By Andrea Butler

Artist Andrea Butler shares how she developed a more personal visual language in her drawings.  She started with simple contour drawings and then began focussing on the moving figure, eventually taking her sketchbook to the cinema to draw in the dark, making drawings that were about the process of pure ‘seeing’ and developing a drawing trust between her eye/hand to make marks that recorded her visual experience.

‘With a house move and family commitments, I haven’t found much (if any) time for drawing during the last year but recently, I had the opportunity to attend some life drawing workshops which were linked to a local exhibition of figure drawings and portraits.  As I hadn’t drawn for quite a while, I realised that I needed to warm up my drawing skills before I got into the life room otherwise I would be going from a position of no drawing, to one of the most challenging drawing situations there is: drawing the human figure.  If I wanted to get the most out of the workshops, I needed to take some action!

Starting with a Contour Line

Inspired by the Ten Minutes Five Times a Week, I began by making contour/continuous line drawings – an excellent way to get back into a regular drawing habit and a very manageable, simple first step.

 

 

 

I made drawings that were considered and took time: e.g. drawing the washing up and also quick, speculative drawings: drawing someone watching tv, scenes from the tv or someone reading the paper.  I found the balance of line and white space on the page very pleasing, especially with the blind contour drawings.

I began to concentrate on drawing moving objects and images as I found a freedom in the mark making that I wanted to push further to see what it could add to my drawing vocabulary.  With these drawings, I only had as long as the subject kept their position, sometimes I only managed a couple of lines, then the view would change and I stopped the drawing.  I found these open-ended sort of drawings fascinating and quite liberating. I accepted as part of the process that the drawing would last as long as it lasted. 

The drawings were about recording the time I focussed my looking on the object and discovering what marks would appear on the paper; they were not about making a ‘complete’ or ‘proper’ drawing.  I was also interested in the fact that if I was forced to draw quickly (to capture what I could within an unknown time scale) this created a more exciting and intuitive response.  As I settled into regular drawing, I began to use a more gestural line, making marks that recorded my eyes moving around and over the object and that reflected the urgency of the looking process. 

 

 

 

 

Developing Gestural Marks

I felt more prepared now for the life sessions that I had signed up for and these began with a half hour lecture looking at the exhibition prior to drawing the model. To warm up for the life class, I set myself the challenge of drawing in each lecture beforehand.  The first week, I decided to draw as much as I could of each picture whilst the lecturer was talking about it (about 30 seconds to a minute) using a mixture of blind drawing, contour drawing and gestural mark making.   No time for anything other than visual notes and no time to worry about or edit what was appearing on the page.  (It was surprising though, how when I looked at the drawings afterwards I could recall the pictures even with such rapidly made marks).

 

 

The same lecture was given at the start of each of the five sessions for any new participants to the workshops.  I attended them all, and by the third week, I was more familiar with the content of the exhibition and chose to spend time drawing particular exhibits but still keeping the time short – a minute or so for each of drawing, max.  It was contour/gesture drawing at speed.  As I drew, I also began to note down words and phrases from the lecture.

 

In the second week, I suddenly ‘noticed’ the lecturer.  She had been there all the time, of course, but I hadn’t ‘seen’ her just skimmed a look at her then concentrated on the exhibits.  Now, she came within my drawing vision and was added to my sketchbook page. Once I began to include the lecturer and audience, small narratives began to appear on the page.  I drew the audience with a speedy contour line for as long as they stayed in position – sometimes this was only seconds.

 

 

 

 

During the life drawing workshop weeks I also attended a lecture on the history of drawing and using the same idea, I drew from the powerpoint presentation with seconds to capture something from the slide before it changed.  What I found exciting and what kept me exploring was that, because my aim was to get marks on the page as a record of my experience, I couldn’t edit or try for a ‘nice’ drawing and I was surprising myself with the variety of marks and lines that I made.  It was almost like I got my ‘censoring self’ out of the way whilst I was drawing and I stopped worrying about what it looked like or what anyone would think. It felt like I was exploring a personal language and the drawing marks reminded me very much of Asemic writing.

