This week we worked on a typography project!

Maroon and Turquoise Class

Our reception, year 1 and year 2 artists investigated different forms of hand lettering and practised writing the initial of their name in a variety of ways. We then produced our initial as a layered collage, incorporating patterns made using Posca pens. The results looked great!

Amber, Magenta & Violet Class

Our year 3 and 4 artists created a typographical design using their names. We practised writing our names in different styles, inspired by examples of hand lettering. We drew some wavy lines across our page, then fit our names between the lines to create an interesting layout. We went over the pencil lines in marker pen before adding Brusho colour. The designs were really colourful!

Jade & Emerald Class

Our year 5 and 6 artists spent some time finishing their mythical creatures from last week. We used soft pastel, blending colours together to create different textures. 

We then created a piece of typography work- some of us chose to work with a list of friends, and others chose words that described us or inspired us.

Cyan & Indigo Class

Our year 7-11 artists completed their lino printmaking project this week. We continued with our experiments in colour, and also tried reduction printing, where areas of the printing plate are taken out and another layer of ink printed over the top of the first layer. The results looked lovely!

Maroon & Turquoise Class

This week, our reception, year 1 and year 2 students had a go at monoprinting! We covered boards in tin foil, brushed them with ready mixed paint, then used a cotton bud to draw a design into the surface of the paint. We laid a piece of paper over the top to create a print.

Amber, Magenta & Turquoise Class

Our year 3 and 4 artists printed their polystyrene tiles produced last week, which were inspired by Islamic tile designs. We practised printing them in a radial pattern, then created a colourful background for our final design using soft pastels. 

Jade & Emerald Class

Our year 5 and 6 artists worked on their polystyrene tiles from last week, taking out more of the design, before printing the second and third layers of their reduction block print. The results looked really effective!

Maroon & Turquoise Class

This week, our reception, year 1 and year 2 artists learned how to create prints of fish using polystyrene tiles. We drew different patterns into the surface of the polystyrene using pencils. We rolled block printing ink on to our fish, then pressed them down onto paper. We got some lovely results!

Amber, Magenta & Violet Class

Our year 3 and 4 artists printed from their Jasper Johns inspired printing plates which we made last week. We did a few practise prints before creating our final prints onto the colourful backgrounds we’d prepared.

Jade & Emerald Class

Our year 5 and 6 artists finished off printing from their etched CDs. We then made polystyrene prints of different beetles and moths. This week we printed the first layer- next week, we’ll work into our polystyrene tiles some more and print a second layer over the top to create a reduction block print.

Maroon & Turquoise Class

This week, our reception, year 1 and year 2 artists created printing plates using precut foam shapes. We warmed up by discussing symmetry and drawing a symmetrical design in our sketchbooks using different patterns and shapes. We then chose foam shapes to stick to a board in a symmetrical pattern. We inked up our printing plates using rollers and block printing ink, then printed our designs onto a variety of coloured papers. We produced some lovely, bold prints!

Amber, Magenta & Violet Class

Our year 3 and 4 artists created printing plates inspired by the work of Jasper Johns (see example). We discussed his painting ‘Zero Through Nine’ and spotted the different numbers hidden in the image. We created our own versions using oil pastels and watercolour. We then produced a typographical printing plate using letters, numbers and shapes cut from mountboard. Next week we will be printing from them!

Jade & Emerald Class

Our year 5 and 6 artists printed from their etched CDs this week! We used pieces of scrim to rub etching ink into the scratches we created last week on the CDs’ surface. We then used a clean piece of scrim to wipe away the ink on the surface, leaving only the scratches. We dampened a piece of cartridge paper and placed it over the CD on the bed of the printing press, then rolled it through. We got some really clear, bold results!

Maroon & Turquoise Class

Our reception, year 1 and year 2 artists have been investigating printmaking using a variety of objects from around the studio. We discovered several objects that create different sized circles, from which we could create concentric designs. After experimenting with producing different shapes, we used them to create a design in two colours. 

Amber, Magenta & Violet Class

Our year 3 and 4 artists worked on a similar project. We concentrated on producing clear, whole prints from the objects, and considered placement of objects when planning our final compositions. We were inspired by architectural designs.

Jade & Emerald Class

Our year 5 and 6 artists started a two week drypoint intaglio printmaking project. We had a demonstration of how prints are made using the technique of scratching an image into a surface, rubbing ink into the scratches and using a printing press to produce an image. We then spent some time creating our own designs in our sketchbooks, before using etching tools to scratch into the surface of a CD. Next week we’ll use the CD images to produce prints!

This week, each class made prints using the collograph images we prepared last week. 

Maroon & Turquoise Class

Our reception, year 1 and year 2 artists’ images were inspired by the collage work of Henri Matisse.

Amber, Magenta & Violet Class

Our year 3 and 4 artists created images based on the work of Kimmy Cantrell.

Jade & Emerald Class

Our year 5 and 6 artists have been studying the proportions of a figure.

We’ve had a lovely first week back after the half term break! This term we’re focusing on printmaking- however, this week we called on our collage skills from last term to create collograph blocks. We’ll be producing prints from them next week!

Maroon & Turquoise Class

Our reception, year 1 and year 2 artists were inspired by the work of Matisse. We discussed the organic and geometric shapes we could see in Matisse’s work, and aimed to include both in our own versions.

Amber, Magenta & Violet Class

Our year 3 and 4 artists took their inspiration from the work of Kimmy Cantrell (see photos). We discussed how the faces were assembled in different layers, then had a go at creating our own characters by cutting shapes from thin card.

Jade & Emerald Class

Our year 5 and 6 artists investigated the human figure. We discussed proportions, warming up by drawing stick figures in different poses. We concentrated on representing the limbs proportionately, and showing where the main joints were. We then recreated one of the poses in cardboard.

Amber & Turquoise Class

Our reception, year 1 and year 2 artists took prints from the printing plates we made last week using craft foam. We started off using single colours, before moving on to using multiple colours on the same print. We learned how to produce a clear print by judging the amount of ink we needed to use, and applying an appropriate amount of pressure to the plate before lifting it off the paper. We made eight prints each- it was a busy session! We chose our most successful print to share with the group and described why we had chosen it.

Magenta & Violet Class

Our year 3 and 4 classes made prints from their printing plates too. We used single colours to start with, then experimented with combining two or three colours in different ways. We got some really successful prints!

Emerald Class

Our year 5 and 6 artists used a variety of colours of ink to produce multiple prints from their typographic designs. The prints came out brilliantly, and the printing plates themselves looked really creative! We also printed two versions of the animal drawings we produced on polystyrene sheets last week. Next week we’ll be printing a second layer onto these in a contrasting colour.