Over the past month, the art studio has seen Year 6 sketch and make shoes. A collection of my footwear was made available for reference-baseball boots, trainers, pair of Dr Martens, wedges and high heels- and with just corrugated cardboard, newspaper, card, masking tape and a glue gun the cobbling commenced.

The first week, encouraged Year 6 to look at the shoe in front of them from a variety of viewpoints and yes, it was hard to capture what was in front of our eyes. Where to place the shoe, whether to have the paper landscape or vertical and daring to commit felt tip to paper were just some of the decisions made. The focus was line and there were definite ‘in the pit’ moments. However, by the end of the session impressive, large ‘gestural’ sketches had captured the shoes.

The following couple of weeks presented Year 6 with the challenge of making a shoe with the materials outlined above. Careful observation, using the shoe as a template, problem solving how to create and join the different parts of the shoe and understanding the importance of measuring were done in collaboration with their partner. The teamwork throughout was impressive. In some respects, I felt redundant!

Attention to detail, the determination to create a likeness and the concentration throughout was great to see. The glue gun provided pupils with a quick and effective way to construct and I was proud to see the independence and respect in using it.

Deciding whether to paint, collage or leave the shoe in its cardboard state was again left to the cobblers. Hopefully, you are in agreement that their decisions were spot on.

An unexpected joy, was when a reception child inspired by the artwork she saw in her Read Write Inc sessions in the art studio proceeded to create her own shoe in receptions’ workshop. As a result, she was invited to join in the cobbling with Year 6 and with the support of their expertise created her own wedge shoe.

Well done Year 6. Your lino prints, inspired by the deciduous and evergreen trees on Otley Chevin didn’t disappoint.

The process started with observation; recording what was seen through ‘gestural’ drawings and the exploration of sandwiching different drawing media together. Sketching large and allowing the pen to capture what the eyes saw proved hard for some of us, yet in letting go the autumnal scenes were created. Pastel, pencil crayon, charcoal, felt tip and watercolour were used sensitively to add colour.

By focusing on the outline of one of the tree’s leaves, we made a template. This was then used to make a string of leaves that were stitched into our sketchbook and immediately added depth. Oak, Rowan, Hawthorn, Holly, Sweet Chestnut and Beech were all evidenced across the cohort.

The background was a watercolour wash of an autumnal sky-grey slate and cool blues.

A viewfinder helped us discover a great design within our drawing, which would become the lino print. Transferring the design from the tracing paper onto the lino was somewhat tedious, especially when intricate, but we all persevered. The lines were finally there for cutting into and or around.

We watched the artist Mark Herald at work on his linocuts and saw how nature was his inspiration too.

Thankfully, fingers and thumbs remained behind the blade-on the whole! Focus and concentration, patience and control were integral when cutting away lino to leave the design. Our understanding of negative and positive space certainly improved.

By inking up a number of autumnal sky ‘backgrounds’ on the A5 lino, we reminded ourselves of the inking up process. We had also created a useful register for our lino printing. I was delighted to see Year 6 build up the layers of colour within their prints by cutting away some of their lino each time.  

If you look carefully, you will identify the trees/leaves within each design. Each print is unique and demonstrates incredible skill and patience.

The story ‘Pumpkin Soup’ by Helen Cooper transformed the home corner into the old white cabin and inspired creativity in all three Reception classes.

A variety of misshapen and colourful pumpkins provided the still life. Texture, line and colour were captured through a variety of drawing materials (including watercolours) and the children were encouraged to ‘sandwich’ these materials by layering, smudging and careful mark making.

Thank you Mrs Willis, Mr Woolley and Miss Thompson for encouraging our artists to notice the knobbly, lumpy pumpkins and drawing attention to the stripes, dots, lines and colours of the skins.

What a privilege it has been to work with Reception over the past few weeks. We have discovered so much about these wonderful individuals who have so much to share about themselves and the special people in their lives as well as their interests and likes. Their special box was the vehicle that opened up who they are to their class and teachers.

Inspired by the artist and educator Anna Linch’s Self-portraiture photography, the Reception team decided to set up a space, where each child could decide on their own poses in front of a white sheet and carefully consider the placement of their objects. Hopefully you agree that their self-portrait represented who they are as a person and how unique and fantastic each child is.  

