Education

The Henry Moore Foundation ran life drawing workshops for children aged 8-11yrs, for young people aged 11-15yrs and for families. During each workshop we considered Henry Moore and the many hundreds of life drawings he created early in his career and how this comprehensive knowledge may have later given him the confidence to bend the rules, simplifying the human form and making his own distinctive style.

Upon arrival everyone was given a short exercise to get them thinking about volume, size and texture. A covered ‘feely box’ was placed on each table for the children to put their hands in, and try and draw the hidden objects without actually seeing them. Participants were then guided through a series of lively activities gradually giving them the confidence to draw a model on a large scale with graphite, charcoal and chalks.

At the end of the workshops each child was given a portfolio for their sketches and encouraged to continue with their explorations at home.