Year 10 and 11 students have the opportunity to attend 3 after school masterclass sessions this term.

The second of these last week focused on strategies for creating successful artwork out of unsuccessful artwork. We looked at the topic from a few angles including meaning, composition and re-purposing parts of an artwork. The main activity of the session was large collaborative charcoal drawings. Students rotated around the classroom, initially creating ‘flawed’ drawings by using experimental techniques such as wrong hand drawings and speed drawings. These approaches allowed them to create drawings that had great fluidity and expressiveness of line which made the perfect starting point for their more extended work of ‘fixing’ the accuracy of the drawings.

In Art, as in many things, the most interesting outcome is created when we find a balance between control and serendipity. By working in this way our artists are encouraged to consider both factors in their work.