Courtesy Tim Newlin, TIMTIM.com

Toddlers who finger-paint across white walls maybe just enjoy the feeling of creating a visual mark on their newly discovered world. They can't write anything yet (or speak very much) and drawing something on a wall is a way of saying something. But by the time a child is 3-4 years old it is something different.

According to Becky Bailey Ph.D and author of the book There's Gotta Be A Better Way, it is actually easier for a child to draw with his hand out in front of him because it's a much more comfortable position that allows better hand-eye control. Children are small people with small arms and legs, but they make up for this with a natural ability to choose to do what is most comfortable. Give them pens and paper to draw on and they normally will choose to draw while lying on the floor on their belly, probably because it feels natural.

After the age of 5 or 6 this changes (or is changed) and most children learn to write and draw sitting at a desk or table. But think about this: most of the great paintings in the world were done by artists painting on a canvas in the standing position - much the same as a wall. So maybe it would be a good idea to provide some "wall canvas" or an upright easel for the creative toddler, and not be so quick to push for desktop drawings.

Cave drawings or cave paintings are drawings found from pre-historic times on the walls and ceilings of caves. One theory is that they were a way of transmitting information; another is that they had spiritual or ceremonial meaning and were part of religious or hunting mythology. In primitive tribes life was hard and work was constant - nobody had time to sit and draw on a cave wall for nothing. You'd have to find the time, get a light source, and mix the colors from natural ingredients. It wasn't done just for fun - it almost certainly had something to do with hunting magic.

Were ancient cave painters "pre-historic taggers"? Are graffiti artists today "Urban Cave Painters" or are they just immature teens from overly strict families with a repressed need to draw on walls? Some claim that graffiti is good art which, if properly appreciated and used correctly, can have some benefit. Graffiti art has always been known for its vibrant colors, distorted characters and vital emotional feel.

Art is usually defined as having some value - a way of communicating thoughts, feelings, or ideas. Graffiti is usually only relevant to the creator who does it and seldom has any meaning to others - except other taggers, of course. Graffiti artists (sometimes called taggers) are almost all young males, and for them the drawing is a territorial marker or “branding” in a modern urban landscape. Some have compared graffiti to animals urinating on rocks and trees to mark their territory.

In the last few years, strong efforts have been made to make graffiti a socially accepted art form. Some known graffiti artists have been commissioned to do wall murals and the better graffiti artists have started to earn good money with their work. Hundreds of Internet sites show and explain graffiti in "how to" tutorials; several even generate graffiti text in a variety of fonts based on what you type into their text templates. But most city officials and private owners who spend millions each year cleaning their buildings, trains, and walls that are plastered with graffiti and tags will continue to think of graffiti as vandalism and destruction of property.

Crayon scribbles on white household walls, spray paint tags on the sides of commuter trains, or hunting scenes on rock from the dawn of civilization - whatever the reason or form, it seems that all through human history we have thought of an empty wall as an invitation to make our mark, create an image, and express ourselves.

©2009:timtim.com

Courtesy Tim Newlin, TIMTIM.com

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