Some of the kids were asked to attempt a conventional watercolour landscape. Generally, this group had done he hot air balloon some years back and were in need of a greater challenge where they could advance their skills with the medium. Producing a conventional piece of artwork like this gives a great boost in a feeling of accomplishment.

Happy New Year to all our artists and their families! Here is our SCHEDULE for TERM II (JANUARY-MARCH 2018). Make sure you are looking at the right class- Tuesdays for Stratford NS and Wednesdays for the “home” class. Limited places are available for new students. Stratford National School: Tuesdays 9 January – 20 March, excluding midterm 20 February Fee €80 HOME CLASSES Wednesdays 10 January - 21 March, excluding 14 February midterm Fee €100 Owls in a snowy night by Charlotte, age 5

Kids will usually try to draw animals from the side. It seems “easier” and the side view is somehow seen as the defining default mode (while face-forward serves as the default mode for humans). Here the students were asked to draw an animal facing forward. Even working from photographs (and animal portraitists often work from photographs because you can’t count on your model to do a proper sitting) it’s tricky to see the shapes and edges that aren’t where you expect them to be. Artsmart classes aren’t afraid to give the kids challenges. The kids come away discovering they could do things that they hadn’t known they could. Looking at these drawings, wouldn’t you agree?

Hot air balloons give us an opportunity to use basic shapes, and with this simple image, practice watercolour skies. For the younger and less-experienced children it was a chance to note that skies are not a blue stripe on the top of the page and clouds are not evenly- distributed little ovals with neat scalloped edges. For those who are already used to these revolutionary ideas, the emphasis was on creating shape with line, in the different segments of the balloon- surprisingly tricky for many of them. It’s good fun to create clouds by wiping out the paint with a tissue or cotton ball, but you have to work fast!

This beautiful atmospheric image combines practice with watercolours, the brushwork needed for the trees and the great fun of splattering the stars all over the sky. The trees give a framing effect and the feeling of distance. Of course, the kids were free to personalize or add to the picture. Oscar added a furry monster to the sky, and Muireann a bunny flying through the sky in imitation of Mary Poppins. As you would,

We experimented with a new medium in our classes- embossing foil! This fits in with one of our Artsmart aims: Our students should never be afraid to try something new. In fact, they found it exciting to work with a piece of metal and produce an image. Our senior school students recognized the techniques of using lines and patterns to create interest from their work with lino.

A ROARING SUCCESS We are channeling Mona Brooke’s (see below) Leo the Lion project here, very useful for the older primary school children in the beginning of the year. Here the brief was to draw Leo, a somewhat simplified and decorative lion, to practice using the “elements of shape.” Then the kids were to design their own lion picture using any style or background they chose. Photographic references and good quality markers were provided. It’s great to see the very different interpretations.

Some of you might recognize this project, drawn from Mona Brookes' Drawing with Children. I find her system of teaching children to draw using “elements of shapes” to build up an image and her starting-off exercises an excellent way to begin the year. Gradually the kids learn to identify the shapes and edges they are really seeing for themselves. In meanwhile, this project is for the younger ones , who are always very happy with their little birds.

BE VERY AFRAID! These pastel skull portraits make a great foundation for understanding and drawing faces. I suspect that's not why the kids love to do them!

ARTSMART STRATFORD AUTUMN/WINTER 2017 Infants Class Tuesdays 2-3pm 12, 19 Sept. 3, 10, 26 Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28 Nov. 5, 12, 19 Dec. (pomegranate still life by Reut,5)

Artsmart Autumn/Winter 2017 Term 13, 27 Sept., 18, 25 Oct. 8, 15, 22, 29 Nov. 6, 13, 20 Dec. (autumn tree pastel by Georgia)

This is the group polymer clay project displayed for a number of weeks (and very much enjoyed!) by the front door of Stratford National School. Every year the home and school classes suggest topics and then vote on their themes. This gives them a greater feeling of ownership. This year both groups chose to work on a magical forest. But if you compare these pictures with those of the other class below (THE PERILOUS WOODS) you will see that the two groups took very different paths. The school group concentrated on fairies and adorable seated unicorns, while the home group headed for monsters, a dragon and other dark imaginings. We used black paint over wax resist for the background here, and then reinforced the black with India ink to give a lovely eerie atmosphere. The haunting background and the beautiful marbled fairy towers give this diorama a decidedly distinctive look.