 

Drawing in the Dark

All this drawing had developed a drawing trust in myself, trust that my hand could make a mark that could interpret what my eyes were seeing.   I took my sketchbook with me to the local theatre but then when the lights went down, I had a new challenge – I couldn’t see what I was drawing at all or where I was drawing on the page.  I started on the left hand side of my sketchbook and moved across it, drawing the performers as long as they stood in that one position. I didn’t look down at the page at all whilst I was drawing – I couldn’t see it anyway – just kept feeling my way across my sketchbook page and only turned over when I ran out of page. In the interval, it was exciting to see what sort of drawings had resulted and what sort of marks I had been making to record the performance. I had a band of blank space along the bottom of the page, so I made blind contours of the audience during the interval, to create a context/narrative. The performers changed character with their distinctive hats – I added the colours later.

 

 

The Cinema Sketchbooks

A keen film fan, I took my sketchbook with me to the cinema and began to draw in the dark from the films. The previous drawing practice meant I could now make marks confidently at speed and I also began to add in phrases from the film dialogue and draw the silhouetted shapes of the audience.  I drew with coloured pencils, choosing a selection of colours beforehand and then changing them randomly throughout the film. In the dark, I had no idea what colour I was using at any one time and I’ve ended up with some interesting colour combinations on the page.

If you plan to give this a try at the theatre or cinema, there are a few things to consider:

• people have paid to see the performance so be considerate and as unobtrusive as possible – I try and sit at the end of an aisle or with a friend/empty seat between me and other members of the audience
• try and angle your sketchbook so that the light from the film doesn’t make the white paper gleam
• don’t draw during quiet scenes if you can hear the scratch of the pen or pencil
• use a small sketchbook and a pen or a few pencils that you can hold in your hand, (but try not to drop them, especially during the quiet scenes!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflecting on the Process

Drawing in the dark means having no idea what’s happening on the sketchbook page but it’s quite exhilarating taking the risk and I enjoy the anticipation of finding out what I’ve been thinking, about what I’ve been seeing.  The drawings look like a collection of hieroglyphics and probably don’t mean much to anyone else but I love the energy and random colour combinations and the feeling that I’m looking at something that is talking to me on an subconscious level.  The text too is unlike my everyday handwriting and seems in character with the drawing marks.

The process has revealed to me a more ‘true’ drawing language that I can access if I stop worrying about the drawing or trying to edit whilst I draw. And whilst quite a few pages look a bit chaotic, I have been surprised by how balanced some of the pages have been in terms of composition: line/marks against negative space. Many of the marks I have recorded have a freedom and character that I trying to incorporate into my other drawings, a visual language that prioritises seeing and enjoyment in the dialogue between my eye/hand, the object and the drawing.’

 

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This is a sample of a resource created by UK Charity AccessArt. We have over 1500 resources to help develop and inspire your creative thinking, practice and teaching.

AccessArt welcomes artists, educators, teachers and parents both in the UK and overseas.

We believe everyone has the right to be creative and by working together and sharing ideas we can enable everyone to reach their creative potential.

The teenage #BeACreativeProducer team were invited to present their project at the APPG for Art, Craft and Design Education at the Houses of Parliament, London, on November 13th.

A full transcript of their presentation, including video clips of their animation, are provided below.

The team did incredibly well, holding the room with confidence, eloquence and creativity in abundance as they shared their experiences of the project, and spoke in support of arts education. They also answered a number of questions, holding the floor for 40 minutes. Well done team!

Introduction by Paula Briggs, Co-Director, AccessArt

“Hello, My Name is Paula from AccessArt, and I’m here with Sheila, my colleague, and the teenage #BeACreativeProducer team. I’m not going to talk for long before I pass you over to the team.

First of all a big thank you to the APPG for inviting us, we really appreciate the opportunity and we hope you enjoy our presentation.

I want to talk briefly about Creativity, and to look at the ways our project is enabling creativity in teenagers.

