Archived Art & Design 2022-2023
Opal Learning Zone
How do you feel? – This half-term the children have been unpicking the story ‘The Colour Monster’. The children have taken time to understand a range of emotions whilst also accessing a range of engaging activities. This week the children have been creating Colour Monster faces whilst been asked what the different emotions may look like. Here is an example of one wonderful creation:
Amethyst Learning Zone
Colour Theory in the Amethyst Arts and Craft area – The children are given the primary colours and a range of paint brushes as they were tasked with painting a daffodil. One of the children was quick to take up the task. Initially, he used the mixing trays to make green for the stem. He then used a thin brush to paint the stem followed by washing his brush and painting the flower. He accessed the provision well and showed a great sense of realism in his daffodil painting.
Incredible You – To start the new academic year the children have been using the story ‘Incredible You’ for their learning. The children listened to the story before being set the mission to draw a self-portrait. The children were provided with mirrors and pencils before making some fabulous creations. The excellent art work has now been displayed in the Key Stage 1 corridor for all of the school to see.
Sapphire Learning Zone
Yayoi Kusama – This term we have been learning all about the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. We learnt all about her past and how her art work became famous. We then created our own piece of inspired artwork using a variety of different skills. Our artwork was amazing and we loved learning all about Yayoi.
Yayoi Kusama – This term, we are looking at the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. We are creating our own piece of artwork inspired by her work using contrasting colours and geometric shapes. We first used oil pastels to create a pattern with the shapes then we used water-based paint to wash over the patterns. Next, we are going to add a flower with a contrasting colour so that it stands out. Watch this space for the finished work!
Ruby Learning Zone
Norman Foster – In our art topic we studied the architecture of Norman Foster. We then used Computer Aided Design (CAD) to design a suitable bike shelter, deciding on which materials we would use. We then used recycled materials to make a 3D model of our designs.
Giuseppe Arcimboldo – Ruby LZ children learned about the work of Giuseppe Arcimboldo and how he painted portraits of people made up of fruit and vegetables. After learning about his work and getting to create some 3D fruit sculptures, the children then painted their final fruit portraits in his style.
Emerald Learning Zone
Matisse & Monet – For the Emerald Art during Autumn Term, we studied Modernism and Post Modernism painting. We looked at the artists Monet and Matisse. The children explored colour mixing and using acrylic paint to recreate their own pieces of Artwork.
Diamond Learning Zone
Famous Fashion- We have had lots of fun learning about famous fashion this half term. From wallpaper by William Morris, shoes by Dan Sullivan, hats for different occasions, outfits by Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen and costumes for movies, the children were inspired to create their own designs using sketching and water colours.
Leonardo da Vinci – In art and design, the children have been exploring the work of Leonardo da Vinci. We looked at his use of perspective and composition in his religious painting and the children recreated a fantastic piece of artwork based on ‘The Last Supper’.
Archived Art & Design 2021-2021
Opal Learning Zone
What do you like on your pancake? – The children have been very excited to experience pancake day in school. Today the children have been designing their dream pancake ahead of making them tomorrow. Riley sat down with Mrs Humble to draw his. Riley showed great pencil control as he created a wonderful pancake. He said,
“I just like mushrooms on my pancake, they yummy!”
Big Bad Wolf Masks – We have continued our Little Red Riding Hood focus in our creative area in the Opal Learning Zone. The children have had the opportunity to produce their own Big Bad Wolf mask. This has been a fantastic opportunity to develop fine motor skills as the children ripped up tissue paper and used glue spreaders effectively. The masks are currently being published on the windows, so if you are walking past have a sneak peek!
Amethyst Learning Zone
Where did all this art come from? – As we enter the summer term we have shifted our focus to concentrate on a local artist. Our school is decorated beautifully with wonderful art, but who did it? Today we decided to have a learning walk around the school to seek out art. The children identified art all around the school, however they were captivated by the mural in the entrance to school. Next week we have the artist providing a workshop for the children. Little do the children know, she already supports the Amethyst Learning Zone. Stay tuned for our creations across the half-term.
Van Gogh – During our first half-term we have examined the work of Vincent Van Gogh. As the weeks have progressed the children have become captivated by his work and have created excellent representations of his designs.
