Year 4 Art & Design: Storytelling Through Drawing

This week in Year 4 art, pupils began an exciting new creative journey inspired by the AccessArt ‘Storytelling Through Drawing’ project. The focus of this unit is on how artists use drawing to tell stories, share ideas, and communicate meaning without words.

Pupils explored the work of illustrators Shaun Tan and Laura Carlin, carefully looking at how their drawings create mood, suggest narratives, and invite the viewer to ask questions. The children discussed what they noticed in the artists’ use of line, detail, space, and expression, and shared their own interpretations of the stories they felt the images were telling.

Through sketchbook work and discussion, pupils began to understand that drawings do not always need to show everything clearly—sometimes mystery and imagination are just as important. They reflected on how images can guide a viewer’s thoughts and feelings.

In the next lesson, pupils will build on this learning by creating their own artwork to tell a story, drawing on the techniques and ideas they have explored. We are looking forward to seeing their creativity and storytelling skills come to life on the page!