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Drawings from Period 3: the visible realityPeriod 3 spans from 9 to 15 years old. Within this period, a distinction can still be made between the beginning of realism and the pseudo-naturalistic stage. The beginning of realism: |
 In this drawing, there's clearly attention to detail. Spatial representation is achieved through the use of multiple ground lines. There's overlapping and cropping. At the rails, there's folding or Egyptian drawn imagery. The boy seems determined to make it clear that these are indeed rails. However, the road is depicted with just a single line. The swans are still quite schematic. Transparency is used in drawing the engineer. |
 An attempt has been made to create a lifelike depiction of the body. Many details are visible, such as fingers and a thumb, a detailed eye. The drawing is flat and without an attempt at spatial representation. |
 In this drawing, an imaginary ground line with a horizon is visible. An attempt has been made to depict the dog as naturally as possible, and the cat is also clearly recognizable as a cat. However, the bird and the squirrel are depicted much more simply. It seems like the boy may have traced the dog and the cat from a reference. The birds in the sky are drawn in a very schematic manner. The color usage is cerebral. |
 This boy makes a decent attempt to depict the view through the basement window realistically. There's clear movement in the legs. Some schemas are still used, and the color usage is cerebral. There are evident cut-offs and overlapping. Multiple ground lines are present. |
The pseudo-realistic stage: |
 The girl in this drawing uses cropping and overlapping. There are multiple imaginary ground lines and a horizon, represented by the mountains. Additionally, this girl uses increasingly smaller schemas to suggest perspective. The figure is still somewhat schematic, as are the mountains. The color usage is varied, and there's a clear attempt to render the colors as realistically as possible. There are evident shaded areas on the teepees. Multiple shades are visible in the grass. There are also initial attempts to draw shadows inside the teepees. |
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| Drie interpretations of the same assignment: Draw a prisoner in his cell. All three girls are 12 years old. The creator of the first drawing has cleverly avoided dealing with perspective. The artist of the second drawing, despite her drawing skills, has not understood the explanation about perspective. However, she has incorporated a lot of humor into her drawing. On the other hand, her classmate has understood it well. In all three drawings, there's a clear attempt to depict reality as accurately as possible. There's overlapping present. Objects are no longer depicted as rigidly; for example, take a look at the blankets on the bed. There has been a lot of attention to detail, sometimes even an abundance of information. |
 This thirteen-year-old boy can depict the bear quite realistically in various positions relative to the box. However, the bear itself remains very flat. The light and dark gray tones are not yet realistically used to represent shadows and lighting. There's clearly a relationship between the bear and the box. |
  Although the assignment is the same, the execution is very different. Both boys were 13 years old when they drew these houses in parallel perspective. The boy on the left has supplemented the drawing with schemas of trees. He has used various fills to indicate roads, streets, and meadows. The boy on the right has dared to draw multiple rows of houses. The houses become slightly smaller towards the back, which enhances the sense of space. However, the houses themselves are still clearly schematized. |
 Although you can still recognize some schemas in this drawing, such as the eyes and the mouth, it's clear that a realistic representation is being pursued here. Plasticity is suggested through subtle tone variations, for example, under the eyes, around the nose, and in the neck. However, the lines still make the overall appearance somewhat flat. The rendering of the hair is also not very three-dimensional yet. |
Finally, complete independenceThe period of complete independence is after puberty. At this point, you can't really speak of child drawings anymore. |
  These drawings were made by an 18-year-old young man. You can clearly see that the creator has an affinity for drawing. |
Attribution
For this overview, the following source was used: |