This week, our Year 2 artists at St. Bede’s Catholic Primary School have been joyfully exploring the expressive power of brushstrokes as part of their painting unit. Inspired by the vibrant illustrations in Where the Wild Things Are and other much‑loved picture books, the children have been discovering how colour, texture, and mark‑making help bring stories to life on the page.
To start their artistic journey, pupils experimented with sweeping curved strokes, using bold ‘C’ shapes in yellow, red, and blue directly in their sketchbooks. They also learned how to care for their brushes properly, rinsing and dabbing them between colours to keep each stroke crisp and clean.
The class then moved on to mark‑making — a part of the lesson they particularly loved. Children explored circles, dots, short strokes, and a whole range of playful marks, practising how to lift their brushes gently and avoid scrubbing so the bristles stay in good condition. They also took time to look at the different marks their friends had created, discussing similarities, differences, and what they noticed in each other’s work.
Our young artists are beginning to see just how much expression can come from a single brushstroke, and they are full of enthusiasm to continue experimenting with paint in the weeks ahead.