Jurate Macnoriute
The
Drawing Test for People not
Diagnosed With Mental
Illness
I asked the casual respondents not diagnosed with mental illnesses to draw some simple thing from nature with only request that image would be similar to that thing. All respondents never studied drawing at any special art school, they never draw.
Medium pencil on paper. Sheets' size 14.8 x 21 cm.
1
fig. The materialistic drawing of 46 years old male shows his strong nerves.
Education -- main school (11 classes). Absence of distortion of shape.
2
fig. The drawing of 78 years old female. Education -- primary school (4
Grades). The respondent noticed herself false perspective in the
first drawing and redrew below right. Weight of images seen. Absence of distortion of
shape
3
fig. The drawing of 42 years old female, education special professional school.
This drawing almost virtuoso, absence of distortion of shape, but the drawn
object has no weight. This can speak about something like soft paranoiac
symptoms. In estimation test this person only one from all respondents chose not
euphoria, but funk sample.
4
fig. The drawing of 45 years old male. Though the object is risen, but placed on
the central vertical and it has weight. Education -- main school (11 classes).
5
fig. The drawing of 42 years old female. Less attentive than fig. 2, but heavy,
what shows good health. Education -- main school (11 classes).
6
fig. The
drawing
of 35 years old female. Education -- main school (11 classes). Though this drawing distinguishes from above drawings by
its primitivism and difficulties in rendering shapes, but this notwithstanding we
can state that the drawer is in good state of mind, because the drawn object has
right weight -- downwards. Also it is set in mid of sheet, proportions of parts
almost right. This sample is an
important proof that true naturalistic drawing is not sufficient warranty of
good mental health. Bad 6 fig. drawing shows possible problems in
intellection or fluster. Weight of drawn object is the first and most important indicator of healthy
mind.
Characteristic features of drawing of people without mental illnesses:
- Work process in "alla prima" that is setting-up from main construction and going gradually to smaller details.
- The object is drawn in mid of sheet.
- Absence of distortion of shape.
- Drawn object has weight.