Initially, we began researching who Van Gogh was and why he is so famous. This led us to focus on his Sunflower masterpiece. Our six-week focus allowed the children to replicate Van Gogh’s skills and critique their own designs and identify how they could make them better.
Sapphire Learning Zone
Andy Goldsworthy – In the Sapphire Learning Zone, we have started to look at the sculptor Andy Goldsworthy in art. This week, we got to explore the school grounds and find natural resources to use for our own natural pieces of art. We gathered lots of excellent materials!
Kandinsky – The children have been learning about the artist Kandinsky. We have explored different examples of his artwork and given our opinions. The children have learnt about colour mixing, using the three prime colours and have used white and dark to make them lighter and darker. The children have created their own interpretations of Kandinsky’s artwork, using their newly acquired colour mixing skills. Katie found a book at her Grandam’s home all about Kandinsky and brought it in to share with us in the class.
Ruby Learning Zone
Local Artist Workshop – The children in Ruby Learning Zone enjoyed investigating the art we see around us in school. They loved taking part in the workshop delivered by our local artist Ms Ingwersen and learning new techniques to help them replicate some of her artwork. They then applied this to creating their own natural sketch of a squirrel using pencils and graphite. Finishing the term with an art exhibition in the hall was a fantastic way for the children to see their work and that of other Learning Zones across the school.
Environmental Designers – For our art topic this half term, Ruby Learning Zone researched Environmental Designers and types of art that can be created using nature. Children did a study of the work of Andy Goldsworthy and then used what they had learned to create natural art in different environments with the materials they found there. The children made some fantastic rock stacks on a visit to the local river.
Pop Art – For art we learned about the Pop Art movement and the works of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. We created colour wheels to learn about the mixing and contrast of colours and applied this to create works in the style of Warhol and Lichtenstein.
Emerald Learning Zone
Minecraft Art – In the Emerald Learning Zone we have been developing our artistic skills through Minecraft Art. The children experimented with different styles of eyes and hair and have produced excellent final art pieces with a self-portrait. I am so proud of how they have turned out.
Banksy Stencils – This half term, we have been looking at the artist Banksy. We have researched who he is, looked at some of his artwork, designed our own stencils then created our very own. We found the process quite tricky but our stencils actually turned out really well! We then got to evaluate our artwork and decide what we liked about our stencil and how we would improve it for next time.
Diamond Learning Zone
Local Artist Workshop – This half term we have been finding out about a local artist – Sarah Ingwersen. We viewed some fantastic artwork around the school and participated in an excellent workshop from Sarah herself! The children’s main focus was to explore the use of watercolours and create a piece of art work that reflected our local area. The children sketched and painted an image of a red grouse using detail and a careful eye! We all showcased our artwork in an art exhibition for school community to see.
Frank Lloyd Wright – This half term in the Diamond Learning Zone we have been learning about Frank Lloyd Wright and how he used architecture to produce different types of buildings. The children really enjoyed designing and creating their final piece of artwork using clay.
Cubism – This half term’s focus was cubism. The children began by researching what cubism is and how Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro were involved. The children created a piece of art work inspired by Pablo Picasso which lead to them thinking of their own ideas for their final piece. The children really enjoyed this topic and have produced some excellent pieces of art work!
Archived Art & Design 2020-2021
Opal Learning Zone
Amethyst Learning Zone
Bread Making – This half-term we have studied the traditional tale of The Little Red Hen. The children have been captivated with the story so when they found out we were going to make bread they were ecstatic. The children enjoyed kneading the dough and learning a new skill.
Sapphire Learning Zone
Designing Hats – In Art, we have been designing hats fit for an occasion such as Ascot or a Royal Wedding. Firstly, we looked closely at designs by Philip Treacy, before designing and adapting some ideas of our own. We thought carefully about the changes we might make to our designs and the techniques we would need to use. We then created our hats and even had a hat parade to show them off to Mrs Cross. There were some truly amazing creations!
Ruby Learning Zone
Emerald Learning Zone
Diamond Learning Zone
David Hockney – Throughout lockdown and our time back at school, the children have been learning about the artist, David Hockney. The children practised their skills of sketching and shading to create a landscape inspired by the artist.
