Unpredictable yet exciting is how I would summarise print-making with 4C. Together, we had a go at:     

• monoprinting-a single print taken from a design created in printing ink on a smooth surface
• relief printing/plasticine printing-where protruding surface faces of the printing plate (polystyrene tile and plasticine) were inked leaving the recessed areas ink free.

The results were varied but provided the paper for our collage self-portraits. Joshua’s design I could see as wallpaper- a wonderful repeated print that he inked up brilliantly.

We placed our faces on a patterned background that we had painted using acrylics. Our colour choice was decided by selecting a colour that represented how we felt and then its complementary colour. This is where some of us demonstrated our competence with a paintbrush as well as our skill in creating tints and shades.

We then used letters from newspaper headlines to create words and phrases that shared our personality. The results were fantastic!

The ‘gallery walk’ in the art studio on Friday with our parents and or interested adults saw 4C sharing their sketchbook work as well as explaining how they created their collage self-portraits.

Sketching of each other was the activity-some wonderful portraits were created along with much laughter. Thank you 4C for a truly wonderful fortnight. The comments below certainly capture your hard work, commitment and perseverance!

‘Another fabulous arts celebration! It’s great to see what the children have been doing, and I love that the focus has been away from traditional learning during the arts fortnight. I think it’s so important for the children to have this time away from the classrooms to explore the arts.’

‘A great afternoon-I liked the mix of things we were shown in relation to the children’s learning.’

‘It has been amazing! Everyone was fantastic! Staff and kids put a lot of work/effort and it is really appreciated. It’s been a lovely afternoon and THANK YOU SO MUCH!’

‘Thank you Year 4. Absolutely blown away with ‘This is me’. I really enjoyed the dancing and singing. Very impressed with library, classroom and art studio.’

‘Thank you for a lovely afternoon. It has been very interesting seeing the different work the children have done. My wife and I particularly enjoyed the ply and the singing-it was very harmonious for 9 year olds!’

‘Thank you so much for all your hard work. The dance was amazing. I was full of emotion watching the whole class. The library, classroom and art studio are all so inspiring.’

‘I had a wonderful and interactive afternoon joining in and participating with the children.’