I don’t think a week goes by when Sheila and I don’t have a conversation about the nature of creativity, and the fragility of the creative process. The teenage years in particular, can be a time when a young person’s creativity feel’s especially vulnerable. I want this to be an upbeat presentation, as I’m sure it will be, and these teenagers definitely deserve that, but I do want to touch on 2 things that can undermine teenager’s creativity.

The first is the message we are giving to teenagers today, that there is a subject hierarchy, and that creativity is way down at the bottom. Let us all acknowledge, that by pushing creative subjects down in that subject hierarchy, we are in effect telling teenagers that their creativity does not matter. Not all teenagers, not all schools, many schools are managing to preserve their creative offering, but in general, this is the message teenagers are hearing.

The second thing which can undermine teenager’s creativity is social media, or to put it into a wider context, the ability of the phone to keep the teenagers’ attention.

Before I go any further I want to clarify, Sheila and I are great advocates of digital – we know that through embracing all things digital we have been able to impact upon visual arts education. BUT, we all acknowledge that social media has two sides: educational, inspiring, connecting, but it can also be distracting, and prevent a connection with the physical world. Even teenagers themselves acknowledge that whilst it can inspire them, it can also drain them.

The problem is that social media can prevent teenagers from paying attention to their creativity. It is the thing they go to when they are bored, when they have finished something, or even when they haven’t finished something, as a distraction.

So whilst on the face of it the #BeACreativeProducer project is an animation project, a project in which a group of creative teenagers come together to share their skills, to create animations which celebrate and advocate teenage creativity, the project is also about how we can address the things which put pressure on a teenagers creative potential.

Number One, we need to look teenagers in the eye and tell them we value their creativity. We need to SHOW them we value their creativity. We need to enable teenagers to look each other in the eye and support each other’s creativity, and we need to make certain that teenagers can therefore look themselves in the eye, maybe next time they take a selfie or look in the mirror, and tell themselves that their creativity is an important part of who they are.

Number Two, we need to help teenagers pay attention to their creativity. Creativity is a fragile beast, but it is also resilient. We can push it down personally (we have an idea which we dismiss), we can push it down socially (we can neglect to invest time and money) and ultimately we will push it down economically (if we have not invested in the creativity of a generation, how can we expect to reap economic rewards), BUT the creative urge will always be there, lying waiting, it is an intrinsic part of our humanity.

The good news is, if we can pay attention to even the smallest of creative urges or sparks, they will grow. We only need to tune in, and we will feed our creativity. It is the tuning in, or the showing up, that’s vital. So, whilst art lessons are filled with techniques and art history and contextual studies, I would also suggest we need to think more about how we can enable teenagers to understand what it is like being IN the creative process, with its ugliness and beauty, inspiration and frustration, moments of desperation and moments of eureka. It isn’t about the end result, though that is often great, it is about the create journey, and whilst we all go on our own journey, there are commonalities which we should be talking about more, so that we can reassure and demonstrate to teenagers that what they feel whilst they are being creative, is ok, and so enable them to continue on their journey.

We’d like to start with a quick video to introduce the team and the project. The fifth member, Immy, is at a ballet exam – we wish her good luck!”

Alex
The Project started in June. We noticed amongst our classmates that some people were pursuing their interests and hobbies, whilst others were dropping them as they weren’t seen as cool. Instead they were spending more time on their phone. The project started as a message to help teenager become aware of how much time they are spending consuming digital, and to remind them that they can be producers, as well as consumers.

Amelia
But the project quickly developed into much more than that, and the animations we are making now are about helping teenagers think about how important their creativity is, both to them and to the world, and how they can become more creative.

Alex
We’re definitely NOT saying that digital is a bad thing – the project wouldn’t exist without digital, but we are trying to remind teenagers to consume it mindfully, and to balance it with the physical world.

Lluis
We have been meeting most weeks since June, after school and at the weekend. We must have put in hundreds of hours of work. The project will finish in February 2019.

