Rebecca Brown's Interview with
Jean Coles
Author of
Signals from the Child

Rebecca:
You are a Certified Graphoanalyst -- what is graphology, & what set you upon this curious & rare career?

Jean:
Graphology is the on-going study of the science of handwriting. People study the writing of others for a variety of reasons. Some, to learn character traits visible in the writing, & others, to apply their observations of writing to the field of criminology, such as Prof. Don Foster in his Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous, working with law enforcement or anyone interested in determining exactly who wrote (or did not write) what & under what circumstances.

We all learn the handwriting method taught in our respective school systems, Palmer or otherwise, & yet as soon as allowed, we deviate into our own rhythms & silent idiosyncrasies. The physical process of writing, as well as drawing, connects the creative brain through neural impulses in the arm & hand to the tool & ultimately to the paper. Which is, no doubt, why Dr. Bernie Siegel, author of Love, Medicine & Miracles, so well-known in the field of the mind-body connection, had such an immediate interest in Signals From The Child.

I've always been fascinated with the marks we put on paper, especially the marks we call “doodles”. After being certified I explored all aspects of handwriting; the most interesting to me was the questioned-document analyses, rather than the exploration of character traits. This field requires tight discipline and can be a little stuffy & too confining for a “free spirit”. When I questioned a seminar leader about a certain doodle, she said very seriously “You know what it means ... a stroke is a stroke, no matter where it is found!” I was off & running with a decade of research on the art of children, much of it drawn from scattered information by art therapists & psychotherapists. It's absolutely amazing what can be seen & interpreted by each of us once it is explained & applied with common sense. Parents, grandparents & teachers deserve to have this information in clear readable form. & now they do.

Rebecca:
Can we apply your lessons to adults' drawings?

Jean:
An excellent question. The meaning of the symbols & the use of pressure remain the same, as well as the placement on the paper relating to past, present, future, goals & so forth. However, because of maturity (if only by way of longevity!) & experience as an adult, the analysis of the whole may be very different. Few of us continue drawing after adolescence but we still express ourselves by doodles, & these can be read.

Let me give you an example of how the analysis might be different for an adult. I discuss in Signals From The Child how the small figure drawn at the bottom of the page reveals an emotional insecurity in the child. The similar figure (I have one of a tiny tree that resembles a lollipop, by a 45 year-old) in an adult drawing will display an extremely low sense of self-esteem. This interpretation springs from the same insecurity we see in a child's drawing but for an adult the baggage is more serious. I'll be doing works on doodles & adult drawings in the near future.

Rebecca:
What is it about children's drawings that are so telling?

Jean:
Children are often at a disadvantage with an abbreviated vocabulary, as well as the inability to express emotion in a socially acceptable form. The tendency to transfer thoughts & emotions to a figure or a scene on paper is universal & results in an expression of honesty, & can be filled with information. We must remember that their next drawing can be equally honest & yet completely unrelated. The drawing itself can capture either the attitude of the child or a fleeting impression. We must know something about the artist in order to reinforce the meaning of the picture ... or to correct our own preliminary interpretation.

An acquaintance recently presented me with a ballpoint drawing by a five-year-old girl ... a male-like figure grounded at the bottom of the paper, legs with feet, arms without hands, all springing from the large head (which can also be the torso at this stage), two ears & all the facial features, even down to the ever-present smile. It was easy to spot that all the staples she had “decorated” the drawing with were shot into the figure itself & the one very large eye could be interpreted as a black eye. My first question was the obvious one, “Do you know who the figure is supposed to be?” She hadn't noticed the stapling nor the black eye & presumed it was a drawing of the girl's estranged father. We cannot presume. If the drawing is an effigy of the father then her angry thoughts are obvious. But it could just as easily be a classmate or a cartoon character. & yes, in my view, we are not only permitted, but required, to ask the child “and who is this figure?”

Rebecca:
Over all the years of your career, what are the tools you have found children prefer using?

Jean:
Oh, Rebecca, I'm not sure this is the mountain I'm prepared to die on!

Let's see if we can make a bit of sense of it. I know it is partly age & perhaps (little cop-out here) gender-related with some. The little scribblers rather like the broad, colorful markers, but settle for anything, don't they? All pre-schoolers & early elementary ages like the sharp set of new crayons & some choose colored pencils, but not exclusively. I've been surprised to see many choose a ballpoint pen. Youngsters with more advanced skills seem to like the #2 lead pencil because of shading & texture. The choices, as with all of us, tend to be personal.

