--- title: "News: Art and Design" url: "https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/tag/art-and-design" school: "Darwen St James’ C of E Primary Academy" --- # News: Art and Design ![Image of Nursery And Pre-School - Art - Scissor Skills](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/956ffb96-0f3f-45bc-aa81-0b94383260a7.jpg) 22 Sep [2026-09-22-nursery-and-pre-school-art-scissor-skills](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-09-22-nursery-and-pre-school-art-scissor-skills) #### [Nursery And Pre-School - Art - Scissor Skills](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-09-22-nursery-and-pre-school-art-scissor-skills) Our children have been developing their creative and fine motor skills this week through a hands-on autumn art focus! The children practiced their scissor skills by carefully cutting out a variety of seasonal, autumn-themed pictures. They concentrated on holding and controlling their scissors correctly as they worked around different shapes and edges. Once their pictures were cut, the children put their visual discrimination skills to work by matching each autumnal object directly to its corresponding shadow outline on the page. This activity provided a fantastic opportunity for the children to combine physical precision with problem-solving, strengthening the hand muscle control and hand-eye coordination needed for creative expression and everyday independence. ![Image of Reception - Expressive Arts - Self Portraits ](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/9b2ea8c4-4998-410d-b5a5-1af34a7cc13f.jpg) 15 Sep [2026-09-15-reception-expressive-arts-self-portraits](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-09-15-reception-expressive-arts-self-portraits) #### [Reception - Expressive Arts - Self Portraits ](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-09-15-reception-expressive-arts-self-portraits) Our Reception children have been busy exploring their creative skills by drawing their very own self-portraits. Looking carefully in mirrors, the children looked closely at their unique features, practicing fine motor control to draw shapes and lines for their faces, eyes, and hair. 14 Sep [2026-09-14-year-1-art-controlling-line-weight-and-texture](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-09-14-year-1-art-controlling-line-weight-and-texture) #### [Year 1 Art - Controlling Line Weight and Texture](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-09-14-year-1-art-controlling-line-weight-and-texture) ![Image of Year 2 Art - Artists are Explorers and Collectors](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/b214c6b4-62b0-4d12-a077-778e23264c42.jpg) 13 Sep [2026-09-13-year-2-art-artists-are-explorers-and-collectors](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-09-13-year-2-art-artists-are-explorers-and-collectors) #### [Year 2 Art - Artists are Explorers and Collectors](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-09-13-year-2-art-artists-are-explorers-and-collectors) Artists are Explorers and Collectors! Our Year 2 artists took their learning outdoors this week to discover how nature can be transformed into art. Inspired by artists who collect natural materials, the children explored our school grounds to gather a wonderful variety of leaves, twigs, pebbles, vibrant flowers, and berries. Working with fantastic focus, they carefully considered shape, colour, and texture to design their own temporary masterpieces. The children worked so hard on their compositions, experimenting with patterns and arrangements to bring their natural treasures to life. Take a look at the photos below to admire some of their incredible, creative artwork! ![Image of Year 3 - Art - Gestural Drawing With Charcoal](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/f1424e67-d920-4ff2-a166-cc21a2eb65a3(1).jpg) 10 Sep [2026-09-10-year-3-art-gestural-drawing-with-charcoal](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-09-10-year-3-art-gestural-drawing-with-charcoal) #### [Year 3 - Art - Gestural Drawing With Charcoal](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-09-10-year-3-art-gestural-drawing-with-charcoal) This term in art, our Year 3 class is stepping away from tiny sketches at their desks and taking on a high-energy, large-scale creative project using charcoal. Instead of just using their fingers and wrists, the children will be using their whole bodies—stretching, sweeping, and moving to create bold, dynamic marks across huge sheets of paper. By tapping into rhythm and movement, they’ll explore how different gestures create different textures and tones, and the results are looking truly extraordinary! ![Image of Year 6 - Art - Scaling up Drawings](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/y6_-_art.jpg) 9 Sep [2026-09-09-year-6-art-scaling-up-drawings](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-09-09-year-6-art-scaling-up-drawings) #### [Year 6 - Art - Scaling up Drawings](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-09-09-year-6-art-scaling-up-drawings) How can focusing on the space around an object help bring a 2D drawing to life? Inspired by the iconic life-sized cut-out figures of artist Lubaina Himid, Year 6 have been exploring how flat shapes can transform into interactive art. Using reference silhouettes of animals like cats, lions, and dolphins, the children put their observational skills to the test by studying negative space to accurately map out shapes. They applied the grid method to scale up their chosen images square by square, carefully transferring