.png)
Online Art Classes for Pupils
- Your school can learn how to draw and paint with Sinéad, a fully qualified Art and Design Teacher with over 23 years of teaching experience.
- Tutorials are recordings from Sinéad's live lessons, inside her Art School. Teachers will have the ability to stop, pause or rewind anytime they need to throughout the lesson.
- After undertaking her lessons, Sinead will help your staff and pupils feel lighter and brighter by injecting positivity and colourful creativity into your classrooms.
- Content included will keep pupils happy and healthy in mind by providing engaging, entertaining and educational lessons.
- Pupils' and teachers' confidence will grow by seeing what they can produce and achieve in just one lesson.
- Sinéad has devised her unique online teaching style, enabling all ages and abilities to achieve outstanding results.
ABOUT ART & DESIGN
Sinéad Mc Dermott is a fully qualified Art and Design teacher with over 23 years of teaching experience and is the proud owner of The Art And Design Factory. Sinead is a practising artist and educator, who is passionate to share her love of Art and Design with all ages and abilities, through her teaching.
Sinéad qualified with a BA in Fashion and Textiles in 1996, followed by an MA in Applied Arts in 1998 and then gained a PGCE in Art and Design Education in 1999. With over 23 years of teaching experience, Sinéad embeds the National Curriculum into all lessons and workshops. She encourages children with a nurturing and caring teaching style that makes them feel at ease, helps them to relax and produce their best work.
Throughout her career in Art and Design, Sinéad has exhibited in numerous art exhibitions ranging from The RDS Dublin, The Barbican, Mall Galleries, New Designers in London, The Royal Ulster Academy to The Naughton Gallery at Queen's University, Belfast. Having undertaken numerous private and public commissions, her work can be viewed in the lecture theatre of the Royal Maternity Hospital.
- Sinead has worked with the BBC as a featured artist on the Wonder Gallery and interviewed on Radio Ulster.
- Sinead was awarded 'Arts Personality of the Year' by the Ulster Tatler in September 2022.
- She was also awarded the Prestige Award in 2020-21 for making a positive difference to so many children's lives during lockdown through her online art lessons.
- Sinéad has been a past President of the Association of Art and Design Education (AADE) and is currently on the working committee of this consortium.
- Sinéad is passionate about art education and has moderated for CCEA and has been part of the team that drafted the new Art and Design A-Level specification.
- In 2018 Sinéad started her own business, ‘The Art and Design Factory’.
.jpg)
OUR MISSION
As Belfast’s leading art school, The Art and Design Factory’s mission is that art and design should be accessible to all, regardless of age or ability. We want all our participants to gain confidence alongside self-belief. As their skills improve pupils will gain a sense of achievement and pride.
By expressing themselves in a nurturing and encouraging environment, all can unwind and enter the “art zone” where the individual becomes lost in their own little world. This trance-like state is similar to mindful meditation boosting mental health and providing the individual with a deeper sense of wellbeing.
PROGRAMME & PLAN
Art and Design Lessons for Mental Health Awareness Programme
We are registered with the EA Procurement system which therefore makes it is easier for you to raise the order.
An invoice can be forwarded to you or alternatively you can submit the following details to the EA:-
SUPPLIER
THE ART AND DESIGN FACTORY LTD (SINEAD MC DERMOTT ( T/A)
27D ANNADALE AVENUE
GREENLANE
BELFAST
BT7 3JJ
Alternatively you can pay by credit card below, press the Purcahse Now button.
Yearly access with 24/7 viewing.
Easy-to-follow step-by-step lessons help pupils learn new creative skills, grow in confidence and relax during the creative process.
40 Art lessons, one lesson for each week of the school year and a few extra added, to help you out when a lesson is required due to unforeseen circumstances.
Pupil's artworks will create stunning, eye-catching displays on the school corridors, brightening up dull walls whilst boosting their confidence.
It helps teachers be creative in their classrooms to deliver practical Art and Design wellbeing programmes that will benefit their pupils and themselves.
Saves teachers' time with planning and researching art projects.
Topics are on the National Curriculum for Primary Schools, which will ignite pupils' creativity and imaginations.
Each lesson introduction refers to a specific artist, designer, art period, or theme connected to the lesson.
Numeracy and literacy links are identified in the lessons.
Each lesson includes a supply list of materials for preparation before the class and a line drawing template for those pupils who like to see the whole picture at the start of the lesson, or this can be used as a traceable template.
