🎨 Art: Titanic Illustration (UKS2) Summer 1
This half term in art, UKS2 will become illustrators and historians as we explore the story of the Titanic through drawing and sketching.
Using the work of famous Titanic artist Ken Marschall as inspiration, we will learn how artists use detail, tone and shading to bring historical events to life.
How can art help us understand history?
We will explore how illustrations can capture atmosphere, emotion and important moments from the past.
By the end of this unit, we will know that:
Key vocabulary:
illustration, tone, shading, perspective, proportion, realism, atmosphere, composition, foreground, background
We will learn to:
We will study the work of Ken Marschall, a famous artist known for his detailed Titanic paintings and illustrations.
His artwork helps people imagine what the Titanic looked like and understand the atmosphere of the disaster.
Can you accurately sketch the shape and structure of the Titanic?
Use tone and shading to create a dramatic ocean scene.
How many realistic details can you include in your artwork?
Compare your artwork with Ken Marschall’s illustrations.
What is similar? What is different?
Can artwork help us understand history even if it is not a photograph?
Artists do not just copy what they see —
they use observation, creativity and technique to tell stories and bring history to life.
This term in art, we are learning about Tudor Portraiture.
We will be exploring how artists used portraits to show power, status and identity during the Tudor period. Our work is inspired by the famous Tudor artist Hans Holbein the Younger.
By the end of this unit, you will know that:
a portrait is a picture of a person
portraits can show power, importance and personality
Tudor portraits were carefully planned, not casual pictures
artists used clothing, objects and symbols to show status
Hans Holbein the Younger was an important artist at the Tudor court
artists use proportion, detail and symmetry to make portraits look realistic
You will learn and use art vocabulary such as:
portrait, proportion, symmetry, shading, tone, detail, symbolism, status
In art lessons, we learn to observe carefully and make choices.
This means we will:
look closely at faces, clothing and posture
notice how artists show realism and importance
practise techniques in our sketchbooks
experiment with shading and tone
talk about artwork using art vocabulary
explain what works well and what could be improved
Artists observe, practise and refine their work.
As you explore Tudor portraits, think about:
What can a portrait tell us about a person?
Why might an artist choose to show someone in expensive clothing?
How does posture or facial expression affect how we see a person?
Are portraits always realistic, or are they sometimes exaggerated?
🖼️ Portrait Detective
Look closely at a Tudor portrait.
List three things that show the person was important.
👀 Observation Challenge
Look at your own face in a mirror.
Which features are symmetrical? Which are not?
🎭 Symbol Challenge
If you were painted in Tudor times, what object would you include to show who you are or what matters to you?
How can art be used to show power and identity?
Artists do not just draw what they see —
they make choices to send a message.