pencil outlines with accuracy and confidence onto a larger scale. ![Image of Reception- EAD- Exploring Billy's Bucket](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/Collage_2026-07-08_14_51_42.jpg) 8 Jul [2026-07-08-reception-ead-exploring-billy-s-bucket](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-07-08-reception-ead-exploring-billy-s-bucket) #### [Reception- EAD- Exploring Billy's Bucket](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-07-08-reception-ead-exploring-billy-s-bucket) The children have had a thoroughly magical week exploring our focus story, Billy's Bucket! It has been wonderful to see them using their imaginations to look beyond the ordinary and wonder what spectacular things might be hidden inside their very own buckets. From marvellous sea creatures to giant mythical beasts, their ideas have been absolutely amazing. The children then worked with fantastic enthusiasm to bring these creations to life, using a wonderful mix of crafting materials, loose parts, and storytelling. It has been a joy to watch their imaginative worlds come alive in the classroom, and they have done a brilliant job sharing their ideas with one another! ![Image of Nursery/Pre-School-R.E-Noah's Ark](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/c52dcea0-b109-4e5d-85aa-42771e949b57.jpg) 6 Jul [2026-07-06-nursery-pre-school-r-e-noah-s-ark](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-07-06-nursery-pre-school-r-e-noah-s-ark) #### [Nursery/Pre-School-R.E-Noah's Ark](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-07-06-nursery-pre-school-r-e-noah-s-ark) In our R.E. lessons, we have been learning all about Noah's Ark. The children loved listening to Noah's story and understanding why he had to build an ark for himself, his family, and all the animals. They learned that God asked him to save the good so that the bad could be washed away. The children then got creative and made their very own Noah's arks, drawing the animals onto them. To finish off, the children drew lovely rainbows to put across their arks to represent God's promise never to flood the earth again. ![Image of Nursery - Re - The Story of Moses](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/3186ab1f-55cb-4153-b870-7ab2dc66b930.jpg) 16 Jun [2026-06-16-nursery-re-the-story-of-moses](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-06-16-nursery-re-the-story-of-moses) #### [Nursery - Re - The Story of Moses](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-06-16-nursery-re-the-story-of-moses) In R.E this week we have listened to the story of baby Moses. To help us gain a stronger understanding of the story, we created our very own paper plate craft activity were the children can see Baby Moses floating down the river in a little basket. The children then were able to use their craft as a prop and their thinking skills to retell the story of baby Moses to their friends. ![Image of Reception- Continuous Provision- Web of Work](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/Collage_2026-06-10_13_49_21.jpg) 10 Jun [2026-06-10-reception-continuous-provision-web-of-work](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-06-10-reception-continuous-provision-web-of-work) #### [Reception- Continuous Provision- Web of Work](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-06-10-reception-continuous-provision-web-of-work) We have had a very busy week in Reception class. Our story this week has been all about spiders and the children have been so creative with their work. Accessing all areas of the classroom and outdoors. Making spider webs on the windows using gross motor movements with the print brushes and water. Learning how to draw a spider with step by step instructions and watch it come together. The children have used the play dough to make a spider come to life with pipe cleaner legs and googly eyes. Of course a spider needs a web and that's when our imagination took over designing a pattern web on paper with paint and sequins. ![Image of Year 4 Art - 3D Sculpture Painting](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/Sculpturepainting.jpg) 20 May [2026-05-20-year-4-art-3d-sculpture-painting](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-05-20-year-4-art-3d-sculpture-painting) #### [Year 4 Art - 3D Sculpture Painting](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-05-20-year-4-art-3d-sculpture-painting) Year 4 have been working really hard during their art topic, learning about sculptures, the plinths they stand on and the famous artists associated with these types of display. After weeks of creating a 3D sculpture of an Anglo-Saxon warrior, it was a pleasure to see them come to life during our painting session. Year 4 are rather proud of their efforts! ![Image of Year 4 Art - Using different art techniques](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/720x440c/news/year4art.jpg) 12 May [2026-05-12-year-4-art-using-different-art-techniques](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-05-12-year-4-art-using-different-art-techniques) #### [Year 4 Art - Using different art techniques](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/news/2026-05-12-year-4-art-using-different-art-techniques) Year 4 have gotten rather messy this week! Having created our plinths and 3D statues of Anglo-Saxon warriors, it was time to secure and solidify our structures using paper mache. We had to follow the step-by-step tutorial on how to apply the mixture with newspaper and completely cover our structures. 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