Gain access to our Schools' Kids' Art Club, a private Facebook group, just for schools to share all their creations and participate in an artistic community.
Monthly, live zoom call with Sinead wherein she announces the Month's Artist. Certificates will be presented to successful
What other schools have shared about our lessons.
What they've said about us. We would love to hear your feedback!
Rhona Donnelly, Principal
Sinead is a rare combination of gifted artist and teacher, as well as coach and nurturer. Sinead’s art lessons are engaging, fun and full of learning. The format of instruction helps the children learn to see space differently, it helps them learn great layout techniques, and all the basic fundamentals on how to make beautiful art. The style of the Sinead’s teaching to the classroom makes it possible for everyone to go at their own pace. Sinead’s warm, calming voice creates a beautiful blend to the fun art lessons that have the children settled into from the minute it starts until the minute it ends. The level of artwork created excels all expectations. From our children taking part in Sinead’s art lesson I now know that art is a rewarding and a creative escape so a wonderful antidote to stress. Something we need now more than ever for our children. Sinead really knows her art and is eager to teach it. I applaud her patience as well as her program. Thank you Sinead
Joanne Mooney, V.P
I am the teacher of a class of P6/7 children who are currently in the middle of a course of lessons in Art given by Sinead Mc Dermott from the Art & Design Factory and I wanted to provide the following feedback on the course so far. The format of the course is a series of four one-hour lessons given over Zoom and covers a range of artistic styles and mediums. The children have already investigated and attempted Abstract and Landscape styles using water colours and oil pastels. The children have very much looked forward to the lesson each week and are looking forward to next one with eagerness. Although the class have a wide variety of artistic abilities, the lessons Sinead provided have enabled every child to experience a sense of personal achievement and pride in their creations. On the evidence that I have seen and the feedback from the children, I would thoroughly recommend Sinead and The art and design factory to anyone who is interested in helping to stimulate each child’s imagination, expand their observation skills, boost their self esteem and give their children a sense of accomplishment. Some quotes from my class are- “I loved using the pastels and at the end I did much better than I expected!” Jessica “I really enjoyed painting landscapes, I found it so relaxing.” Caragh “My artwork has really improved and I’m very proud of what I have painted.” Dylan
Ciara Crawley, Primary Teacher
Sinead's online art lessons opened up a whole new way of learning for our pupils. It allowed them to join in shared lessons with partner schools around the globe for cross curricular projects. Prior to each session Sinead met virtually with the teachers involved to discuss and plan the content of the lessons and ensured it matched the aims and objectives of our project. Sinead’s encouragement during each session enthused both staff and pupils alike. Helping to develop their artistic and creative skills in a calm and relaxed manner. Teachers reported that they felt more confident in teaching art after the sessions and even the shyest of pupils were keen to share their final piece with others online. Opening the doors of our school and community, to the world in real-time through art has been rewarding and empowering to pupils and staff alike. Ciara
Kelly Rice, Primary Teacher
I highly recommend booking Sinead from the Art and Design Factory. She facilitated 4 classes for 2 schools through the Shared Education programme. Everything was very well organised and the children thoroughly enjoyed the sessions. The outcome of the children’s art was off such a very high standard, we couldn’t believe it. We were so impressed by each child’s individual piece that we bought them a frame each to proudly display their work at home. We will definitely be booking again so Sinead can further develop our pupil’s love of art! Thank you.
Cora Mc Dermott
The staff & pupils are really enjoying getting to take part in your beautiful lessons. The portal provides a huge range of projects for all our pupils. All children in KS1 & KS2 have the opportunity to engage in the lessons. Our school has also an ASD & Learning Support class so Art Time Let's Shine provides an inclusive program suitable for all abilities & our special needs teachers have availed of this as well for their pupils. Our staff have commented how user friendly the program is and can navigate their way through the portal easily selecting their preferred lesson. The fact that they can pause & resume the lesson is invaluable especially in the busy primary class environment! Your experience & talent both as an artist & a teacher gives our teachers the reassurance that the children are meeting the curriculum learning experiences & a lot of these are cross curricular through WAU & Numeracy in particular. The provision of a template is also appreciated as differentiation is subtly provided for children in the class or for a younger year group to build confidence & gives the sense of "I can do this!" A blank page can often be intimidating for any of us! This is our first term in using your program & already our classrooms & corridors are beginning to look much more vibrant & colourful with the displays of children's work. Our children have said things like, "I really liked it, our topic is about the rainforest & it was really fun to do." & "We learnt too that we shouldn't cut down the rainforest trees."(Toucan lesson) Thank you for sharing your talent & expertise with us. It has given us all a boost.