September 2020- February 2021
Class 1
Drawing Skills – This half term we have continued to improve our drawing skills using a range of media. As part of our Geography topic about “Stanhope,” we drew landscapes using the views from our school field. We have also enjoyed doing a lot of Christmas themed art.
Vincent Van Gogh – Our focus this half term was the artist Vincent Van Gogh. First, we found out about his life using the internet. Next, we looked at his painting “Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers.” We tried to recreate it using different drawing techniques.
Black History Month – As part of Black History Month, we have created portraits of Nicola Adams looking at colour, line and form.
Class 2
Cross curricular – In Art we have taken part in some cross curricular projects. We have designed medals and 3D poppies for Remembrance Day. We took part in Black History Week, learning about a British female artist called Lubaina Himid, recreating her wonderful picture: In between the two my heart is balanced.
Watercolours – We have continued exploring watercolours and creating new colour tones lined to our artist, Henri Rousseau.
Christmas Crafts – We have had a great time using a range of skills to create our Christmas crafts. Our favourite was getting messy to make our handprints for our wreaths.
Our focus for the first half term was to look at the artist Henri Rousseau. We decided to focus on a painting called Tiger in a tropical storm. Over the period of a few weeks we used a range of different techniques. The children used watercolours to make a wash, colour mix to make different coloured leaves, sketched their interpretation of a tiger and finally cut out and places their leaves to create a 3D effect. The finished masterpieces are on display in the classroom and are brilliant!
Class 3
Andy Warhol- The children have created some fantastic Pop Art pictures as well as re-creating their own version of a soup can. Take a look!
Pop Art – Children in Class 3 will be looking at works by Andy Warhol during the first half term and creating their own work of similar design. Andy Warhol, an American Artist, was a leading figure in the visual art movement and created art known as ‘Pop Art’ The children will have great fun creating a number of pieces as the term goes on.
Class 4
Matisse, Monet & Cezanne – We have been studying French artists from the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist era. We have sketched and used water colours to replicate their styles. We have looked in detail at the ways they use colour and how the style changed between the two eras.
Class 5
Bridget Riley – The children designed and created a 3D shape using optical illusion patterns in the style of Bridget Riley. They then went on to experiment with felt pens and black sharpies to create patterns and design their own cotton vest top.
Optical Illusion in Art – Children in Class 5 will be looking at works by Bridget Riley during the first half term. Bridget Riley is an Optical Illusion Artist and most of her work is created by using only black and white. Born in London in 1931, she attended Goldsmith College and The Royal College of Art to study her unusual art method. Our children will be creating several pieces of art in a similar style to Bridget Riley as the term moves on culminating in a piece of art linked to the fashion industry.
Policy: Art and Design Policy
Staff Co-ordinator: Miss S. Elsdon
Link Governor: Ms. S. Ingwersen
Statement of Intent:
Class 1
14.10.19-Today we had an amazing trip to Hamsterley Forest. We were really lucky and were chosen to take part in the Whispering Woods project. The aim of the project is for the children to create a piece of art called a ‘Soundscape’ which is a type of audio art. We recorded sounds in the forest and stayed absolutely silent. We were able to record flowing rivers, dripping rain, hooting birds, sticks and branches snapping, rustling leaves and waving ferns. It was a wonderfully sensory experience. After this we made ‘smelly woodland cocktails’ and also took part in some really relaxing forest bathing. We lay down on a huge tarpaulin on the forest floor (we found a huge mossy bit which felt like a thick green carpet) and looked up at the tree tops and sky above. It was beautiful and felt very relaxing. We also took part in more fun activities which included:
- Using sweeping nets to catch bugs
- Bark rubbings
- Observational drawings
- Tree mapping
- Woodland creature games
- Finding forest jewels
- Minibeast collecting/identifying
It was a brilliant outdoorsy day and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. We can’t wait for our third session in school to continue the Whispering Woods project.
25.9.19-Bonjour! We have been learning French with Mrs Heslop-Stead, but before we dive into the language, we have decided to do some research on France. We found out lots of interesting stuff about the capital city Paris and we even made our own French flags in the art area. It was great fun and now we are beginning to learn colours and greetings.
19.9.19-Our Year 1 art table has seen lots of activity since we started Class 1 in September. We have made all sorts of wonderful pictures and we have felt inspired by some of the famous paintings we have looked at. There have been many ‘regulars’ at the art table but also people have tried new things and it’s nice to see the children enjoying the creative area.
