Real and imagined pictures — Art, 4–6
A picture can show something you could see, or something that exists only in your imagination.
Real or imagined?
When you draw a dog you saw, you are showing a real thing. When you give it wings and let it fly over a castle, you are adding an imagined idea. Art can mix things you know with things you invent, so a picture does not have to follow the ordinary rules of the world.
Why invent pictures?
People have always used art to show things that are far away, hidden, remembered or not yet real. A picture of a friendly dragon can let you share an idea that words alone might not explain. The problem it solves is making an invisible thought visible to someone else.
From cat to moon-cat
Start with a real cat: draw four legs, a tail, two ears and whiskers. Now choose one imagined change: make its tail glow like a moon. Add a night sky and stars. You began with something you know, then changed one part to make a new creature without losing the clues that say “cat”.
It does not have to be possible
You may think a picture is wrong if a fish is walking or a person is as small as a button. That is a reasonable thought because drawings often show things we see in everyday life. In an imagined picture, ask what the strange choice helps us notice instead of asking whether it could really happen.
Where it appears
You meet this idea in picture books, cartoons, games and posters. A map may show a real road, while a storybook may put a made-up kingdom beyond it. When you invent a picture for a game or story, combine familiar clues with surprising ones so another person can understand your idea.
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