Scribble stage

The first of Victor Lowenfeld's Stages of Artistic Development. Lowenfeld said the scribble stage typically occurs in children's drawings and paintings at 2-4 years old, and that it is made up of four sub-stages: Disordered: uncontrolled markings that could be bold or light depending upon the personality of the child. At this age the child has little or no control over motor activity. Longtitudinal: controlled repetitions of motions. Demonstrates visually an awareness and enjoyment of kinesthetic movements. Circular: further exploring of controlled motions demonstrating the ability to do more complex forms. Naming: the child tells stories about the scribble. There is a change from a kinesthetic thinking in terms of motion to imaginative thinking in terms of pictures. This is one of the great occasions in the life of a human. It is the development of the ability to visualize in pictures. Related links: The art education department at the U of Minnesota Duluth offers a page about Lowenfeld's Stages of Artistic Development. Young Artists, U of Florida art education professor Craig Roland's pages offer a more contemporary interpretation of childrens' stages of art development, and has a section about the scribbling stage. Also see scribble, preschematic stage (4-6), schematic stage (6-9), dawning realism stage (9-11), and the pseudorealistic stage (11-13).