16.9.19- Dot Day is an international celebration to promote confidence and to encourage people to ‘have a go’. We all created our own dots to celebrate differences and celebrate that everyone can be good at something if they really give it a good go. Well done Class 1, your dots looked amazing! Our chosen colour was green and we found all sorts of green bits and bobs to make some lovely dotty pictures. Fabulous!
Class 2
This Spring half term we have been looking at signs of Spring. We have explored colours and tones linked to the season. We have used Kandinsky’s circles to create some Spring flowers on the Thrive tree in the library.
We made Remembrance lanterns and medals to remember the men and women who have fought for us. We thought carefully about the images we wanted to use.
In Art we have enjoyed linking our topical work to our art. We have used sketching skills to create landmark masterpiece. Created a range of Christmas crafts, including cards for the lonely. Rangoli patterns to celebrate the festival of Diwali and made puppets to create a shadow show.
Black Dot Art-This week in Art we have looked at both being unique and creative. We were all given a black dot and given the challenge of making it into something. We chose different ideas and made some detailed drawings. We all made something different and were proud to be different.
Dot Day-During Art we have been focusing on looking for specific details. We took part in the Dot Day, which focused on everyone ‘Having a go’. The children all had to create their own dots using only 1 colour. They were then put up in the main entrance as our Dot Tree.
Self-Portraits-We have been making self-portraits and drawing sketches of our friends, looking for specific details. We have had to take our time and look closely and the features that make us special and unique.
Class 3
20.12.19- All of the children in Class 3 had lots of fun creating their Christmas crafts. They were all very proud and couldn’t wait to take them home!
Play in a Day- On 18 November 2019, Class 3 had lots of fun participating in a science themed ‘Play in a Day’ with Lisa. All of the children were very confident and showed great enthusiasm. They performed their play to Class 2. It was excellent!
Close Portrait-“In art we coloured in light squares using light colours and dark squares with dark colours. We then added different patterns and pieced them together to create a close portrait of Harry Potter.”
Joseph B.
After-school Art Club- Our New and Exciting Art Club
Class 4
Linking to our Topic work, the children have been practicing their drawing and sketching using different mediums from observations. They have created some lovely portraits of King Henry VIII.
After-school Art Club- Our New and Exciting Art Club
Class 5
Picasso-
Christmas Crafts-
In The Style of Henri Rousseau – This half term Class 5 have been creating a jungle picture based on the style of Henri Rousseau. They have researched facts about the artists and explored some of his work. They have then created their own piece of art inspired by his style of painting. The display in our school hall is simply stunning and the children have enjoyed their work on this renowned artist.
Some of them found it tricky to cut such small pieces out of card but they were really pleased with the finished results.
Moving Toys- Year 6 visited Wolsingham School and made moving toys as part of the transition programme. The results were incredible and the children enjoyed constructing their creations.
Welcome to the World of Dragons- This term in Art & DT our children are making their own version of the book ‘Dragonology’. This project is linked to our Literacy Class Novel – the Wyrmstooth Crown which is all about dragons.
The children have created an opening page for Dragonology and designed sketches for The Evolution of Dragons!
Learning artistic styles- Class 5 are learning about the artist Henri Rousseau. They have researched a fact file about his life and have looked at some of his art work. Some of our children have produced some lovely sketches of foliage in the style of one of his tropical paintings.
Art & Design -Class 5 – Example 1 – 2019
Art & Design -Class 5 – Example 2 – 2019
Y6: Design & Technology Lessons at Wolsingham Comprehensive School
As part of our transition programme for our Year 6 children, they will be attending Wolsingham Comprehensive School every Wednesday afternoon for the first half of the Autumn Term.
The idea is for the children to work in a different environment with equipment and resources which they do not usually see at Primary School. In the past our children have taken part in science lessons, cookery lessons and trampolining. This time our children are working with Miss Misiak in the Design and Technology Workshop. They will be designing and building their own moving toys over the next few weeks. This week they learnt about health & safety in the workshop and have created their own safety posters.
The children thoroughly enjoyed this experience. Esther said, “It really helped me to improve my drawing skills.”
After-school Art Club- Our New and Exciting Art Club
