Wellingborough Preparatory School, Northamptonshire

Year 6 (10 and 11 year olds)

The children discovered that the French Impressionists were fascinated by Japanese art prints, an interest described at the time as 'Japonisme'. They learnt how travel and different cultures have a huge impact on artists and they were delighted to feel that they too were being influenced by what they were discovering about the past.

The students made drawings from cocktail umbrellas as they are very similar in pattern and style to Japanese umbrellas. These were arranged onto mirrors to challenge the pupils' observational skills. Their drawings were then scanned into the computer and the children learnt how to add tone, colour and texture using Photoshop.

Julia Hennessy (Head of Art)