Rowan
So what are our sessions like? Varied, is probably the best way of describing them! We usually start off around the table (eating pancakes) whilst Paula brings is up to date on things that have happened during the week (like being invited to the houses of parliament). We look back at clips made the week before, think what we might need to do to change them.

Amelia
Then we usually split up into pairs to work on new animations. So, two of us might be animating letters on a whiteboard, whilst another two might be editing photos in photoshop or in iMovie. Or we might be making physical models for an animation, and filming each other or recording voice overs. Every now and then we get together to compose music collaboratively, or compose it individually at home.

All the clips are then sent back to Paula’s laptop for us then to edit together to make the scenes… Like Scene 2 which we would like to share with you now.

Rowan
We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved so far. As well as being invited here, to share the project with you, we have also led a workshop at the Arts Picture House Cambridge, and have been invited to write a blog post for their website, and screen part of the animation before a main feature in 2019. Cambridge Junction will host a launch party for the finished animation in 2019. If you’d like to come to the launch then pls let us know.

Lluis
Every session we do is documented and Paula then creates a post on the AccessArt website so that others can be inspired and have a go.

We have also run a successful crowdfunder appeal to pay for workshops for schools on the launch day, AND for prizes for an animation competition we have launched.

Alex
“The World Needs Your Creativity! Animation competition is for ages 11 to 15. We had the idea, to get other teenagers involved, by inviting them to create a 30 second animation. The winning entry will receive £100 worth of vouchers and also have their animation included in our main animation on the opening night. You can find out more about the competition on the AccessArt website.

Amelia
The final animation will be around 20 minutes long, split into 5 scenes which can be watched alone, like scene 2 you just watched. We will also have an animated quiz section to help teenagers think about their attitude to consuming and creating digital content.

Rowan
The end result will be shared via social media and the AccessArt and #BeACreativeProducer websites, and we hope that schools, arts organisations and community groups across the country will share it with teenagers to help inspire their creativity.

Alex
So, What Have we Learnt from the Project?
The Project has helped us build a variety of skills….

Amelia
It’s helped me build confidence in public speaking and helped me grow as a person. We are able to work as a team and empower each other in a relaxed and positive environment, which is an opportunity we don’t often get at school.

Alex
The project has given great encouragement to everyone’s creativity. For me in particular, it has helped feed my skill and interest in composing music, both for the project and for my own pleasure. I think my attitude to my own creativity has developed hugely throughout the project.

Rowan
I think that one of the most important things to me about the project is the way we are all able to contribute our ideas into what we do next, in a way we can’t at school. Every session we are given the opportunity to input our own thoughts and opinions, and then have the freedom to put our ideas into action.

Lluis
Working on the project has given me a reason and a focus for my woodworking. I’ve enjoyed sharing what I’ve made and seeing them valued in the project.

Amelia
We would also like to see if we can develop the #BeACreativeProducer website (if we have the energy!) into a place which encourages teenagers to make and share their own animations, either alone or as a team, about things which they care about.

Rowan
So how can you help? Pls share the project and the competition, and we hope we have inspired you to look teenagers in the eye whenever you can and tell them that the world needs (and values) their creativity!!!

If anyone has any questions, we would love to answer them.

Thank you.

 

 

Very many thanks to the Board of the APPG for Art, Design and Craft Education for inviting the team to present.

See This Resource Used In Schools…

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Assessment & Progression

See This Used In Schools

PLEASE NOTE

AccessArt has created a new Primary Art Curriculum which you can find here. 

Schools will continue to have access to our old Exemplar and Progression Plan (below) but we urge new schools to follow the new curriculum available here. 

AccessArt has created 3 plans to help Primary schools deliver a rich, exciting and relevant art education.

1) The EYFS Exemplar Curriculum Plan
2) The Primary Art Curriculum Plan
3) The AccessArt Progression Plan

The AccessArt EYFS & Primary Exemplar Plans

• What Are the Aims of the Exemplar Currciulum Plans?

  • To provide schools with a rounded art curriculum for ages 5 to 11 (Primary) and help in establishing an open approach to creativity for the under 5s (EYFS).

