When children engage in social learning, they are provided with a way of acquiring new skills and a means of engaging in nonverbal interaction. These children attain many of their most important social and cognitive abilities by observing and imitating what others do.
Making art with friends in the studio often comes in the forms of both imitation and emulation. Using each other or the artworks of each other as models, friends transfer knowledge and inspire further ambition. As these girls move from drawing to painting, they excel independently but also as a pair.
Each artist has her own style and makes personal choices about what mediums to use and which colors to apply. Having the freedom to do this allows the artist to focus on her own creation, while also gaining new ideas from others. She develops skills of her own and appreciates those of her peers.
Sharing discoveries, the friendship between these two girls grows. Separately, each artist is developing her own sense of self and realizing that she has unique attributes and talents. Offering these up for imitation replaces the need for competition, resulting instead in mutual achievement.
Comparing and contrasting the final works of art highlights the girls' similarities and differences. They can visually recognize where they might need help from each other, and also recognize the many ways in which they are maintaining strengths of their own. Imitation results in appreciation, copying leads to caring. Through the process of creating together, the capabilities of each artist blossom while the friendly bond between the girls increases.
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