USING ARTWORK IN THE PRIMARY CLASSROOMA teacher’s guide to promoting drawing

Contents

3. Introduction4. Exploring form5. Exploring tone6. My final piece7. Starting points8. Initial sketches 9. Inspiration 10. Use of Tone11. My drawing investigat

ions 12. Pen and ink

13. Using photos

14. Key skills promoted in the piece of work

15. Relevance to National Curriculum

16. Learning opportunities

17. Form and tone and its potential in artwork

18. ‘Hands’ as a theme for work across the curriculum

19. Drawing activities 20. Resources – books21. Resources – websites

Introduction

Additional information concerning drawing in the classroom such as resourcing lists and extension activities are available here.

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This electronic resource has been created in aim to inform teachers of how to use artwork in order to develop drawing skills within the primary classroom.

It aims to guide teachers to gain a better understanding of how to use artwork as a vehicle to develop drawing skills within the primary classroom.

Elements of art

Mark making

Exploration of line

Tone

Colour

Texture

Form

Pattern

Shape

Space

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Exploring form

Form concerns the shape of an object

Classical artist

Michelangelo - Sculpture

Exploring tone use of tone examples

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.

Explore making various tones with different materials and apply to small sketches

My final piece

Pencil on cartridge paper

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Hands at work

Starting points8

Example of a design brief

Initial sketches10

Inspiration

Leonardo Da Vinci – Studies of the hand

Escher – drawing hands (1948)

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Use of tone12

Tonal Activity Give each child a piece of paper with

a large doodle on it with 10 different sections. The aim is for the children to fill each section with a different type of

mark and to create tone from one side of the section to the other.

My drawing investigations13

Biro sketching: Using different media type.

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Pen and ink

Using photos15

Grancel Fitz

Key skills promoted

Record from first-hand observation

Using tone to represent form and detail

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Relevance to NC objectives (adapted)

Build a knowledge and

understanding of visual and

tactile elements such as tone

and form4. a)

Note for 4aCross reference to mathematics

Ma3 Shape, space and measures: Understanding patterns and

properties of shape2. Pupils should be taught to:

a. describe properties of shapes that they can see or visualise using the

related vocabulary 

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Explore, develop and represent ideas through observation

1.a) & 2. b)

Explore themselves as a starting point

for practical artwork

5. a)

Investigate and make art using

various materials2. a)

Build a knowledge of

various artists 4. c)

Learning opportunities

Year 4

Learning objective : To have a basic visual understanding of the skeleton (hands).

Links/extra information:

The importance of sketchbooks

Sketchbooks in the classroom

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‘FORM & TONE’ & ITS POTENTIAL IN

ARTWORK

PHOTOGRAPHY

Focusing on the human form and using small snapshots that highlight the shapes. You could also focus on the tone on skin and or fingers, allowing children to explore taking photos of each other in different positions.

Possible activities:

Set up a photo studio- working in pairs, allow children to take photos of hands engaging in work (drawing/writing/tying shoelaces etc.) and using computers, play around with contrast and light/dark tones on screen.

Set up life drawing in the classroom – set up a circle of tables and allow one child to pose in the middle and have a session focusing on form.

TEXTILES

Focus children on using materials and sewing to create their own gloves and/or decoration. You could look at henna and develop a represent meanings of keys, shapes and patterns within keys and the broader things that relate to them.

Possible activities:

Making gloves/bracelet– allow each child to create their own pattern inspired by henna and incorporate into a mixed media collage or to decorate a glove.

PRINTMAKING

Bring together elements learnt from drawing and painting in order to develop pieces of work and using various printmaking techniques looking at the hand/human form and/or hand decoration.

Possible activities:

finger printing – allow the children to print their own fingers and explore the tones and pattern within them. You could develop this into pattern or line work.

PAINTING

Allow children to explore the tonal qualities of skin by exploring the

Possible activities

Viewfinders- allow children to use viewfinders to paint a section of a persons hand and develop paintings using various paint mediums and compare. Develop these sectional paintings to create an abstract piece focusing on the form of the section.

SCULPTURE

Allow children to look at sculptures of the human form and focus on the hands. Explore form of the hands or parts of the body through 3D materials.

Possible activities:

Willow/chicken wire/clay/plaster sculptures – taking hands as a starting point, develop a sculpture and or 3D form that represents the use of a key. This can include other parts of the body.

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Drawing activities

‘HANDS’ & ITS POTENTIAL IN THE

CURRICULUMSCIENCE - anatomy

Focusing on physical features of the human form. How does the shape of the hand/parts of the body help us to function? Allow children to explore the form of organs and muscles too.

Possible activities:

Class anatomy book– using drawing/studying parts of the body, create a class anatomy book, focusing on various parts of the body – most specifically the hand.

PE

Focus children on exploring movement of the hands, and/or developing skills in balancing using hands/parts of the body.

