Development of the perception and production of line forms.

Abstract:  Of primary concern to the researcher interested in the development of drawing in children is an understanding of how lines are perceived and produced. The perception of line forms and of the edges and corners of solid forms may be similar in that both lead to the visual experience of contour. Lines, however, unlike the edges of solid objects, can function in 2 ways: they can be perceived or produced as paths or as the boundaries of shapes. The thesis of this article is that, in the drawings of very young children, line is produced as a path before it is produced as a boundary. An explanation for this progression is proposed.