In addition, each child has drawn their own self-portrait in black felt tip. As you can see, a mirror enabled them to look at their splendid selves. Their mark making/drawings shared how they saw themselves, their preferred hand to draw with as well as their schema development.

ACE has been talking to SPACE 2 and we have decided to encourage you all to get creative at home. Therefore, every fortnight, there will be an arty project shared on the art blog that we would love you to have a go at. Creating a postcard is your first mission. Subject wise anything goes. It can be: how you are feeling/your favourite motif/ a pattern/ something imaginary/ some text/a poem…Click on the pop-out on the postcard below for ideas.

We would love to capture your mini masterpieces so do send a photo to:

jelenaz@space2.org.uk and or office@allertonceprimary.com

Have fun!  

Mrs Johnston

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This year, aspiration, awareness and action has been part of our ACE Arts journey with Leeds Beckett University design students and SPACE2 as we collaborated on the DIVE DEEP project.

Because of COVID-19 we couldn’t actually make the exhibition launch at Leeds Central Library. A disappointment for everyone involved in this creative partnership-especially our pupils and the students. Thankfully, the students shared some photographs of the exhibition so we at least had a glimpse of how they interpreted the brief.

However, learning together has deepened our knowledge and understanding of how plastic pollution in the sea is impacting marine life.

A highlight for our young people is working with the students in their art studio at Leeds Beckett University. This year, the students planned and implemented a challenging workshop using Photoshop for our thirty Key Stage 2 pupils. In combining sea creatures with plastic pollution such as plastic bags and bottles, the children created digital images with text that clearly raised awareness of the problem. In addition, they made protest banners.

I too was inspired when at Leeds Beckett by the plastic sea-creatures the students had created and would use as platters at the ‘banqueting table’. Year 4HK reaped the benefits and created their own imaginary sea creatures back at school in our very own art studio. We had photographs of ‘what a good one looked like’ and used them as a reference for our own. Some of their animals even made it into the exhibition! Our day with the students in Leeds also took us to Leeds Central Library, where we had the opportunity to browse through books on pollution and oceans as well as see and share in the vision for the empty shell of a room that would house the exhibition.

Our trip to Redcar beach, on a bitterly cold and windy day, was an opportunity for our young people to see the North Sea and collect plastic litter from the beach with the students. Here, our pupils learnt that 88% of our oceans were full of micro plastics. This sobering statistic was committed to memory by using rocks, stones and pebbles on the beach to make the percentages. In addition, soundscapes were recorded, wind turbines counted and freedom on the beach experienced as we were literally blown across it.

Once again, I have learnt so much! This time thanks to 3LT-one of the kindest and responsive group of pupils I have ever had the privilege to work with. Their prior learning of ‘Lemminkainen’ supported by the storyteller Matthew Bellwood, provided the hook for our arts fortnight and introduced me to a new story with spells, darkness and thankfully a happy ending. It also provided a scaffold for our own quests. The dance incorporated elements of this traditional Nordic myth, with Iceland’s dramatic land of fire and ice inspiring the art.

Our ice and fire pictures that captured the patterns, shapes and colours found in this landscape, inspired the sewing onto the tie dye aurora borealis.

I was so impressed with the progress made in sewing by 3LT. By the end of the week, all could competently do a running stitch and some had progressed onto a back stitch. Sequins and beads were incorporated and by adding stuffing to our shapes we created a relief. We discovered that pins were useful to hold our chosen material in place and that the embroidery hoop kept our needlework firmly in place.

The dance performed on the Friday was certainly impressive. From exploding geysers to erupting volcanoes, tranquil forests to mesmerising aurora borealis, 3LT were able to convey through their bodies this wonderful landscape. Perhaps their modelling of these landscapes using plasticine had helped in some way!

I loved how the drama simply shared how one arrow slayed our hero, but a mother’s song could sew him back together again. The cannon for the sewing up of our hero- Lemminkainen- was inspired!  

Keep being creative over the next few months and do share your creations. Hopefully the video below captures some of the learning over the arts fortnight.

