Artist Educator Bruce Ingram worked with KS2 students at Lawdale Junior School to develop students’ drawing, collage and printmaking skills for the school’s Art Week.

Each class worked with Bruce for a half day workshop, which all started by creating observational drawings of fruit, vegetables and natural forms. The workshops focused on the development of the children’s skills. Bruce taught the students different methods and techniques to add tone and shade to their drawings, including cross-hatching and stippling.

“I have learnt how to do crosshatch and fading, and I am better at blending my art”

Student

“They also learnt about texture, and a variety of ways of using a pencil to show textures”

Lead artist

Class teachers remained present throughout these workshops, which acted as live training sessions so that staff can introduce these skills to classes in the future.

Each class used their observational drawings as the base for further artistic exploration. Year 3 used these drawings as inspirations for collages, Year 4 created monoprints, and Years 5 and 6 did poly-board printing.

“[Teachers] now feel more confident with printing – especially with using rollers etc.”

Teacher

90% said that they have enjoyed the project and 89% said they have learnt something new

The poly-board prints were particularly effective in showing the student’s recently gained skills in creating texture through linework. They etched their drawings into the polystyrene printing tiles, creating marks inspired by the skills they learnt in their observational drawings. They then covered the tiles in printing ink and pushed them into the paper using rollers. This kind of printing highlights the mark-making by leaving those spaces blank, creating striking final pieces.

“I have learnt new techniques and I have learnt how to print”

Student

To conclude the school’s Art Week, all the work was curated into an exhibition in the school hall. On Friday each class went to see the exhibition and were given time to reflect on each other’s art pieces and talk about what they had created.

The purpose of the project was not only to develop the children’s and teachers’ skills but also to celebrate the children’s achievements and creativity. The exhibition remained in place for parents and carers to visit and see what their children had been up to.

“Thank you for a really successful week. The children have produced loads of great pieces and have had a fantastic time… and the parents were really impressed after school”

School Art Lead