Possible activities:

Gymnastics – explore using hands to balance

Dance – using hand movements in dance – perhaps look at flamenco dancers.

GEOGRAPHY/HISTORY

Research, consider and explore how hands are used for greeting people.

Possible activities:

Develop your own school handshake – allow the children to develop their own handshake that shows their friendship/to say hello to a visitor at the school

Explore countries greetings traditions/cultural understanding – explore various ways of greetings around the world/why they do these.

Research– watch the HSBC advert which shows the various ways of greeting someone new with their hands

MATHS

Allow children to explore the form of hands and explore the shapes that make up that three-dimensional form. This can be extended to the whole human form.

Possible activities

Play ‘spot the 3D form’ allow the children to look at their partner and find as many different 3D shapes within their form. This could be possible with 2D shapes also.

RE/PSHE

Allow children to explore how hands are used within worship. Explore the Hindu tradition of painting hands and the significance of painting the whole body.

Possible activities:

Explore how hands are used in worship – what do hands do in worship? (Christianity – prayer, Hindu – Decorate/symbolise openness, Buddhism – used to calm, other – palm reading)

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Click here for a medium term art plan for year 5/6 on the theme of hands.

Using ICT

Resources - booksBeazley.M (2000) Understanding Paintings, Octopus Publishing Ltd.

Clement,R.(1992) Investigating and making in art. Essex: Oliver and Bond

Daniels, H & Turner, S (1972) Exploring printmaking for young people Van Nostrand Reinholds Department for education and employment (1999) The National Curriculum, London Fabian, M. (2006) ‘Blue Sky thinking’. STart magazine, Number 21, Pg. 12-13  Fitzsimmons, S. (1991) Start with art: developing creativity in young children Oxford: Basil Blackwell

Gair, A. (2005) Learn to Paint and Draw. Bath: Parragon Hearne, S. (2002) Art in the primary school, 2nd Ed. London Borough of Town Hamlets 

Martin, J. (2003) Colour. How to see it how to paint it. Quarto Publishing Ltd. McInally,M. (2003) ‘ From scribbles to drawings’ in Children’s art, the development in imaginative drawing and painting, ages 3 to 11. Devon: Southgate publishers Ltd Nobel.A (1996) Education through art the Steiner School Approach. Edinburgh: Floris Books Painting with watercolour magazine (2003)

Rockwell, H. (1977) Printmaking Tadworth: World’s Work

Roswell,G. (1983) ‘Scribbling and doodling’ in Teaching art in Primary School. London :Evans Brothers Ltd.

Rothenstein. M (1970) Relief printing. London: Studio Vista

 Sykes. K. T (2005) ‘ Portrait of an artist’ in Art of England magazine. Masterclass Publications Ltd. Pp.46-49

Sherman/L & Hofmeyr.D (2003) Directions in art : printmaking. Oxford, Heinemann Library (Harcourt education)

Weaver, P. (1968) Printmaking: a medium for basic design Studio Vista

Wenham,M. (2003) ‘Art as exploration’ in Understanding art : a guide for teachers. London:Paul Chapman 

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I would highly recommend looking at the STart magazines as they

are highly informative in the context of education of art

There are 6 in this series and all are worth having in the classroom

Back to contents

Resources - websites

Website Content

Resourceswww.artsconnected.org/toolkit Extensive resource for artistic concepts to be explored [online]date accessed 10/12/07 online and interactively.http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/art/contents.htm Many online teaching ideas and resources including lots of [online]date accessed 16/12/07 portraiture links. http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/art/art.htm [online]date accessed 16/12/07 Extensive range of online teaching ideas and

resources. http://www.nga.gov/kids/kids.htm [date accessed 17/12/07] Extensive range of online interactive resources for all areas of art.

Artistshttp://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/bio/h/holbein/hans_y/biograph.html Online biography source pages – lots of artists to research

good for highlighting and research activities (more suitable for older children)http://www.gfmer.ch/International_activities_En/Leonardo_anatomical_drawings.htm Leonardo Di Vinci information bank of anatomical

images. http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2006/genius/portraits.shtm# Rembrandt information bank including zoom-able picture of [date accessed 14/12/07] his works.http://www.simonripley.co.uk/files/gallery5/index1.htm Print artist Simon Ripley’s site – pictures and techniques all available. [online] accessed 4th February 2007 http://www.normanackroyd.com/kerr.html [online] accessed 21st March 2007 Norman Ackroyd – site

General http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/etc/teah/teahindex_gfx_en.html Online museum resource for teachers – access to a vast amount

of informationhttp://www.monoprints.com/history/brief.html [online] accessed 19th March 2007 Information about monoprintshttp://www.tate.org.uk/learning/schools/ [online] accessed 19th March 2007 Extensive site for many techniques, artists and resources.

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Getting children to email artists is an invaluable experience and really allows art to become more relevant and accessible.

www.corbis.com is a brilliant website for searching images for a certain subject.