‘Now, as soon as Tom had left Peacepool, he came to the white lap of the great sea-mother, ten thousand fathoms deep; where she makes world-pap all day long, for the steam-giants to knead, and the fire-giants to bake, till it has risen and hardened into mountain-loaves and island cakes.‘

This excerpt from Charles Kingsley’s ‘The Waterbabies’ allowed all in 4HK to do some stretched thinking  as well as  provide the setting and characters for our own fantasy story. Our initial illustrations certainly captured the different imaginative responses and provided the stimulus for own stories where the problems and resolutions were fantastical!

On their iPads, 4HK also created their own sea-creature that would feature in their own fantasy story and the class dance. There were many weird and wonderful features.

In order to take the two dimensional image to a three dimensional model, we worked collaboratively in small groups and imitated some marine life made from ‘rubbish’ by Leeds Beckett Graphic and Design students. Masking tape became a best friend as junk modelling rubbish was cut and bent, stuffed and painted and ultimately joined together. The process was certainly a challenge, but gave us a head start when we made our own sea creature.

Well done 4HK for your perseverance and ingenuity as you wrestled and upcycled rubbish. They look fantastic and you should be very proud. As you know, your creatures may accompany the students’ creations at the exhibition coming shortly to Leeds central Library.

Thank you to all the parents and interested adults who joined us for Friday’s celebration. The children do love an audience and someone to share their learning with.

As the comments below testify, many of you enjoy sharing, listening to and participating in their learning too and value this opportunity.

‘Extremely enjoyable and engaging. I love the enthusiasm of the children. It was obvious that a great deal of preparation and hard work from staff and children had been applied. Very positive afternoon indeed!’

‘I enjoyed watching the children perform and getting to see all the hard work they had put into their work. I enjoyed getting to see how my child’s confidence has grown. Thank you for inviting us to see what has been happening.’

‘Really enjoyable and fun afternoon. Always love being able to come and see what the children have been doing and also being able to join in. Thank you.’ Nihal’s mum

‘Very nice time. Thanks for everything.’ Nura’s dad

‘The combination of art, dance, writing and cooking brought the whole thing to life-wonderful!’

‘The arts journey was really impressive. I am really happy that Jemima is doing things like this in school.She is really excited to share her story.’

‘Really impressed with Jayden’s work and Miss Kallend mentioned how she has seen a change in him since doing art. He seems very interested and excited about his art work and dancing. I’m very impressed!’

‘Excellent learning. Really impressed in the way the arts work progresses. Keep it up!’

Over the fortnight, 4SM discovered more about themselves. Knowing and accepting ourselves is a continuous learning journey of discovery as we actively participate in our class, school, community and world.  Through dance and song, words and paint we all began to share who we are with others. There was laughter, surprise and tears…

Miss Mason let us into her life by sharing who she is through photographs and talk. Previous pupils also gave us insight to who they were and what and who had impacted their lives so far through their ‘I am’ poems. These in turn supported us in writing our own ‘I am’ pieces.  

The lyrics from ‘This is Me’, written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, were discussed in small groups and connections made. We acknowledged the power of words to encourage and build up as well as to hurt and put down. Mrs Lynch choreographed a powerful section within the dance performance to illustrate the struggles we face but how in finding an inner strength and through the encouragement and support from others we can ‘bravely march on.’ Hopefully all 4SM have a greater understanding and appreciation for the uniqueness of each other and themselves and our responsibility to be a generation that is ultimately kind.

I loved the self-portraits 4SM created. iPads certainly supported us in making us really look at our faces, notice all the tones in our skin colour and understand where our features (especially eyes and ears) are positioned! The words and pictures chosen to share with others who they are was so powerful.

Thank you 4SM for embracing your arts fortnight. As the following comments from parents and interested adults share, your performance and art certainly impacted.

‘This two weeks have had a massive impact on Sophie. To believe in herself and love her for who she is. Thank you.’ Sophies’ mum

‘I am especially impressed about how my daughter is getting exposed to the world of art, colours, thoughts and imaginations. Lovely to see her experiment with colours and pencils. Just hope she does it as one of her passions.’ Mehuli’s dad

‘The dancing was fantastic, as was the art work. I really enjoyed the whole afternoon.’