Form Drawing with Ruth Grbic
What is Form Drawing?
Form Drawing can be a mysterious subject for anyone new to Steiner Education. Not being practiced in any other kind of school, even those who have been exposed to it for several years (but have never tried it themselves) may still wonder what purpose it has in a classroom. How do these apparently simple drawing exercises have any impact on children’s learning?
It is difficult to explain anything to do with Steiner Education in a simple way, and Form Drawing is no different. As a writer on Waldorfish.com described it, “Form drawing is a deep ocean that one could spend an entire lifetime learning to navigate”. When I first arrived in Steiner Education, I too wondered what the big deal was in drawing some straight or curved lines on a page, but I soon realised it is not about the finished outcome as much as it is about the process.
In the early years of schooling, Form Drawing starts as movement. The teacher might create a shape or type of line on the floor (for example a wavy line, or a zigzag, or a figure eight) which the children walk with their bodies. They experience the feeling of the form, which changes depending on its shape. For example, moving in a sharp zigzagging line could have an effect of bringing up feelings of alertness, stiffness, or tension, whereas a softly waving line may bring up soothing, dreamy, or relaxing feelings. After the children have had a chance to walk this line or shape, they might then draw it in the air with their finger, or toe, or even their nose. They are essentially taking this form into their bodies and having a chance to feel, express and integrate it. They finish this process by drawing it on paper, enjoying seeing the shape they have just experienced come to life in front of their eyes.
As the children get older, they learn more complex forms such as spiralling shapes, symmetrical forms, geometric shapes, rhythmical or running forms and patterns, shapes that grow or transform, and weaving forms. In the older years, mathematical shapes and freehand geometry become the main focus. Each of these types of forms are introduced only when the children are developmentally ready to experience them.
Form Drawing challenges the child and contributes to the development of the four Lower Senses of touch, movement, balance and life. Among other things, these are the senses that govern things like spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, an awareness of where our body begins and ends, and an inner (and thus outer) feeling of balance and equilibrium. Form Drawing also promotes communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, and in allowing children to experience a range of feelings, social-emotional skills are developed. But aside from all of this, just like other forms of art, Form Drawing can be a highly enjoyable activity! It can sometimes feel frustrating at first, but learning cannot happen without some form of discomfort. In overcoming this and then successfully creating these beautiful, harmonious forms, the children experience the pleasure, joy and wonder that comes along with that.
To really get a sense of the “why” of Form Drawing, it pays to try it out for yourself. There are many tutorials on youtube, but for your drawing pleasure I have attached some exercises that I sent to my class during this past lockdown. They are mainly circle-based and weaving forms, suited to the Class 3 and 4 curriculum, when the child is “awakening” to the outer world and to themselves. These forms require the child to keep their focus on the line as it passes under and over another line, and at the same time keep in mind the shape and proportions of the entire drawing.
So, next time you open your child’s Form Drawing book and admire their beautiful (or sometimes not so beautiful) pictures, you will know that there is a whole lot more going on than what meets the eye.
