Year 5 Art & Design: Exploring Continuous Line and Mixed Media

In Year 5 Art & Design this term, pupils have been exploring continuous line drawing – a technique where the pencil stays on the page at all times. This challenged children to slow down, observe carefully, and embrace the idea that artwork does not need to be perfect to be successful.

A key focus of this unit was learning that mistakes are part of the creative process. By not lifting the pencil, pupils quickly realised they couldn’t erase or correct lines in the usual way. Instead, they learned to accept unexpected marks and allow them to become part of the final piece. This encouraged confidence, resilience, and a more expressive approach to drawing.

Once their continuous line drawings were complete, the children took their work further by tracing the poem Dreadful Menace over their images. This added a powerful layer of meaning and introduced them to the idea of combining text and image to tell a story.

Next, pupils created a new background for their work and transferred the poem onto it. They were encouraged to experiment freely, choosing from a range of materials such as paint, coloured paper, and mixed media. This allowed children to explore different textures, colours, and artistic effects, and to make personal choices about how their final piece would look.

Throughout the project, pupils demonstrated creativity, independence, and a willingness to experiment. The finished artworks are thoughtful, expressive, and unique – a wonderful reflection of the children’s growing confidence as artists.

We are very proud of their work and the positive attitudes they showed throughout this creative journey.