Year 5 - Anti-Bullying Week

Year 5 children worked in collaboration with artist-in-residence Andrew Tims to make artwork in response to Anti-Bullying Week, which takes place annually during November.

Anti-Bullying Week shines a spotlight on bullying and encourages all children, teachers and parents to take action against bullying throughout the year.

The exciting work of British artist Bob and Roberta Smith was used as a starting point for the children to draw inspiration. The children were encouraged to identify the style found within his work, and then develop it so it became personal to them, whilst at the same time aligning their text to the anti-bullying theme.

In groups, the children produced their own messages that they felt were important to share with the school community. The letters were created using a range of patterned fabrics and fused onto a felt surface. Using hand embroidery techniques the letters were sewn to fix them permanently.

The stunning final images illustrate a range of responses by the children to the artwork of Bob and Roberta Smith and the anti-bullying theme.

Year 3- Black History Month

Year 3 children worked in collaboration with artist-in-residence Andrew Tims to make artwork in response to Black History Month.

What is Black History Month?

Black history in the broadest sense includes the contributions of black people to the development of history and civilization. It includes the contributions of black people to the development of the arts, technology and the sciences, industry and world trade, and religion and philosophy.

The exciting work of African American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat was used as a starting point for the children to draw inspiration. The children were encouraged to identify key symbols and objects within his work – e.g. crowns, trumpets, birds, animals, text etc, and make their own versions using drawing techniques and light sensitive papers.

As a development, the children were able to undertake an experimental journey using their drawings to produce a series of animations. Linked to The Big Draw theme Living Lines, the animations continued to draw inspiration from Jean-Michel Basquiat’s style and include the children’s interpretation of objects and symbols found within the artists paintings, as well as their own.

Year 3 - Blast Off!

Year 3 children worked in collaboration with artist-in-residence Andrew Tims to make artwork in response to their Summer 2 topic – Blast Off!

The project began with the children working in table teams to design and produce a rocket using collage techniques, taking inspiration from a variety of famous rockets and space shuttles including; Apollo 11 (used by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin when they were the first men to walk on the moon in 1969) and Falcon 1 (in 2008).

The ‘teams’ used found photocopied images of metal objects, for example; washing machine drums, cutlery, lampshades and tea strainers, that were cut out and collaged together to form their rocket shape. Plastic jewels were used to resemble the nuts and bolts, where the different sections of the rockets are connected.

The ten individual artworks show the rockets blasting off into space, made more realistic with the fire shooting from the exhaust nozzle at the base of each rocket.

Year 4 - Potions

Year 4 children worked in collaboration with artist-in-residence Andrew Tims to make artwork in response to their Summer term topic – Potions.

The project began with the children creating their own potions inside plastic bottles using a variety of ingredients including shampoo, toothpaste, liquid hand-wash, feathers, glitter and elastic bands, taking inspiration from the recipes that George created for his Grandmother in Roald Dahl’s story George’s Marvellous Medicine.

The children made observational drawings of their ‘potion’, using pencil and oil pastels, before simplifying the bottle shape and it’s contents to create an individual block print using compressed foam and printing ink.

The completed artwork includes collections of the children’s block prints together on three panels.

Year 2 - Land Ahoy!

Year 2 children worked in collaboration with artist-in-residence Andrew Tims to make artwork in response to their Spring term topic – Land Ahoy!

Throughout the project the children were able to experiment with a range of art techniques, including drawing, mono-printing, block printing, painting and collage, all centred on the exploration of line, tone, shape, texture, and pattern.

Over six weeks the children worked in table groups to create the different elements of the final artwork; the block-printed pirates and pirate ships, watercolour painted sea, mono-printed flags, and collaged parrots and fish, which on completion were pieced together to form the eight panels.

Year 6 - A Child’s War

Year 6 children worked in collaboration with artist-in-residence Andrew Tims to make artwork in response to their Autumn term topic – A Child’s War.

The engagement process involved the children learning about the use of propaganda posters during World War II to influence the population towards supporting the war effort, specifically pro war projects such as rationing and growing vegetables.

The children created propaganda posters based upon issues they wanted to raise awareness of within school, for example; reducing litter in the playground; giving to charity; stopping cars speeding outside school; and bullying and racism.

The final posters, created using printing and collage techniques, illustrate the children’s ideas in bright, eye-catching artwork.