When I first started working with four year olds I was so surprised to find that each of them had a recognizable drawing style. After a couple of weeks I could not only tell who made which picture but I could tell who made which scribble. I’m fascinated by how this is possible. How is a four year old able to make drawings that are so consistent enough for everyone to recognize?
The kid who drew this series had many more scenes of “This Guy” who was screaming or crying in different places.
How does a kid become attached to something so specific? This kid loved firetrucks. For the year that I worked with him, firetrucks were all he drew. He drew them rapidly, then hung them on the wall witha piece of tape and then drew another one. He’d also imitate the siren, doing it suddenly and startling the kids around him. He drew them fast and with complete focus. What is drawing doing in this situation? Something that was inside is now made visible to the outside.
There is a big difference between someone who has just turned four and someone who has been four for most of a year. This image was drawn by someone who just turned four. She showed me the drawing and asked me to write her name and what is going on in her picture. When I draw with kids, we use Black flair pens on index cards. I love the way the black pen lets me really see their line work. I find myself gazing at the drawings they make. They give me something I have a hard time naming, but it’s tied to what I’m doing when I’m drawing comics.
Many of the four year olds I work with have something they are especially interested in. The kid who drew these fire trucks rarely drew anything else. He’d finish a drawing, tape it up, and start another one. Working in series is something my professor taught me when I went to college. It’s something that seems to have old roots that need reviving once we leave the neighborhood of childhood.
