The message of this book is a simple one children learn to draw by acquiringincreasingly complex and effective drawing rules. In this regard learning todraw is ... » 

The message of this book is a simple one children learn to draw by acquiringincreasingly complex and effective drawing rules. In this regard learning todraw is like learning a language and as with language children use these rulescreatively making infinite use of finite means. Learning to draw is thus likelearning a language one of the major achievements of the human mind.Theories of perception developed in the second half of the 20th century enableus to construct a new theory of childrens drawings that can account for theirmany strange features. Earlier accounts contained valuable insights but recentadvances in the fields of language vision philosophy and artificialintelligence now make it possible to resolve the many contradictions andconfusions inherent in these early writings.John Willats has written a book that is accessible to psychologists artistsprimary and junior schoolteachers and parents of both gifted and normalchildren. «