In what way does the child artist differ from the adult artist? The adult artist is one who has become so conscious of his need to express himself in the forms of graphic art that he has sought opportunities to develop skill and ability to express his ideas. His works are more conscious and premeditated than those of a child. From his experience he is able to visualize the picture as a whole before beginning. His technique may be enhanced by strong feeling, but it is so much part of his equipment that the right technique and medium come to hand at the right moment. A child's painting is much more fortuitous. He has not the equipment to paint consciously. He probably does not visualize the picture as a whole before beginning. His purpose may not be a conscious one. Because his feeling is strong and his confidence is great, he may find a suitable technique quite easily. Since he is nearer to nature than we are, his sense of order is greater and is not overlaid like ours, by fashion. He may, therefore, happen on a good design and joyful colour relationships, but this does not happen automatically and in every case.

While the spontaneous and fortuitous nature of children's paintings is a lovely thing, it is by nature fugitive. A child will no more continue to paint in a childlike way as he grows up, than he will continue to use baby talk after he leaves the nursery. We must help him to find the techniques he needs for the next stage, and in gaining these techniques his childlike painting will gain in strength and certainty.

The first steps in obtaining technical mastery lie in exploration of media. If every child is to have full opportunity to build up a personal way of expressing himself, it follows that each medium must be widely explored, so that he is aware of its possibilities. Combinations and relationships of different media need exploration, too. The amount of actual teaching that can take place will depend upon the teacher's own skill and knowledge, but work can be planned which will encourage the children to explore and possibly to discover things which may be new to the most experienced art teacher. Children thus teach themselves and each other. In any case, it must be recognized that experiment must be personal, even if it is guided by the teacher's greater experience. Work based upon secondhand knowledge is like work in arithmetic based on inadequate number experience.

Of media in general, one may say that anything a particular medium will do is a legitimate use of that medium, but sometimes one will do a particular job better than another. Thus it may be wasteful of time and energy to shade a large area in pencil which might more quickly and satisfactorily be covered in paint. It is foolish to endeavour to get transparancy with poster colour, a medium manufactured for opaque use, when there are other media, water colours, more suitable for the purpose. This is even more obvious, when we come to consider the use of tools. No one in their senses would attempt to saw through a large piece of wood with a fretsaw. In any case misuse of tools will unfit them for their proper use.

It will be seen therefore that children need experience of many media, so that they may learn to control them and so that they may have the knowledge to choose the one suitable for any particular task. In the same way they need the experience of a variety of tools and equipment, though here it is obviously necessary to limit experiment in order to keep tools in good order, and to guide children firmly towards their right use and care.

In the chapters immediately following, I propose to discuss individually, possible media for Primary school art work, and to consider at the same time, work in related crafts.