Year 3 Explore the Magic of Charcoal

Date: 3rd Sep 2026 @ 9:12am

This week, Year 3 enjoyed an exciting art lesson all about charcoal. We explored how this versatile drawing material can be used to create different effects, textures and tones, helping artists bring their ideas to life.

To inspire our work, we looked closely at the artwork of Laura McKendry and Edgar Degas. We discovered that Laura McKendry often creates beautiful charcoal drawings inspired by the natural world. Her detailed sketches of plants, animals and landscapes showed us how charcoal can be used to capture the beauty and texture of nature.

We also learned about the famous French artist Edgar Degas, who was fascinated by movement. Degas frequently drew ballet dancers and used a variety of charcoal techniques to create a sense of grace, motion and energy in his artwork. We were amazed at how a simple black drawing could appear so full of life.

The children showed great enthusiasm and creativity throughout the lesson. They carefully observed their subjects, thought about texture and movement, and used their new skills to create some wonderful pieces of artwork. It was fantastic to see their confidence grow as they discovered the many possibilities that charcoal offers.