Archived work 2022-23
To further develop their understanding of sculptures of the human body, the children studied some of the work of a Swiss artist called Giacometti and compared this to the sculptures they’d previously studied by Antony Gormley. They loved creating their own sculptures in a similar style to Giacometti’s by making a wire frame for the body which they moulded with clay.
Y6 Printing and Stencil work
Y6 investigated street art, including the work of Banksy and local artist Lewis Hobson, and how it is often created using stencils. They then tested out different methods for creating stencils and also different printing methods in preparation for producing their own work.
Children in Y3 have been using the iPads to take photographs to help them understand the concept of a portrait. They worked with their peers to use a range of effects and made links to the work of Picasso’s portraits. They will use the images they took to support them with creating their own portrait.
Children in Y5 have been comparing modern techniques for ceramics making to ancient vessels. They studied the work of Grayson Perry for inspiration when creating their own 3D work.
After looking at the animal sculptures created by Tom Claassen, children in Y2 have created their own 3D sculptures from papier mache.
Early Years Art
Our art curriculum for Early Years enables children to explore and play with a wide range of materials and media and helps to develop their imagination and creativity. Here are some examples of children’s artwork, some of which is linked to their class texts.
Colour mixing
Children in Y4 have been studying the work of Henri Rousseau as a stimulus to develop their drawing and painting skills. They’ve been mixing different shades of green as they begin to develop their own ideas for artwork based on Rousseau’s paintings.
Sculpture
Children in Y6 have been studying the work of Barbara Hepworth. They spent some time developing their soap carving techniques with different tools before moving onto creating their own clay sculpture based on the ideas shapes and forms studied.
During the spring term, children across the school have been further developing their knowledge about a range of artists and exploring different techniques related to the work of these artists.
Children in Y1 are focusing on the colour wheel and mixing primary and secondary colours.
In Y2, children have been studying sculptures created by Tom Claassen. They have spent time developing techniques of basic observational drawing of animals and are now beginning to make their own 3D models.
Henri Rousseau’s paintings are the focus in Y4 as children begin to study his work and style.
Children in Y5 are enjoying developing techniques using clay in their work linked to Grayson Perry’s 3D ceramics.
Another 3D focus in Y6 is the study of Barbara Hepworth’s sculptures as the children begin to develop carving techniques using soap.
Studying Artists
As part of the art curriculum, children are given the opportunity to study a range of artists linked to the specific genre of art that they are focusing on. They spend time learning about the history and background of the artists, whilst also making observations about examples of their work and discussing their preferences and ideas about how their artwork has been created. Children are encouraged to record their observations and questions about the artists in their sketchbooks to help them to gather ideas and to practice skills and techniques used by the artists they’ve studied. The examples below show children’s initial thoughts about the work of Stephen Wiltshire (an architectural artist); artists from the Pop Art Movement; and Maia Walczak (a contemporary artist).
Art Club
Children in Y4-6 have made a great start at our art club using pastels to create these firework pictures.
Pop Art
Children in Y4 are learning about Andy Warhol as a famous figure in the American Pop Art movement. They enjoyed painting Pop Art portraits based on some of his work.
Half Term Sculpture Hunt Challenge
As part of the art curriculum, children have the opportunity to learn about sculpture and they enjoyed hunting for examples in the local area and further away during half term. The photos show a selection of these, including some shared by Margaryta that are in the Ukraine and Latvia.
Long Term Plans
Whole School Long Term Plans Art
Art restart curriculum 2020-2021
Art in action at Dean Bank 2021-2022
Y1 Kandinsky art
As part of art curriculum, children focus on famous artists as inspiration for their own work. Children in Y1 have been developing their painting and colour mixing skills to create their own version of abstract art based Kandinsky’s Colour Studies: Squares with Concentric Circles (1913).
Motor skills
Art and craft play an important role in the motor skills intervention programme for pupils who require additional support in this area.
Y5 visited the Bob Atley art gallery at Spennymoor town hall to look at some of Norman Cornish’s artwork. The gallery had some impressive examples of his work and contained lots of other artists’ work too. We discussed our favourite pieces and the variety of media and techniques used in different works of art.
We also had a walk around the town to see more of Cornish’s work on the Norman Cornish trail. Most of the paintings and drawings were placed in the real locations from the artwork and we even walked across the zebra crossing from his Zebra Crossing painting.
Painting (April 2022)
Children in Y2 have been learning how to mix paints to make secondary colours and to make lighter tones of a colour by adding white. They used this to create their own portraits in the style of Picasso’s artwork and have used shades of blue to represent sad feelings and shades of orange for happier feelings.
Printing (February 2022)
Children learn to develop a range of printing techniques at different stages across the school. In Y2, they’ve been focusing on developing repeated patterns, linking this to their work in maths.
Clay work linked to British Science Week
As part of British Science Week, children across the school took part in a project about surviving on Mars. They used clay to create their own animals, focusing on developing different techniques to mould the bodies and their features which help them to adapt and survive on the planet.
Autumn 2021 – Investigating artists
As part of the art curriculum, children spend time studying and evaluating the work of famous artists to inspire them with ideas for their own creations. Here are some of the children’s thoughts linked to the collage work.
Nov 2021 – Drawing
Children have also enjoyed developing printing and drawing skills in their art lessons this term.
Oct 2021 – Collage Across the School
Some classes have been developing their practical skills whilst focusing on collage work. They enjoyed studying the work of famous artists to see how they have created pictures using different materials and have tried to replicate some of the techniques in their own work.
Oct 2021 – Y5 Collage Investigation
