This is how I got my class of Year 4/5 children (8-10 year olds), to create abstract artworks inspired by Sonia Delaunay and Wassily Kandinsky.

1. Artworks inspired by
Wassily Kandinsky and Sonia Delaunay

2. Our task was to create a class artwork inspired by
Wassily Kandinsky...
We looked at the artwork called
‘Farbstudie Quadrate,’ by Wassily
Kandinsky.
The children were asked:
• What shapes can you see?
• How does this artwork make you
feel?
• What colours have been used?

3. •
•
•
Children sketched their designs on paper squares about 14 cm x 14 cm.
Water colour pencils were grouped into colours.
Children explored colour combinations and used the colour wheel for
ideas.

4. •
•
The children drew their final design onto canvas pressed paper.
They sketched their designs using a light water coloured pencil, like yellow.
Draft design on the left...
Finished design...

5. •
Fine paint brushes were used so children could create crisp lines
between colours.

6. •
I purchased a sheet of MDF and cut this to fit all the finished individual
artworks.
I used PVA glue to stick each artwork to the MDF. Any air bubbles were pushed
out with a plastic card. Heavy objects were used to weigh down each square, so
the corners didn’t stick out.

7. The finished artwork...

8. Creating artworks inspired
by Sonia Delaunay...

9. Looking at the artworks by Sonia Delaunay...
•
The children were shown an artwork by Sonia Delaunay called ‘Rythme.’
The children were asked:
• How does this artwork make you feel?
• What materials do you think the artist used to create this artwork?
• What colours have been used?
• Why do you think the artist used these colours?

10. The first task...
The children had to google ‘Sonia Delaunay’ and sketched two of her
artworks.
The second task...
Then they created four sketches inspired by Delauna’s artworks. They
had to think of what colours they were going to use.

11. Making the circles...
Since this artwork involved
circles we also looked at the
diameter and radius of circles.
Children used a compass to
draw circles with different
diameters.
To make things easier children
created different sized circles
on cardboard. These were used
as stencils. They also used
objects around the classroom.
Around the outside of the table are the
cardboard circles.

12. Creating their compositions...
•
Once each child had selected their
chosen composition, from their
sketches, it was time to create their
final artworks.
•
They traced around the cardboard
stencils or objects with a light
watercolour pencil.

14. An artwork ready to be brushed with water.