the outcome of my research because of distractions that occurred around the

comic workshop. The first limitation was due to the location and the unavailability of

private space to answer questions about artistic identity. The participants were very

hesitant to discuss any of their experiences related to identity. All of the participants were

very quiet and did not want to answer any of the questions about artistic identity.

Therefore, the setting interfered with my ability to adequately assess participants’

identity.

The fourth limitation had to do with flexibility and access to art materials and

when these were introduced in the weekly lessons. Having the choice in materials could

prove to be important to skill development of the five participants. For instance many of

the participants, during the first comic workshop, were having difficulty making very

detailed drawings because of dull pencils. For instance Gabe wanted a very sharp pencil

to complete his drawings. Likewise Dalton asked for thin line markers, and markers that

weren’t dried out several times throughout the workshop. Ethan was also concerned

about using specific colors of markers and making sure they were not dried up. For the

participants not having usable and well working art materials available could have

affected their confidence in their ability to draw. In addition the time in which the

materials are introduced and how they are used could have affected the confidence and

ability of the participants. When art materials are introduced the lesson should also

include different examples and demonstrations of how to use the art materials.
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Implications for Future Research

My results provide evidence about children’s artist development in the Saturday

Morning art workshops. My results and experience suggest some areas of future

research. First, future research with a larger and more diverse sample of participants and

also including different ages and data from their parents and their instructor may prove

useful in future research. A study would include more information about the participants

from different perspectives. Therefore research would include background data about the

participants’ artistic development outside of the art workshop. Parents and teachers could

provide more insight on identity, confidence, and ability outside of the workshops

develops. This background information could indicate artistic development at home or at

school which might be different then at the workshops.

Second, a future study could investigate artistic identity, confidence, and ability in

children with semi-structured interviews; interviews might prove to be useful for

assessing the participants in the Saturday Morning art workshops. The semi structured

interviews would be a systematic way of gathering information about artistic

development. Since the research was collected in the public space of the art workshop, it

was difficult to gather this information informally. In addition to the interviews from

participants, a pre and posttest questionnaires or interviews before and after the art

workshop may provide more insight about artistic development.

Third, the curriculum in the art workshop may also have affected artistic development,

identity, confidence, and ability. A standardized curriculum for each part of artistic

development that introduces drawing techniques, new art materials, and processes may
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result in an increase or improvement of identity, confidence, and ability over the duration

of the workshop.

Implications for Art Education

In general the implications for art education are that the findings could offer

valuable information for future teachers who teach art workshops and who teach art

classes in schools.

For pre-service teachers, the study described what happened during the Saturday

Morning art workshops. Also recorded are the participants’ responses to the weekly

lessons and how they did or did not use the instruction in their comics. My description of

limitations suggests changes could be made in the lesson plans and access to art

materials. My research shows the teachers of future, for example, Saturday Morning art

workshops instruction was necessary for children to continue to develop as artists

regardless of their drawing skills; they can always learn new techniques.

First, the results have implications for regular art classes in school. Wilson

(2005), in his article on the comic drawings of J. C. Holz, mentioned drawing comics as

the point of reference for adults who later became artists. Wilson’s article about drawing

comics was important because it highlights the narrow definition of art for many

elementary and secondary school art teachers. Wilson believed “…every teacher would

become involved in the construction of the their visual cultural site be attending to and

encouraging the production of kid’s self-initiated visual culture production as students are

willing to reveal” (p.33) He warned art educators about having a too rigid definition of art

in the classroom citing J.C. Holz’s secondary art experience with his art teacher in high

school who didn’t understand the comic as a form of art. For two participants in the art
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workshop Ethan, and Dalton, they both said that comic were not a recognized form or art

in their classroom. Ethan felt that his teacher did not like his drawing style, and Dalton

was not allowed to draw comics at school. These experiences by the two participants in

the Saturday Morning art workshop are similar to J.C. Holz who was turned away from

art by an art teacher. Wilson (2005) mentioned the importance of art teachers to

recognize children’s drawing made outside of the classroom as works of art. These self-

initiated works of art are what encourage children to continue to draw. These drawings

are as Wilson (2005) explained where children make decisions about their visual culture,

the content, themes, and plots to use for their own purposes.

Second, for teachers of workshops, the limitations indicated the importance of

instruction on drawing techniques. As children progress with the exploration of their

visual culture, Wilson noted they need drawing instruction, “Kids discover that, in order

to create satisfying graphic narratives, they need more and more skills. Their characters,

their features, emotions, and actions, for example, implicitly demand increasing

complexity” (p.23). Therefore when drawing comics children need to learn skills that will

help them achieve their goals of expressing their visual culture. This is an important

lesson for future art educators, and pre-service teachers to know, to teach drawing

techniques that allow children to become better artists. As expressed by the participants

in the art workshop, and research by Rostan (1998, 2005) children wanted to know the

skills and techniques necessary to depict their visual culture in their art.
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CONCLUSION

My results on the artistic identity and confidence, was consistent with studies by

Albertson (2011) and Rostan (1998, 2005). The stimulating environment, provided by

working with other children also interested in making comics, was similar to a study at

the University of Illinois by Clark and Zimmerman (1998). Albertson (2011) mentioned

the importance of peers and teachers enhancing artistic identity; both Liz and Dalton

experienced validation of their identity as artists by teachers and peers. In the comic

workshops observations of Gabe’s motivation, his knowledge about comics and drawing

was similar to Rostan’s (1998, 2005) findings about motivation, knowledge of art and

materials, and how these factors contributed to this age groups understanding of artistic

identity. Finally Flowers and Marston (1974) mentioned confidence as motivation for

elementary age students as observed in John and Gabe.

In conclusion, the Saturday morning art workshops may have influenced four of the

participant’s artist development, but the type and extent of development was specific to

each child. In particular, it seems likely that artistic identity for John and Gabe were

influenced by the workshop. John also experienced increased motivation and confidence,

and Gabe became more confident. In addition Ethan, John, and Dalton may have

developed skills during the workshop as evidenced by the changes in their comics which

better artists. Finally, it is important to point out that the workshops could have an effect

on the children’s development in unknown ways and at a later stage in their development.
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