Primary School Workshops
Are you looking for an inspirational experience to kick-start a new topic? Do you struggle to find the time or expert skills to deliver art amongst an already packed curriculum? We can help with all of these and more!
Visiting working art studios, meeting real artists at work, experiencing exhibitions and creating original artwork in response, can be incredibly inspiring for pupils and teachers alike. It offers a glimpse into a world of creativity, characters and careers and that pupils may never have known existed.
We appreciate that it can be costly, time consuming and stressful to bring pupils out on visits, but we’re here to help you get the most from your visit and make sure it’s remembered for all the right reasons.
Sessions can take place in your school or at our premises, a grade II listed textile mill, in Halifax.
Workshop Topics
Artworks delivers workshops on a broad range of topics. You can find out more below.
Tailor-Made Workshops and Visits
Tailor-Made Workshops
We pride ourselves on tailoring all our sessions to the individual needs of each school, but sometimes you might need a bit of extra help to develop a special programme or tackle a specific topic.
Get in touch with your theme or ideas and we will develop tailor-made workshops.
Think Like an Artist
Uniquely tailored to fit in with your current art focus, this workshop enables students to take an in-depth exploration of a famous artist and their style of work.
The workshop can focus on a range of artists, including Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Henry Moore or David Hockney and many more!
Drawing
Experimental Drawing
This workshop includes a range of fast-paced activities that take the fear out of drawing. Students are encouraged to loosen up, experiment, have fun and develop new vocabulary and techniques.
They will produce a combination of large-scale, collaborative drawings and individual works, which can be displayed or used for further development.
Observational Drawing
Students will develop looking and drawing skills, using a range of materials and techniques, to explore perspective, line, tone, scale and form. Students will gain confidence in their drawing skills and develop their technical knowledge.
This workshop can be tailored to fit in with your current school topics, whether that is drawing portraits or looking at nature.
Pastel nagomi Art
Students are introduced to easy and fun pastel Nagomi art techniques in this workshop designed to support students to engage with and support their wellbeing. Originating in Japan, pastel Nagomi art allows students to create visually effective works through simple techniques, with a focus on creating pastel drawings of natural forms.
Printmaking
Printmaking
Students will learn how to use create a variety of small or large-scale prints, using paper or fabric. We can link the printmaking to a wide range of topics, including textiles, Maths or English. We can explore a range of techniques including mono-printing, safe-print and collographs.
Painting
Abstract Landscapes
This mindful workshop is designed to combine acrylic painting techniques with a lesson in letting-go of trying to create a 'perfect' picture.
Students will be guided through different techniques of applying acrylic paint with various tools, and in the process create a large, abstract landscape. The workshop teaches students about focusing on how the material behaves rather than the end result.
Exploring Colour
This workshop helps students to learn about primary and secondary colours through fun experiments with paint, pens, pastels or collage. Students will discover ‘warm’ and ‘cool’ colours, how artists use colour to symbolise emotions and the significance that different colours hold around the world.
This introduction to colour theory can also be combined with other workshops.
Mindful Art and Movement
Action Painting and Mono-Printing
Using action painting methods, students create exciting and unpredictable creations. We then make mono prints from these initial artworks, with further action painting on top of these to create layered, abstract artworks.
Mindful Art and movement
Work with a fully qualified and insured yoga teacher/artist on a range of activities that promote well-being through meditation, movement and mindful art making.
Tell Your Own Story
This workshop combines a strong emphasis on wellbeing and mental health with developing comic strip drawing skills. Students are supported in adapting events from their own life into a comic strip or graphic novel form.
Sculpture and Crafts
Exploring Clay and Plaster Sculpture
Our artist educators can work with your students to create a variety of forms, and this can be tailored to fit in with your current school topics.
Students will use tools to make 3D sculptures, will be encouraged to think about form and positive/negative space and will gain confidence in translating their ideas into a 3D format.
Build Big
Truly taking students outside of a normal art lesson, this workshop develops students’ confidence as artist-inventors and collaborators through the creation of big, crazy, wonky, painted sculptures.
Using easily-acquired materials such as cardboard and paper, students work with the artist educator to build a sculpture as big as possible and then paint it using a variety of action painting methods.
Crafts
Paper Cutting and Origami
A fun workshop for children to experiment with paper cutting and simple origami. Our artist educator will demonstrate the traditional techniques and support students in creatively exploring different objects, forms and designs that they can make with paper.
Textiles
Sakori Weaving
Students will learn about Sakori, a style of weaving that originated in Japan, through making placemats from recycled scraps of fabric.
The workshop will encourage your students to think about recycling and re-purposing, as well as the history of the Sakori process.
Felt making
Students will take inspiration from artworks in the gallery to create their own colourful fused fabrics, using natural and dyed merino wool, rolling mats and soap.
All works can be taken back to school and used to create fantastic displays.
Photography
Experimenting with Cyanotypes
This session will explore one of the earliest photographic techniques of cyanotype, using found items alongside drawing to create blue and white prints. This is a camera-less technique that uses water as a developer and UV rays to expose the paper. Students will learn different ways of using this process, with a focus on noticing what's around us and how we can use found objects in new ways.
Cross-Curricular
The Romans
Designed to complement your History, DT and Literacy topics, this session can be tailored to suit your class’ knowledge of the Romans through discussion, writing, story-telling and art activities.
Possible activities include creating paper mosaics, making shields and thinking about gods and goddesses.
Zine Making
Students will learn about the history of Zine making and their use as a tool for collaboration, expression, and DIY making culture.
Students will use collage and illustration to explore different themes, which can be tailored to fit in with your current topics at school, whether linking to History or Literacy.
Interactive Storytelling
This session includes stories, writing and practical art activities with lots of opportunities for speaking, listening and questioning.
We can tailor your session to link with your current school topics. Options may include The Romans, Gods and Goddesses, Folklore, Indian Festivals or Myths and Legends.
Cost
Please note that costs may vary according to class numbers and the amount of materials needed.
1 hour session:
From £125 at Artworks
From £145 in school
From £125 via Zoom
2 hour session:
From £225 at Artworks
From £245 in school
From £225 via Zoom
3 hour session:
From £325 at Artworks
From £345 in school
From £325 via Zoom
Full day session:
From £425 at Artworks
From £445 in school
Any Questions?
If you have any questions or would like to start the conversation about booking some workshops, please email hello@theartworks.org.uk or fill in the enquiry form below. All visits must be booked in advance.