There is a myth that drawing is a native talent. Some children are born with brains and instincts that predispose them to spend more time drawing, but these habits can be nurtured and developed by the settings in which they grow up. Children who love to practice drawing on their own often discover how to make observations and drawings that seem advanced for their age. If left to chance, this only happens in a few cases. By age 8 or 10 most children are convinced that certain other children are gifted and they are not. They mistakenly believe that drawing skill emerges as an ability without practice. This is not true.

A brain that learns to observe when it is young grows visual neurons that other brains lack. This creates a common misconception that drawing is an inborn talent. It is true that the drawing brain is different, but the difference has been learned and the brain has developed in response to being needed in these particular ways. Any brain can grow new neurons and foster new talents, and young children find art tasks to be new and fascinating.

- Marvin Bartel, Ed. D.