Certainly though, as they approach adolescence the ballpoint takes over, especially with boys who, if they are still drawing (perhaps cartooning), will rarely opt for the colored tools. I'll tiptoe out on a small, precarious limb here & say that my experience indicates that the more serious the message in the drawing is, the more often it is done in ballpoint pen. This does not mean that every ballpoint drawing contains a message.

Rebecca:
You write much about trees & include many fascinating drawings, what is it about trees that is so important?

Jean:
A tree drawing is a marvelous vehicle. I consider it no coincidence that the tree is one of the first objects a child draws, & the tree motif, itself, appears in all cultures. Most teens & adults can draw a tree with a sense of abandon, without the usual disclaimer of “oh, I can't draw.” Feelings can be projected into the tree drawing because it is perceived as a neutral entity. In reality, the tree is acknowledged by analysts to be the individual's subconscious feelings about one's self, & what he or she has experienced in life. The root area represents the instinctual sphere, the trunk reflects the expression of emotion as it relates to one's environment, & the crown area relates to the mental & spiritual realm, to include goals & ambition. Pay close attention to pressure & location of the tree on the paper, & look for additional “accidental” symbols especially by older artists, usually in the crown. That's a lot of information in one apparently simple motif, isn't it?

Rebecca:
In the wake of 9/11, what changes have you seen in children's drawings?

Jean:
We can all testify to the abundance of art depicting the U S flag, as well as the damaged towers of the World Trade Center in the weeks following 9/11/01. Those children personally affected through family by the tragedy may draw scenes reflecting sadness for long periods, as many children draw the devastation of earthquakes for years after living through one. It remains on their minds.

We saw war scenes, mostly by boys, after we entered Iraq, & others compensated with peace signs, butterflies & rainbows, some drawn deliberately, others added to a scene. Thankfully, children are wonderfully resilient.

Rebecca:
When we view those works of art on our refrigerator doors what, above all else, should we notice that tells us our children might be in danger, & what should we do about it?

Jean:
This may sound strange, considering the source (!) but never trust only the art work! When a child is troubled there will be various manifestations ... most noticeably, the schoolwork will deteriorate from the previous level & the child's behavior will change.

Consult with school &/or medical or police authorities & give voice to any suspicions you may have. Children often feel at fault for unpleasant incidents, especially involving abuse, & may be reluctant to confide in anyone. When you see two or more of the following things in addition to serious behavioral changes, protect the child & insist on an art therapist's interpretation, usually through the school.

Shading over sexual areas of the body, drawings accenting the belt or stopping at the waist, routine self-deprecation, unusual tongue position or obvious depiction of genitalia, empty eye (no pupils), drawings of violence, extreme anger or distortion of the body, usually at the shoulder, arms or hands are all alerts. The child's handwriting itself may be distorted &/or compressed laterally or noticeably smaller. There may be a protective stroke at the beginning or ending letter over the top of words or his or her name. It will look like a tent or canopy, & is a desire for protection. Don't panic, just be aware ... this stroke could be representing something as simple (at least to us) as a playground bully or an impending event.

Rebecca:
Before parents tear off to the local shrink in terror, when is a drawing just a drawing?

Jean:
Often. Thankfully, most parents & teachers will never see these kinds of alerts. The last thing that I want parents to do is try to read a message into everything their little artist produces, & I stress this in every chapter in the hope of avoiding parental panic ... or unwarranted pride! Kids will often draw what is in front of them or plagiarize a theme from a table-mate. Don't overlook the fact that children love to draw for shock value. A motif, a theme, a trait or a symbol that is repeated in drawings is, however. worth analyzing. One should learn to interpret the basics of placement, pressure, check the ground line, notice if figures are drawn the same in each sketch, notice what occupies the center, notice how family & friends are portrayed ... don't look for trouble, simply hatching kiddies into your life brings enough concern!

Rebecca:
What do you hope Readers take away from Signals from the Child?

Jean:
Ah, thank you for the question, Rebecca. Communication. If there is one more way to allow an adult & a child to relate to each other in this era of noise & “busy-ness” & barriers, let's use it.

Rebecca:
Thank you Jean, for writing such an interesting exploration of what our drawings mean. I haven't looked at my doodles the same way since!

Do catch my review of Signals from the Child -- you're going to enjoy the discovery!I hope it makes you go out & buy yourself a copy!

Rebecca Brown
(Published 01/18/04)