Term 1

Block 1: Drawing Foundations

Goal: To build core drawing skills through exploration of the formal elements of art using pencil, charcoal, ink, and mixed materials.

• Week 1: Line - Mark-making chart, sketching, left-handed/contour exercises; line composition. (Egon Schiele, Picasso)

• Week 2: Form - Shading practice, basic 3D forms, still life using form and value. (Cézanne)

• Week 3: Value - Tonal exercises and composition focused on light to dark. (Value-based artists)

• Week 4: Texture - Frottage exploration, texture drawings using found objects. (Textural artists)

• Week 5: Shape - Geometric vs organic; collage & abstract shape design. (Henri Matisse)

• Week 6: Line (Expressive) - Contour, cross-contour, gestural drawing, emotional line work. (All elements combined in a warm-up)

Block 2: Drawing Foundations

• Week 7: Space - Overlap, perspective, spatial composition (interior or landscape). (David Hockney, L.S. Lowry)

• Week 8: Colour - Coloured pencil technique, colour theory & expressive use. (To be confirmed based on learners)

• Week 9: Value (Charcoal) - Tonal range and shading; still life in charcoal. (Käthe Kollwitz, Paula Rego)

• Week 10: Texture (Pastels) - Surface experimentation; create textured composition. (Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec)

• Week 11: Line & Shape (Indian Ink) - Ink experimentation; abstract or representational drawing. (Marlene Dumas, Tracey Emin)

• Week 12: Form & Space (Coloured Ink) - Perspective drawing with fluid mark-making. (Bloomsbury Group)

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Term 2

Block 1: Painting & Mixed Media

Goal:To explore painting fundamentals with acrylic and mixed materials, emphasising colour theory, brushwork, and spatial composition.

• Week 1: Line - Brushstroke studies with varied lines; expressive mark-making. (Kenneth Martin, Giacometti)

• Week 2: Shape - Geometric vs organic, colour blocking and dual mini-compositions. (Mondrian, Cézanne)

• Week 3: Space - Overlap, perspective, and depth; abstract spatial composition. (Magritte, Sol dewitt, Bridget Riley)

• Week 4: Value - Mixing tints/shades; monochrome tonal still life or landscape. (Picasso, Whistler)

• Week 5: Colour - Colour theory, blending; complementary/analogues still life painting. (Matisse, Fauvist painters)

• Week 6: Texture - Impasto, dry brush, scratching; textured still life or abstract. (Manet, Albrecht Dürer)

Block 2: Painting & Mixed Media

• Week 7: Form - Volumetric illusion; cylinder, cone, cube studies in acrylic. (Caravaggio, Da Vinci)

• Week 8: Planning - Thumbnail sketches, colour/value studies, concept refinement.

• Week 9-12: Final Piece - Open subject acrylic painting & group critique and personal reflection.

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Term 3

Block 1: Watercolour & Independent Practice

Goal: To master watercolour techniques and apply them in a self0directed project culminating in a personal artwork for exhibition.

• Week 1: Wash Techniques - Flat/graded washes; abstract landscape or sky painting. (J.M.W Turner)

• Week 2: Brush Control & Line Work - Dry brush, edge control; floral/botanical study. (Marianne North, Beatrix Potter)

• Week 3: Colour Mixing & layering - Warm/cool blending, glazing; still life composition. (Lucy Clayton, Mary Cassatt)

• Week 4: Texture Creation - Salt, sponge, plastic wrap; abstract or nature-based painting. (David Lobenberg, Dame Laura Knight)

• Week 5: Light & Shadow - Value scale. cool shadows, glazing depth; basic object still life. (Gordon Beningfield, Beatrix Potter)

• Week 6: Personal Composition - Final themed painting using learned techniques; group critique.

Block 2: Watercolour & Independent Practice

• Weeks 7-12: Independent Project & Exhibition Preparation - 

Goal: To develop a self-directed artwork using any medium or technique learned, for public exhibition.

​- Personal research & artistic development 

- Media: Pencil, charcoal, ink, acrylic, or watercolour

- Documentation: Journal entries of progress, ideas, and reflections

- Outcome: A finished, exhibition-ready artwork showcasing personal voice and growth​