  • To provide NQTs, art coordinators and all primary teachers with the skills and resources to deliver an engaging, relevant curriculum.

  • To suggest visual arts educational activities which will promote open-ended, creative learning.

  • To provide ideas, inspiration and techniques to enable children to explore a wide variety of media in drawing, sketchbooks, sculpture, painting, printmaking, and design.

• Using & Developing the Plan in Your School

  The exemplar plan is a suggested way forward. If a school were to follow the plan (based upon tried and tested teaching), by the end of Year Six the pupils would have received an exceptional and rounded creative education. However we appreciate each school, class and pupil has individual needs, and that many teachers and schools will prefer to use this plan as a starting point to be adapted. We value this evolution: please do get in touch to share your successes!

  Find out how to scaffold the projects in the plan with sketchbooks and drawing, to ensure even richer journeys and outcomes.

• How it Works

  • Click on the Year buttons within the plan to see the exemplar plan for each year.

  • Each year is split into 6 projects, one for each half term. Click on the suggested resources within each plan and you will be taken to fully illustrated resources which describe the aims, techniques and and outcomes of that particular activity.

  • Within each year, we have tried to balance development of skills in the main artform areas and with a variety of media.

  • The plan for each year builds upon previous skills learnt. However, the plan and the suggested activities within each year are transferable and adaptable. For example, you are able to switch activities within a school year, or even between school years, to suit your broader curriculum and the needs of your pupils.

• Accessing the Resources

  • Whilst many of the resources are free to access, you will need to be a member to access the majority of our resources.

  • AccessArt is a UK charity (1105049) which aims to inspire and enable high quality visual arts teaching and learning. We receive no core or revenue funding, instead we rely on income from membership to continue to develop our activities. AccessArt has over 18000 members and is trusted by schools across the country to help develop their teaching and learning.

  • Membership (and access to all resources), starts at just £42 per year.

  Join AccessArt

• Further Information about the Curriculum

  Please see this page here for a detailed breakdown of AccessArt’s approach to the currciulum for KS1 and 2. 

• To provide schools with a rounded art curriculum for ages 5 to 11 (Primary) and help in establishing an open approach to creativity for the under 5s (EYFS).

• To provide NQTs, art coordinators and all primary teachers with the skills and resources to deliver an engaging, relevant curriculum.

• To suggest visual arts educational activities which will promote open-ended, creative learning.

• To provide ideas, inspiration and techniques to enable children to explore a wide variety of media in drawing, sketchbooks, sculpture, painting, printmaking, and design.

The exemplar plan is a suggested way forward. If a school were to follow the plan (based upon tried and tested teaching), by the end of Year Six the pupils would have received an exceptional and rounded creative education. However we appreciate each school, class and pupil has individual needs, and that many teachers and schools will prefer to use this plan as a starting point to be adapted. We value this evolution: please do get in touch to share your successes!

Find out how to scaffold the projects in the plan with sketchbooks and drawing, to ensure even richer journeys and outcomes.

• Click on the Year buttons within the plan to see the exemplar plan for each year.

• Each year is split into 6 projects, one for each half term. Click on the suggested resources within each plan and you will be taken to fully illustrated resources which describe the aims, techniques and and outcomes of that particular activity.

• Within each year, we have tried to balance development of skills in the main artform areas and with a variety of media.

• The plan for each year builds upon previous skills learnt. However, the plan and the suggested activities within each year are transferable and adaptable. For example, you are able to switch activities within a school year, or even between school years, to suit your broader curriculum and the needs of your pupils.

• Whilst many of the resources are free to access, you will need to be a member to access the majority of our resources.

• AccessArt is a UK charity (1105049) which aims to inspire and enable high quality visual arts teaching and learning. We receive no core or revenue funding, instead we rely on income from membership to continue to develop our activities. AccessArt has over 18000 members and is trusted by schools across the country to help develop their teaching and learning.

• Membership (and access to all resources), starts at just £42 per year.

