Art and Design
At Holy Family, Art and Design provides every child with opportunities to explore ideas, express themselves and develop their creativity. We aim to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to experiment, create and reflect on their own work.
Our curriculum is carefully sequenced, with each term focusing on one particular artistic discipline. Across the year, pupils develop their skills through painting, textiles and collage, drawing and sculpture. Focusing on one discipline at a time enables pupils to explore its techniques, materials and processes in depth, building progressively on their prior learning as they move through the school.
Each unit is enriched through the study of a carefully selected and diverse range of artists, craft makers and designers. Their work provides a vehicle for teaching and modelling particular skills, techniques and creative approaches. Pupils do not simply recreate or copy an artist’s work. Instead, they observe, explore and take inspiration from artists, applying what they have learned to develop their own ideas and create individual pieces of artwork.
Sketchbooks are an important part of this creative process. Pupils use them as visual journals to explore and record ideas, practise techniques, experiment with materials and develop their thinking. Subject-specific vocabulary is taught alongside practical skills, enabling pupils to discuss artistic processes and reflect on their own work and the work of others with increasing confidence.
As pupils progress through Holy Family, they build a secure repertoire of artistic knowledge, techniques and vocabulary. They become increasingly confident in making creative choices, experimenting with ideas and evaluating and refining their work, enabling them to develop their own creativity and artistic expression.
Painting - Andy Warhol
Drawing - John Constable
A 'masterclass' with Mr Martin from St. Simon Stock
We were extremely lucky to welcome Mr Martin to work with our Year 6 pupils for an expert masterclass is using perspective in drawing. The children were already able to tell him about the 'vanishing point' and how the saturation and pigment of colour can help create distance. During Term 4, we are studing the drawing works of John Constable and so this opportunity was particularly useful. We already can't wait for his next visit!
Painting - Pablo Picasso
Drawing - Paul Klee
In each year group, children focused on the many elements of drawing from sketching and shading to the 7 elements of design: line, shape, form, value, texture, colour and space. Perspective was also a key element needed when recreating pieces inspired by Klee.
