This week, Year 5 began an exciting new art unit linked to their geography topic of mountains. As part of their project, pupils will be creating a mixed-media mountainscape, exploring how different materials and techniques can represent texture, light and shadow. To start the unit, the children looked at the work of Ed Fairburn, an artist who uses detailed cross-hatching to create striking portraits. Inspired by his technique, the class practised in their sketchbooks using small thumbnail drawings to experiment with areas of light and dark. They discovered that lighter areas can be created with lines spaced further apart, while darker areas are achieved by placing lines closer together. This careful experimentation will help them develop the shading and texture needed for their final mountainscape pieces.