Join AccessArt

Please see this page here for a detailed breakdown of AccessArt’s approach to the currciulum for KS1 and 2. 

Download The AccessArt EYFS Exemplar Plan

Download the Powerpoint Version

Download the PDF Version

Download The AccessArt Primary Exemplar Plan

Download the PDF Version

AccessArt Members Only:

Download an Editable Powerpoint Version of the AccessArt Progression Plan

Please note, AccessArt members can download the PPT version of our AccessArt Progression Plans so that you can edit the documents to suit your school’s needs. However please be aware that we regularly update our documents in response to changing requirements, and to developing resources on our site, so you will want to check in each year with the master version to check for relevant recommended changes.

The AccessArt Progression Plan

Please Note: There is a new version of the Progression Plan here. 

• What Are the Aims of the AccessArt Progression Plan

  The AccessArt Progression Plan attempts to balance a number of important elements in art education. Create opportunities for new experiences balanced with:

  • Time for repeated practice.
  • Structured learning, balanced with.
  • Space for personal exploration.
  • The accumulation of technical skills and contextual knowledge, balanced with growing self-awareness of what it is to be a creative being.

  Through all of the above, our aim is to enable individual pupils to make appropriate choices regarding materials and processes and to be empowered towards making a personal, creative response. 

  The plan is based upon a creative and holistic approach, which shows the inter-relations between various aspects of the visual arts, demonstrating how subject knowledge, skill and progression is built when all the elements work together.

  We acknowledge the importance of teaching specific skills, sensitively modelling some materials, and introducing a wide variety of materials, concepts and artists as soon as possible.

  We also advocate the importance of pupils being enabled to follow their own creative pathway, and the progression plan shows how this might best be encouraged to happen. When to let a child go, (and we would always argue that that should be as as soon as possible) and how to enable that exploration, is key to a successful art education.

  The progression plan attempts to balance two very important elements of a high quality visual arts education: 1) practice with 2) novelty. The plan demonstrates how opportunities can be created for repeated practice and consolidation of skills, alongside opportunities to introduce new materials and concepts to feed and excite the creative process.

  We are keenly aware that many of teachers in primary schools are not specialist art teachers, and in many cases they did not have a comprehensive art education themselves. The progression plan links to example AccessArt resources to help non-specialist teachers understand how best to facilitate art.

  Finally our progression plan was written from a slightly different perspective than many. It is less about measuring the progress of pupils, but instead it attempts to pinpoint the stages of opportunity which should be presented by teachers. If the appropriate opportunities are created, then pupils will progress.

• Assessment

  There are no national standards set in art for primary-aged children.

  AccessArt advocates for conversation-based assessment in art which takes place on an ongoing basis.  The conversations might take place as a class, as a group, or one to one and will feed into processes of reflection and evaluation. These are not activities which should just take place at the end of projects, but throughout the creative process. This makes assessment meaningful, and not a tick-list process which bears no use or relevance to the child.

  This kind of assessment requires that the teacher is actively involved in each learning journey of every child, which we understand is potentially time consuming. We believe this type of assessment underpins good teaching and leads to better outcomes, especially in such a sensitive area as nurturing a child’s creativity.

  Explore a resource of facilitating a gently and reflective class crit.

• Vocabulary

  We will be producing a full guide to progression in vocabulary in 2021, including a glossary, but in the meantime key words, ideas and phrases are highlighted in pink on the Progression Plan

• What is our Approach Based Upon

  AccessArt is the specialist provider of visual arts educational resources in the UK. We have over 20 years experience of facilitating the visual arts in schools.

  Our progression plan is based upon the expertise within the AccessArt team.

  The plan takes into account current National Curriculum guidelines, and bases its end of year descriptors on those supplied by the NSEAD curriculum.

  We would also like to thank Susan Coles, Paul Carney and Mandy Barrett for their generosity in sharing their ideas and approaches in relation to progression and assessment with the primary field.

  We would like to take the opportunity to thank all those working in the field, and acknowledge that the skills and experience of all those in the field build upon and benefit from an open and ongoing conversation.

