In this week’s Spotlight on Art, we celebrate the creativity, curiosity and developing artistic skills of our Upper Prep pupils. Across different year groups, pupils have been exploring a range of artistic traditions, materials and techniques, developing their ability to experiment, collaborate and communicate ideas through art.
3° Básico – Notan Collage
During the Cultures Around the World Unit, 3° Básico pupils have been exploring the Japanese art concept of Notan, which focuses on the harmony and balance between light and dark areas. Through this process, pupils have developed their understanding of positive and negative space and explored how shapes can be cut, flipped and rearranged to create balanced compositions.
Using black and white paper, pupils have created strong contrasts while developing their cutting, arranging and composition skills. They have carefully organised their shapes to produce clear and visually balanced designs and have begun to explain how their artwork demonstrates the relationship between positive and negative space.
4° Básico – Plant Sculptures
As part of the American Nature and Landscapes Unit, 4° Básico pupils have been exploring American plant forms through 3D sculpture. Working collaboratively, they have planned and created plant sculptures using wire, newspaper, masking tape and papier-mâché techniques.
Pupils have developed their understanding of structure and construction by bending, twisting and joining wire to create stable armatures, while learning to use tools such as pliers safely. Throughout the making process, they have worked cooperatively, shared tasks and followed a sequence of steps to develop their sculptures.
They have built volume and strengthened the forms by layering paper towel and PVA glue, while solving problems as they have arisen. The sculptures are currently at the papier-mâché stage. In the next phase, pupils will mix acrylic colours and add details and textures to make their sculptures resemble real plants.
5° Básico – Bodies of Water: Printing
Inspired by the landscapes of Chile, 5° Básico pupils have explored bodies of water through a faux stained-glass printing technique. They observed rivers, lakes, glaciers and the sea, developed individual sketches and combined their ideas to create collaborative compositions.
Pupils experimented with permanent markers, sponge printing and spray paint, discovering how different materials and techniques can create different effects of light, texture and transparency. Each composition was then traced and painted onto glass, allowing pupils to develop their individual creativity while working collaboratively.
Displayed side by side, the artworks create a sense of continuous flow, connecting the Andes Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Beyond representing Chilean landscapes, the project encouraged pupils to reflect on water as an essential source of life and the importance of protecting this precious resource.
6° Básico – Drawing from Observation
Through the Drawing Unit, 6° Básico pupils have developed their skills in composition, tonal values, texture and perspective. They used viewfinders to select and compose complex arrangements of natural forms, inspired by the work of photographer Karl Blossfeldt, and explored charcoal techniques to create lines, shapes, textures and a wide range of tonal values. Pupils also learned to use an eraser as a drawing tool, creating highlights from a dark charcoal ground.
Building on these observational drawing skills, pupils explored how an object can be represented from different viewpoints through still-life and multi-perspective work. Inspired by the Cubist approaches of Juan Gris and Georges Braque, they recorded changes in perspective, layered multiple drawings and used colour to distinguish between viewpoints.
Through these activities, pupils developed their understanding of how three-dimensional objects can be represented as two-dimensional arrangements of shapes and lines, while experimenting with composition, depth and movement.
