Lawn Primary School

Art & DesiGN

"There is no must in art because art is free."

Wassily Kandinsky.

Intent

At the Lawn Primary, we STRIVE to do our best and to provide pupils with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art. We want our children to:

Understand the ways art connects us with our past, helps us embrace the present, and empowers us to shape our future.
Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
Become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
Evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
Know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms

Implementation

Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. At Lawn Primary School, our high quality art and design curriculum engages, inspires and challenges children, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As children progress, they think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They are taught how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation. We encourage children to develop their creative and imaginative talents through learning skills and techniques and using a variety of materials and tools. Children have opportunities to work with professional artists and crafts people, and visit galleries and exhibitions. They learn to appreciate works of art and use artistic language to describe paintings, sculptures and other artefacts

Aims:

Basic skills are introduced and then built upon, including drawing, sketchbooks, painting, printmaking and sculpture.
Skills are revisited and the use of ongoing sketchbook work underpins this process.
We believe in fostering an open-ended exploration of creativity, and that the journey to a final outcome is just as (if not more) important than the outcome itself.
By creating a safe and nurturing environment, pupils are encouraged to take creative risks, develop an individual style, and to learn from the journey, rather than head towards a pre-defined end result.
Through discussions and critiques of artists work, children will constantly be exposed to technical vocabulary, and should be encouraged to use it when talking about their own, and others’ work.
Children will plan and create final responses influenced by each termly artist. These outcomes can be linked and influenced by other areas of the curriculum (like their current topic, or a book they are studying).
Children will fill a sketchbook each year and understand that every page (even the research pages) should be like artworks in their own right.

How it works

Each term is broken into 6 lessons (as a guide). These can be adapted for longer or shorter terms. It is also encouraged to do at least one ‘’art day’’ a term, in order to give the children plenty of time to explore their new artists style and to develop ideas.

The 6 lessons

Lesson 1: Research – The first lesson is used to introduce the new artist (or concept).

The children should be given a brief background into the artist – their life, when were they working, where were they working, were they famous when they were alive, did they start a movement, what was happening at the time.

Then, discuss the artwork – what do you think about it? What materials are used? What does it make you feel? How long do you think it took?

Outcome – Children create a research page about the artist, trying to decorate the page in the style of the artist. Children should be provided with pictures to cut and stick.

Lesson 2: Replicate – In this next lesson, children are given an opportunity to try and recreate a piece of work by the artist. This should give them a real feel for the work, without the pressure of coming up with an idea first.

Lesson 3: Experiment – This lesson is for children to explore the artists style without restriction of an idea. These pages can often look messy, but children should use entire pages to practice. It could be jam-packed full of dabs and swirls (for Van Gogh), or lots of plant-like cut outs (for Matisse), or a whole page of bluey-green shapes (for Monet). This lesson is lots of fun for the children, as the pressure is off. The only aim is to get to know and practice the style of the artist, and to get used to the medium they are using.

Lesson 4: Ideas – This lesson is where we develop ideas ready for our final design. This is an opportunity to link to the current topic or book. Children should use an entire page to mind-map ideas.

Once they have mapped out ideas (with little doodles), they can begin creating idea thumbnails. They draw small boxes on the page (4-8) and use these to create small, quick, rough ideas for a final piece. These can be annotated to explain concepts.

Lesson 5: Plan – Once children have had a chance to explore ideas and create small thumbnails designs, they pick their favourite one, then need to draw/sketch/label a final plan.

Children understand that every painting/sculpture/car/building etc. would have sketchbooks filled with ideas and final designs would be developed. Children should use this page to explain their choices.

Lesson 6: Final Piece – Children use their plan to create an artwork in the style of the artist but conveying an original idea that they have thought about and developed, which could be related to class topic or current book etc.

Children should write (or at least discuss) what worked well, and what they would change if given another go.

Impact

By the end of their time at Lawn Primary, our pupils will have a deep knowledge of current and historical artists from a range of movements, media, and cultural backgrounds. They will have a wide artistic vocabulary and be able to verbalise opinions about theirs and others’ work, using the correct terminology. They will understand how to keep a sketchbook and use it to develop their own work and to research influential artists, as well as explore new techniques and ideas.

Take a look at Lawn Art Gallery to see some of our work: ART GALLERY