Sketchbook Inspiration | Kaytie Holdstock Art

Sketchbooks are such an important part of children's artistic development. A sketchbook should be a safe space for children to experiment, collect ideas and take risks. Think of each page as a personal journey that collates all of the creative thinking that underpins new ideas and innovations. A sketch book doesn't need to be neat, it doesn't have to make sense, and it doesn't need to conform to the usual rules that apply to other school books. Put your marking pens away and instead, give your children permission to enjoy their creativity in an individual and authentic way.

Sketchbook Prompts

Click here for all of the printable sketchbook prompts below!

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Sketchbook Ideas
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Click here for printable sketchbook prompts

Bubbles

Bubbles make a great source of classroom art inspiration as they are both cheap and fun! Encourage children to capture the essence of the colours and movement in different ways and using different media.

Mixing Skin Colour

Mixing different skin colours is a fascinating activity for advanced colour mixing. With washable paint, children can paint directly onto the backs of their hands to try to find an appropriate shade. Using masking tape to divide up the sketchbook page is a lovely way of creating small sections to fill with colour, however, letting children just go for it can have equally exciting results!

Learning Drawings

At the end of a unit of work, a half term or a topic, ask children to summarise what they have learned artistically. This is a great way to consolidate learning but also gives children the opportunity to represent their understanding in different ways. You may find that by using art as an inclusive tool for assessment, you discover things about the children's learning that you might not expect!