To kick start our Arts Week half of term, local artist Philip Ryland visited the Art department and led some workshops for the Year 8, 7, and 6 pupils. During the first session the pupils were asked to read and discuss the poem The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll. They were then given an A2 piece of paper that had been cut into 4. On to this they had to paint one of the characters from the poem. They then turned the pages over and painted a second character. The pupils enjoyed exploring the qualities of paint and allowing their imaginations to take flight.

Philip returned the following week to guide the children through the process of turning their paintings into abstract pages and binding them into a book. Some of the children were amazed when he asked them to tear each A4 part of their paintings in half! All of the children were delighted with the finished result though! During this session they learned how to sew their pages together and bind them into a cardboard cover. This they found quite tricky, but they persevered and finished the session with all books ready for words and illustrations.

The books look amazing already, but once they are completed during Arts Week they will be outstanding examples of the pupils’ creativity and artistic skills. They will be on display in the Arts Week Exhibition in the HC Auditorium after half-term, so please make sure to visit and see for yourself.