Al Hurwitz

and
Michael Day

Stages of Graphic Representation

Biography: Al Hurwitz
• Born 1920, Died 2012
• Studied at Maryland Institute College of Art and George Peabody College
• Marine
• Attended Yale School of Drama studying set design and history of the theater
• Taught art education all ages from kindergarten to doctoral candidates
• The position of Art Supervisor for Miami County, Director of the Visual and
Performing Arts in a Massachusetts Public Schools and Chair of the Dept. of Art
Education at MICA.
• President of NAEA and International Society of Education
• the publication of the Standards for Art Teacher Preparation and edited the
Handbook for Research and Policy in Art Education.
Published- Ten books including: “The publication of Art Education”, “Teaching
Children to Draw: A Guide for Parents and Teachers” and “Children and Their Art” the
ninth edition.
 Biography: Michael Day
• Born and raised in New Zealand
• Lawyer
• Newspaper reported, lead writer and editor
• Journalist at The West Australian Newspaper
• National award-winning education and feature writer
• Perth Press Club Award and University of Western Australia's prestigious Arthur
Lovekin award
• part-time staff member of the Office of External Affairs

He edited Show Me the Way to Go Home, Technical Communication and the World Wide
Web, and The Online Writing Classroom.
The Manipulative Stage
(Ages 2 - 5 ; Early Childhood)
● Exploration and experimentation with new materials.
● Young children begin to develop a repertoire of graphic marks which is a
precursor to creating visual symbols.
● Children towards the end of this stage begin to explore 3 types of contextual
learning: Visual; Relational; and Expressive.
● Visual: When children understand the outstanding features of line, shapes,
and texture.
● Relational: Formed when a child construct relationships of order and
comparison.
● Expressive: Formed when children recognize connections between their
actions and the outcome of their actions.
Art Examples...
The Symbol-Making Stage
(Ages 6 - 9 ; Grades 1 - 4)
● Students starts to connect an image with an idea
● Very minimal with the symbolism
● They draw what they know!
● The use of space in this stage changes as they become more aware
● The color remains fairly natural in this stage
● There are a lot of “x-ray” depictions as well as multiple view and bird’s eye
view during this stage
● These different views help them to express complex ideas.
Art Examples…
The Preadolescent Stage
(Ages 10 - 13 ; Grades 5 - 8)
● The physical, mental, and social changes that occur during puberty affect
art making.
● Children become more cautious, self-critical, socially aware, and sensitive
to peer opinion.
● These years are critical in artistic development as many children at this age
tend to stop making art. Additional guidance may be needed to advance
past this challenging time.
● Children in this age range begin to have more of an interest in developing
their skills and knowledge about art making and art history.
● Preadolescents also have a greater interest in popular culture i.e. movies,
televisions, and music.
Art Examples...
Expectations
Manipulation Stage

● Line work, figures(stick figures), scribbles, use of color

● Use of markers, crayons, pencils, etc.

Symbol Making Stage

● Children draw what they know.

● Expand upon materials used
● More elaborate figures and drawings

Preadolescent Stage

● More advanced work with mixed media

● Printmaking, sculpture, painting, etc.
“Take-Aways”
Manipulation Stage

● Use vocabulary when discussing artwork such as: line, color,

texture.

Symbol Making Stage

● Encourage child to create own ideas as opposed to simply

giving them something to color in.
● Integrate high quality artwork into curriculum.

Preadolescent Stage

● Appeal to students interests. Ask students what they want to

learn about.
● Introduce a full range of media