• Disclaimer

  We believe the curriculum we present via our Exemplar Plans, and our working methods shared via our Progression Plan, provide schools with a way to access a rich art education for pupils, of which schools can be proud.

  The curriculum AccessArt shares is based upon our ethos which has developed over many years and which we believe has creative integrity. In the creation of the Progression Plan we have taken the opportunity to present schools with what we believe will be the best possible art education for their pupils, building and enhancing upon what already exists.

  Schools should note that the majority of our resources are created by artist-educators. Some but by no means all were created in formal education settings. It is up to teachers to assess on an individual or school community basis if the resources are right for your school, and how they might best be adapted to suit your needs.

  All resources cited in both the Exemplar Plans and the Progression Plan are examples only, and there are many more resources in the evolving AccessArt database which may suit your needs better.

  AccessArt presents our work to schools in good faith, but we cannot guarantee and are not responsible for the way the approach is received.

  Explore the new AccessArt Primary Art Curriculum.

The AccessArt Progression Plan attempts to balance a number of important elements in art education. Create opportunities for new experiences balanced with:

• Time for repeated practice.
• Structured learning, balanced with.
• Space for personal exploration.
• The accumulation of technical skills and contextual knowledge, balanced with growing self-awareness of what it is to be a creative being.

Through all of the above, our aim is to enable individual pupils to make appropriate choices regarding materials and processes and to be empowered towards making a personal, creative response. 

The plan is based upon a creative and holistic approach, which shows the inter-relations between various aspects of the visual arts, demonstrating how subject knowledge, skill and progression is built when all the elements work together.

We acknowledge the importance of teaching specific skills, sensitively modelling some materials, and introducing a wide variety of materials, concepts and artists as soon as possible.

We also advocate the importance of pupils being enabled to follow their own creative pathway, and the progression plan shows how this might best be encouraged to happen. When to let a child go, (and we would always argue that that should be as as soon as possible) and how to enable that exploration, is key to a successful art education.

The progression plan attempts to balance two very important elements of a high quality visual arts education: 1) practice with 2) novelty. The plan demonstrates how opportunities can be created for repeated practice and consolidation of skills, alongside opportunities to introduce new materials and concepts to feed and excite the creative process.

We are keenly aware that many of teachers in primary schools are not specialist art teachers, and in many cases they did not have a comprehensive art education themselves. The progression plan links to example AccessArt resources to help non-specialist teachers understand how best to facilitate art.

Finally our progression plan was written from a slightly different perspective than many. It is less about measuring the progress of pupils, but instead it attempts to pinpoint the stages of opportunity which should be presented by teachers. If the appropriate opportunities are created, then pupils will progress.

There are no national standards set in art for primary-aged children.

AccessArt advocates for conversation-based assessment in art which takes place on an ongoing basis.  The conversations might take place as a class, as a group, or one to one and will feed into processes of reflection and evaluation. These are not activities which should just take place at the end of projects, but throughout the creative process. This makes assessment meaningful, and not a tick-list process which bears no use or relevance to the child.

This kind of assessment requires that the teacher is actively involved in each learning journey of every child, which we understand is potentially time consuming. We believe this type of assessment underpins good teaching and leads to better outcomes, especially in such a sensitive area as nurturing a child’s creativity.

Explore a resource of facilitating a gently and reflective class crit.

We will be producing a full guide to progression in vocabulary in 2021, including a glossary, but in the meantime key words, ideas and phrases are highlighted in pink on the Progression Plan

AccessArt is the specialist provider of visual arts educational resources in the UK. We have over 20 years experience of facilitating the visual arts in schools.

Our progression plan is based upon the expertise within the AccessArt team.

The plan takes into account current National Curriculum guidelines, and bases its end of year descriptors on those supplied by the NSEAD curriculum.

We would also like to thank Susan Coles, Paul Carney and Mandy Barrett for their generosity in sharing their ideas and approaches in relation to progression and assessment with the primary field.

