When a child first begins to draw, it’s frequently a means of them communicating their emotions, experiences, and imagination. Kids usually use vibrant colors when drawing, but occasionally you may notice that your child prefers to draw in black. Parents may be concerned about this and wonder what it means and if it’s something to worry about.
Similar to other colors, black can have multiple meanings for children based on their personality, mood, and current circumstances. Though color selections in drawings don’t always indicate negativity, it’s still important to keep in mind that they can reveal a child’s thoughts or feelings.
Gaining insight into your child’s possible reasons for using black can help you establish a stronger bond with them. It might be a cue to engage in conversation, pose inquiries, and find out more about their feelings or the world around them.
| Possible Reasons | Description |
| Emotional Expression | Children may use black to express sadness, fear, or frustration. |
| Preference for Contrast | Some kids simply like the bold contrast black provides against white paper. |
| Phase of Exploration | Drawing in black can be part of a child"s natural exploration of different colors. |
| Attention to Detail | Black is often used to outline objects, showing a focus on details. |
| Imitating Adults | They may copy adults using black pens or pencils, seeing it as mature. |
Choosing a color
Dr. Max Luscher created the color test as a way to identify an individual’s emotional state. Preferences for colors determine it. You can infer information about a subject’s level of stress tolerance, current mental state, level of activity, ability to make new contacts, and even preferences for a particular professional orientation based on the color he chooses as his favorite. According to Luscher, our color preferences are a product of our "unconscious," and his "deep" (i.e., subconsciously derived) diagnostic approach yields the most accurate results.
Features of color perception in children
Max Luscher is undoubtedly an outstanding psychologist, and the test he invented today is one of the most important for professional testing of the military, police officers, etc.. But is it applicable to children? How reliable will the results be if we analyze a child"s drawing using Dr. Luscher"s method? Let"s start with the fact that children see the world a little differently. A newborn does not distinguish colors at all, perceives only contrasting combinations – black – white, for example. From 6 weeks to 2 months of age, the baby begins to see the outlines of objects and his first color – red. Gradually, he becomes able to perceive other bright colors. By the age of 3, the baby perfectly distinguishes blue, green, yellow, at 3.5 years – black, gray, brown.
However, at the ages of one, two, and three, your child does not intentionally select paint when drawing. To put it another way, the child only cares that the paint contrasts with the paper when it comes to painting a house, a car, or a portrait of his mother. What hue looks the best against white, then? True! Dark!
By the time the child is four years old, his attitude toward the choice of color starts to shift. At that point, he already makes an effort to draw in red, blue, green, and yellow.
Thus, parents shouldn’t be alarmed or concerned if their children draw in black paint up until a certain point. Furthermore, children’s drawings practically never pass the Luscher test. Psychologists advise beginning color testing by the time a child is eight years old. After all, a child’s final "color vision" of the environment around them is developed between the ages of 8 and 10.
Reasons
Even the most talented psychologist would be reluctant to diagnose a child with psychological or, worse, psychiatric issues based only on a drawing. Experts are aware that obtaining a relatively clear image requires a combination of techniques, such as the Luscher test and conversational description. A child must explain what and why he drew what he did, even if it is only a black paint drawing.
- Crisis of 3 years. At this age, children begin to show incredible stubbornness, denial and even negativism. If the baby noticed earlier that his creativity in black paint does not delight his mother, puzzles or even scares her, he can decide for himself that this color does not please his mother. Then he will deliberately paint the picture in black.
- Beginning illness or inclement weather. Children from 1 to 5 years old have a very developed sensory sphere. But the baby cannot express everything with words, as adults do. If a child feels that he is starting to get sick, he is unwell, he, not yet really understanding what is happening, can begin to express his well-being in a drawing. And if there is dirt, slush outside the window, and gray, black, brown colors prevail, then he can simply depict everything as it is – dirty, black, gloomy. Neither in the case of an incipient illness, nor in the case of a reaction to the weather can we talk about disorders of the psycho-emotional sphere in a child if he draws in mourning colors.
- Developed fantasy. Often, children, when drawing, spiritualize the picture. They sincerely believe that the depicted house is real, or that something can be stored in the drawn box. If a child paints over a drawing with black paint, he is probably trying to hide something in the house or box. To understand this, it is enough to ask him what is hidden behind the blackness? For a child, it is not the color that matters, but the informative content of his picture.
- Dark clothes. Kids whose mothers buy practical dark clothes that get dirty less often most often depict the world in black in their drawings. Why does this happen? They just like to draw in black, because they are used to associating themselves with dark, and a drawing for a baby is a part of themselves. By the way, psychologists say that children whose wardrobe is dominated by dark colors get sick more often than their brightly dressed peers. There is only one recommendation here – change the color of your child"s clothes, and the overall tone of his artistic delights will definitely become brighter.
When a child draws in black frequently, it may be an indication of their feelings, ideas, or state of mind at the time. Although black is frequently connected to negativity or melancholy, this doesn’t always indicate that something is amiss. It might just be an artistic decision, an exploratory stage, or even a color preference. On the other hand, parents should have a gentle conversation with their child and try to understand what might be going on in their world if the child is wearing black and exhibiting signs of distress.
When to start sounding the alarm?
- If, in addition to drawing with black paint, the child demonstrates other oddities in behavior. For example, a son or daughter draws "blackness", and at the same time has almost no contact with peers, adults (except parents), suffers from nightmares, shows aggression towards animals and people.
- If your child is already 10 years old, and he continues to draw with black paint, this may indicate psychological disorders.
- If aggressive plots predominate in the child"s drawings – war, dead people, black-crossed faces, a repeating combination of black and red.
- If a child has always drawn bright pictures, and after some certain unpleasant situations in life began to use only black in his work, this may be a manifestation of post-stress syndrome.
A child’s choice to draw in black can indicate a variety of things. Sometimes, it’s just a phase they’re going through or a simple preference for the color. Kids frequently play around with various hues as they develop and learn.
In other situations, black drawings may represent feelings that people find difficult to put into words. It’s critical to watch your child’s behavior and have a conversation with them if you notice any changes.
In the end, children use drawing as a means of communication. To gain a better understanding of their feelings, provide a safe space for them to express themselves and encourage open communication.
