This document summarizes Ranjan Raghuvir Joshi's experiment conducting a drawing workshop for 700 children aged 4-15 years old in Nasik, India. The children were divided into four age groups. Joshi had only 3 hours to conduct the workshop with the help of 30 volunteers. For the youngest group, the subject of "Mother" was chosen to allow for spontaneous creativity rather than copying patterns. The older groups were tasked with visual mind mapping and interpretations of a poem about global warming. The workshop aimed to challenge traditional copying techniques and encourage original visual thinking. The results produced creative compositions, and photocopied notes on child development were provided.

1. BAL- MAHOSTAV-NASIK.

2. The Brief:
This is an experiment conducted by Ranjan Raghuvir Joshi
as a resource person at the Bal Mahostav-24th to 28th December, 2010
at Nasik, on the invitation of Community Health Foundation
The Event was organized by Media- Advertising & Marketing- Nasik.

3. I had only one day to conduct this workshop,
to be precise 3hours, (25th Dec. 2010).
The participants were divided into four age groups.
Group A =4 years to 6 years, Group B=6 years to 8 years, (Crayon/ Oil
Pastels), Group C =8 years to 12 years, Group D =12 years to 15years,
(Water colours/Poster colours).
Total participants of all the groups were nearly 700(Seven Hundred). I had
a tough time to conduct this workshop. With the help of nearly 30
volunteers, I managed to separate Group A which was of smaller age and
decided to finish with them in just an hour’s time. Children were too small
to sit for such a long time.

4. About the Drawing
Competition, it was being
announce that fun and
learning, combined with
their imaginations,
creativity and skill to
come up with colourful
finished outcome.

5. This focus of the organizers allowed me to innovative approach.
They did not announce the subject for the Drawing Competition. I took this to
notice, “Mother”, this being a universal subject nobody objected.
For the small group, it was a surprise for the parents because in the school and so-
called art class operator’s influences them with patterned drawing subjects
specially meant for such mass Drawing Competitions. Some tried to argue but
when I explained that any child in world first “see” his/her mother.
About the question of Drawing, correctly leave it to their spontaneity and
originality. The likeness of a mother’s image is less important rather than
capturing other visual details around her. It was most spontaneous and original.
This innovative approach the Event organizers Media- Advertising & Marketing-
Nasik appreciated because they had visualized on similar line.

6. Here are prize-winning examples.

7. Conceptual
Element
Visual Element
Practical
ElementRational Element
Representational
Element
Schematic
presentation
to appreciate
the inner
qualities of
the child art
painting

9. Conceptual Element: They are not visible.
They do not actually
exist, but seem to be present.
It is just what ones eyes perceives it
to be. Here in this case a strong
drawing of letters in green color and
figure 10 together seem to convey
something of time pressure and how
the mother tackles it in hurried
situations.

10. Visual Element: In any drawing line is
visible to represent any concept.
This line has its own color, texture
because the tool to draw and the
surface on which it is drawn forms
the final visual impact.
Here a strong Red color of
vigorously drawn hand in a
particular line rendering is a visible
strong form which creates
final impact.

11. Practical Element: This element underlie the content and extension of a composition.
It is exactly how a person reads or interprets a particular situation on the basis of his practical
intellectuality. Here in this case a child showing a subject of “Mother” with two extra hands.
The hands are painted in strong Red color. This also depicts the power of a person to handle multi faceted
actions at a one time. It is rendered in a most animated style.

12. Representational Element:
When a shape is derived
from nature or the man-
made world, it is
representational. It may
be realistic, stylized or
near- abstract. Here the
face of a “MOTHER”
depicted like strong
muscular in Red color.
This shows how
empowered she is in the
mind of this child.

13. Rational Element: This group of
elements governs the
placement, interrelationships
and shapes in design. Some
are to be perceived such as
direction and position and
some as size and gravity.

14. This is the whole painting
when seen through the
said visual elements
then one can
understand the visual
thinking of the child.
We can go through
other paintings likewise
by appreciating in the
manner shown as an
example, which will give
an insight about
this child art.

21. For other two groups “Mother” and her environment in context to
what each, one perceives and observes, to be visually mind map on
the left hand side corner of drawing paper. Here a doodle of visual
thought was the expectations. Next to it students are suppose to
create an interesting final composition from these doodles.
This final composition was to be painted using Water colours/Poster colours.
It was challenging for this grown group since they were not use to
the concept of visually mind map.

22. What is Patterned drawing subjects ?
A pattern is meant to copy the defined visual form.
It has been found that the art coaching classes gives false promises to the parents of
creating an artist by means of copying famous artist works without any insights. Tracing
the outlines of such work blindly and asking them to fill colors thereby completing a job to
prove how success can be achieved in this competitive world. They even try to lobby some
subjects in circulation to enhance their business. They have created a myth that art is just
imitation. Myths of such kind being wrongly encouraged by so-called art class operator
were shocked by my this innovative approach on the spot and started questioning me.
Finally the results were original and creative in compositions of the entries.

23. Here are prize-winning examples.

36. The last ‘D’ group of =12 years to 15years, was put to different task of
visual “INTERPRETATIONS” from textual poetry.
A printed copy of poetry on “Global Warming” by my art guru poet,
painter and creative art director
Prof. Shantaram Pawar’s “Ritusahnwar” being circulated, concept
remained “Mother”, but they had to do visual “INTERPRETATIONS” as
final composition.
The concept of mother earth extended of being by the poet to save it from
destroying by her own human being. The participants understood the gist
of the poetry and visually mind map to make final composition in water
colours/poster colours.
The results were original and creative in composition.

38. Here are prize-winning examples.

43. The judging was easier, because the parameters of the concept could be
visible in the outcomes. Visual Mind mapping was new methodology.
An attempt to the idea of “INTERPRETATIONS”, Visual Mind mapping did
challenged their Drawing by memorizing set visual patterns which had
stopped their visual thinking. For smaller ones “Mother”, to create through
their own drawings became new experience for them.
I supplemented few of photocopy notes of my late father
(Prof. R. P. Joshi) and Uncle’s (Prof. Ramesh S. Joshi) published articles on
child’s mental growth and educational insights for the child’s mind
nurturing. These notes discusses in details about scientific methodologies.
I hope parents increase their literacy about CHILD ART .