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Titchmarsh Primary School Library – the ‘BFG’ & Roald Dahl Storybook Murals
16-18.3.15
Since the beginning of December I have been painting the largest mural of my career at the Fulbridge Academy, which I have affectionately referred to as my ‘Sistine Chapel’ project. When Executive Head Josie Milton asked me last November if I would work with both Warmington and Titchmarsh Primary Schools “in March” to lead some drawing workshops and to produce a mural for the Titchmarsh School library, never in my wildest dreams did I think that the Fulbridge project wouldn’t be finished by the time that date came around.
Therefore, in order to fulfill my promise to Josie, I have taken a 3 week sabbatical from the ‘Sistine Chapel’ and I will return there later this week. I have changed place and scale from one extreme to the other, the contrast couldn’t be more different. At Fulbridge I’ve spent 10 weeks clambering up and down scaffolding working in a space that, despite its appearance, would be better described as a ‘break out area’ than corridor whereas the intimate surroundings of the library corridor at Titchmarsh is another world completely. It’s cosy. Very cosy.
I’ve always received a warm welcome at Titchmarsh and it’s felt good to be working there again. At the end of last week I spent a day filling walls in the library area with pencil scribbles and during the last 3 days have been applying paint.
One side of the library corridor now features a large BFG, a small Sophie by his side, surrounded by 9 compadres from Giant Country and all the characters were designed by children during the drawing workshops. The walls facing it, designed by myself, comprise of a variety of well known individuals from other Roald Dahl stories.
A library area which last week had some ordinary and plain coloured walls at its entrance, now has a very colourful, exciting and stimulating atmosphere. Hopefully the paintings will encourage the reading of some magical and imaginative stories too!
Titchmarsh Primary School Library – the ‘BFG’ & Roald Dahl Storybook Murals
13.3.15
I’ve altered my ‘song title = blog title’ habit this time and decided to include the group to whom the track belongs as well, the combination of the two couldn’t be more apt.
During my teenage years it was my good fortune to be surrounded by some terrific music and my soundtrack of choice tended to lean heavily toward the progressive rock idiom. Therefore, considering this entry is a reflection of two mural painting projects, the first based upon the book ‘The BFG’ by Roald Dahl and the second an interpretation of other stories by the same author, what better choice could I have than to remind the world of the lesser known but nevertheless wonderful Gentle Giant. Vivid memories of reading bedtime stories to my daughter Maria many years ago were obviously also dancing around in my head – and what great memories they are – so I had the perfect track title to use too.
Earlier this week I presented drawing workshops to children at both Warmington and Titchmarsh Primary Schools, details of which can be found by clicking the appropriate school, and a selection of the drawings produced were to form the basis of a mural for the Titchmarsh School library.
During the last couple of days I made a selection of the drawings I felt would work well within the context of a mural inspired by ‘The BFG’ book and developed a design using Adobe Photoshop to present to Executive Head Josie Milton. Following our discussion of the proposed design I made a few alterations and today began the process of transferring it to the wall.
The second painting, located on the opposite wall, was a late request as a mural project and so appeared as an improvised composition during the second part of the day. Josie asked if I would produce a companion piece to the main project which would reflect a selection of other familiar Roald Dahl stories, so I have chosen to include James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, George’s Marvellous Medicine, Fantastic Mr Fox, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Twits and The Witches.
‘The BFG’ Image making workshops at Titchmarsh Primary School
10.3.15
Yesterday Warmington, today Titchmarsh. The location may have changed but the activity was identical, and I presented the same introduction and drawing exercises. Not exactly a Groundhog Day, but I definitely recognised some similarities.
Therefore, rather make a similar entry here, I would suggest a perusal of yesterday’s ‘Funny Face’ blog for an outline of the activity which was presented to children again today.
Outcomes had a familiar ring too. The Yr 3&4 group and the Yr 1&2 group produced some very successful drawings, both with the introductory exercise of a disciplined and well proportioned portrait as well as with the more expressive and exaggerated representation requested for illustrations of the cast of characters from ‘The BFG’ book.
I now have the very difficult job of making a selection from the drawings produced during the last two days in order to design a composition for the painting of a mural in the Titchmarsh School library. With so many good drawings to choose from, I know that making a shortlist is not going to be an easy task at all.
I thought Gnarls Barkley was the perfect choice to add to my Blog Title Soundtracks page. The title is not only a perfect description of many of the portraits the children have produced today but also of the Titchmarsh Primary School welcome I’ve received too!
The Portraits:
The BFG cast:
‘The BFG’ Image making workshops at Warmington School
9.3.15
A different musical choice to add to my Blog Title Soundtracks page, but perhaps not a surprise to anyone who knows me either. I’ve always admired Fred Astaire, he was a class act.
The song title selection however couldn’t be more appropriate. It’s been another day of drawing workshops at Warmington School leading a group of year 3&4 children this morning, followed by a group from years 1&2 this afternoon, and once again some very successful pieces of work have been produced.
Both groups definitely had their listening ears on. I began each session with a short talk as an introduction to portrait painting and they appeared to enjoy the images presented to them of work by Leonardo Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Graham Sutherland and William Dobell before moving into the arena of caricature, discussing works by Honoré Daumier, Max Beerbohm, Gerald Scarfe, Marco Calcinaro, Sebastian Krüger and Patrick Strogulski. Feeling suitably inspired, we then settled down to some practical work.
The first exercise was to produce a portrait drawing, loosely based upon a measurement system devised by Da Vinci, to analyse the proportions of the human head. Using pencil on an A4 sheet of paper this was a very disciplined exercise which demanded a high level of concentration as drawings were constructed upon a carefully drawn grid.
However this was simply the appetiser for the main course as the next drawing was about to prove. As a complete contrast to the preliminary exercise, the emphasis now was to allow distortion of features to become a priority in order to produce an illustration of a character from a book by Roald Dahl.
First I read some passages from ‘The BFG’ which described the main cast members; Sophie – a young girl who is “kidsnatched” from her bedroom at the orphanage where she lives; The BFG himself – a kind, gentle giant who can be found every night blowing good dreams through the bedroom windows of sleeping children; and the nine scary giants in Giant Country who are about twice as tall and wide as the BFG, and a lot more horrible – The Bonecruncher, The Fleshlumpeater, The Bloodbottler, The Childchewer, The Meatdripper, The Gizzardgulper, The Maidmasher, The Manhugger and The Butcher Boy.
Chalk pastel was used for this exercise and my intention is now to select the most successful drawings and incorporate them into a mural which will be painted in the library at Titchmarsh School later in the week. As can be seen from the examples below, I have several very worthy contenders to choose from………..
Colin Slater - artist 