This year, we’ve introduced sketch books at Coleridge. Art lessons often begin with a warm up activity which links to the topic and usually connects with a formal element e.g. colour, pattern, mark making, tone/value.
This term in Year 4 children are learning about the Romans; they have been practising observational drawings with graphite pencils, building a colour palette using oil pastels and block paints and designing mosaics using wax crayons on gridded paper. Year 5 are learning about Space and have been using their sketch books to test out solar system backgrounds using a variety of art materials and mark making techniques. They have also been making close observational drawings of astronauts; thinking about composition and form. Year 6 are focusing on WW2 and have been observing the work of artists Dame Laura Knight, Paul Nash and Henry Moore. They have been using their sketch books to compare and contrast art works, creating colour palettes and using a wide range of materials including charcoal and chalk.
Sketch books are a wonderful opportunity to experiment with ideas, make mistakes and discover new processes.