We would like to take the opportunity to thank all those working in the field, and acknowledge that the skills and experience of all those in the field build upon and benefit from an open and ongoing conversation.

We believe the curriculum we present via our Exemplar Plans, and our working methods shared via our Progression Plan, provide schools with a way to access a rich art education for pupils, of which schools can be proud.

The curriculum AccessArt shares is based upon our ethos which has developed over many years and which we believe has creative integrity. In the creation of the Progression Plan we have taken the opportunity to present schools with what we believe will be the best possible art education for their pupils, building and enhancing upon what already exists.

Schools should note that the majority of our resources are created by artist-educators. Some but by no means all were created in formal education settings. It is up to teachers to assess on an individual or school community basis if the resources are right for your school, and how they might best be adapted to suit your needs.

All resources cited in both the Exemplar Plans and the Progression Plan are examples only, and there are many more resources in the evolving AccessArt database which may suit your needs better.

AccessArt presents our work to schools in good faith, but we cannot guarantee and are not responsible for the way the approach is received.

Explore the new AccessArt Primary Art Curriculum.

download The AccessArt Progression Plan

Download the PDF Version

download The AccessArt Progression Plan for MAKING

Download the PDF Version

Access the Web Browser Version of the Exemplar Plan
Click on the Year Groups below

Year One

Ages 5 to 6

Year Two

Ages 6 to 7

Year Three

Ages 7 to 8

Year Four

Ages 8 to 9

Year Five

Ages 9 to 10

Year Six

Ages 10 to 11

Join AccessArt!

Join thousands of other schools and teachers who use AccessArt to deliver great art teaching

From just £42 per year, schools gain access to over 1500 unique resources to help develop your teaching, themed visual arts planning pages and discount on our distance learning courses. AccessArt was founded in 1999 and has grown through collaboration with a variety of schools, arts organisations, agencies, museums, galleries and individuals. The Exemplar Curriculum is free to access and share. To benefit from all the resources embedded in the plan, join AccessArt from only £3.50 per month.

The deadline for applications has now passed. 

To help us serve our growing membership, AccessArt is ready to welcome a new person to join our friendly team!

Role:

Membership & General Administrator:  to help us process memberships and build relationships with schools, and to process Zoom CPD admin.

Hours:

The role is offered on a permanent basis (after a 3 month probationary period) working 21 hours per week. Hours should be worked during office hours (9.00 – 5.00) and be spread over 4 days. You need to be based in the UK. The role is fully remote.

Salary:

£16 per hour (equivalent to £31,200.00 per year working full time).

Timeline

• Deadline for Receipt of Applications: Tuesday 26th March 2024 (Closed)

• 1st Round Interviews (via Zoom): 9th April

• 2nd Round Interviews (via Zoom): 19th April

• Role Begins: May 2024

Job Pack

Pls find full details of role and how to apply here. 

This role requires specific skills and experience. Please do only apply for this role if you feel you have the skills and experience we are looking for.

Pls note that as we expect a great deal of interest in the role we are not able to reply to personal questions via email – instead we encourage you to read the document above for all details.

Monday 4th March 2024

Job Pack

Pls find full details of role and how to apply here. 

This page is a page holder for the question numbers the teenagers are working on as part of the How To Be A Creative Producer project. Find out more about the project and how the animations are being created here.

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Question 9

Question 10

Question 12

Question 13

Question 15

Question 16

Scrapstores enrich visual arts learning by making it more accessible, sustainable, and creatively engaging.

If you run an after-school art club, visiting your local scrap store can help you access a wide range of high-quality art and craft materials for your members. The range of materials in scrapstores changes from day to day and could include card, paper, textiles, paint, corks, wool, cardboard tubes, netting, gauze and a thousand other things!

All scrapstores have different means of accessing their scrap materials. In some, you need to pay an individual membership fee, whilst in others, you simply pay for the scrap you take on the day. Below is a list of scrapstores nationwide, with contact details for each. If you are interested in listing your scrap store on the AccessArt website, then please contact us.

You can see inspiring resources on using scrapstore materials here: A Wealth of Materials