Ann Marie Kealy
As Principal of a Primary School ‘ Art and Design ‘was one of our targets to develop on our School Development Plan. We had no scheme in place and Art was not structured or timetabled throughout the school. I signed up to Sinead’s free online Art lesson during ‘Children’s Mental Health Week and our whole school community got actively involved and absolutely loved it. Sinead has such a warm and endearing persona and immediately made such a strong connection with all the children. The Art and Design portal created by Sinead is so well structured and easily accessible, and suitable for children from Foundation stage to Key Stage Two. It’s absolutely magical and Sinead takes the children through each art lesson at their own pace with lots of encouragement and an explicit step by step approach to every detail of each little masterpiece. Sinead is a wonderful communicator and instantly gets all the children involved , giving them lots of kind and supportive communication throughout each lesson. Not only is Sinead an outstanding teacher, she is also passionate about nurturing and developing children’s mindset with positive thoughts and affirmations together with raising their self esteem and belief in themselves. The portal has a wealth of lessons covering World Around Us topics together with a variety of different themes children explore through out the curriculum. I highly recommend the Art and Design portal not only as an effective and highly structured scheme but also as a valuable resource to develop children’s creativity and help them to grow in confidence!! Thank you for sharing all your beautiful artwork with us Sinead, we really enjoy taking part in your lessons now every week . There is such a calming and relaxing atmosphere in our classrooms when Sinead is online teaching us, every child is fully engaged and we are all just so proud of their beautiful artwork!
FAQs
What materials are required for these art lessons?
For the majority of the art lessons, the following materials will be required" •pencil •paint brushes •paints •oil pastels/ crayons •A4 paper •water jar •tissues • watercolour paints Occasionally they will need •chalk pastels •sugar paper However, if you don’t have these oil pastels/ paint could be used instead to add colour.
What’s the difference between oil pastels and chalk pastels?
The first difference is that oil pastels won't crumble, smudge, or release dust like soft chalk pastels do. Yet they still contain just as much, if not more, pigment and produce bright, intense colors. They're also more stable than soft pastels and don't require a fixative. Traditional chalk pastels are soft pastels, they are dry and chalky; oil pastels are a much newer medium and act similar to oil paints, they are oily. Crayons can be used instead but oil pastels are more intense and vibrant in colour. Please note that oil pastels can be used on normal white paper but not chalk pastels. Chalk pastels require a special paper called sugar paper or pastel paper which is cheap to buy on eBay. Chalk pastels also can be fixed on the page by spraying hair spray a few inches away from the page so that the chalk doesn’t fall off. Hair spray is a cheaper option that the expensive fixatives that you will find in art shops.
What type of paint is best for kids to use?
I would recommend water based paints for children such as water colour paints or palette paints. These allow for the paint to be moved freely and can be easily removed with a tissue. I would recommend children do not use acrylic paint until they are at least 13 years of age. Acrylic paint is plastic-based so tends to be sticky and difficult to move around once it’s on the page and therefore doesn’t give many freeways for movement. It’s also difficult to remove from clothing so if it accidentally gets on fabric it won’t come off, unless placed in the washing immediately. As a mum of two kids I want there to be no added ‘mess or stress’ for parents to have to clean up. Watercolour paints are more forgiving too as they blend together easily with water and can be removed from clothing. Watercolour paints will enable your child to try out different art techniques such as building up of washes of colour, dry brush, and many others that l include throughout my teachings. I would recommend a box of palette watercolours which can be bought in art shops or online for around £3.99
What’s the best paper and size to use?
I recommend that children start with an A4 page as anything bigger is quite daunting for them to fill. For all of the lessons on the membership site, I have used A4 paper. It’s important that each child has an A4 page to work on whilst undertaking my lessons as they will be following my instructions and it therefore makes it easier for them to follow and create using the same scale and proportions as me. The weight of the paper will make a difference to the finished artwork your child creates. If for example, you give your child a page that you would use in your printer then when they begin to paint it will become easily torn and little balls will appear on the surface. This causes disappointment and frustration so I would definitely recommend that you purchase good paper for your child to work on. Up to 140 lb/300 gsm or more: Watercolour paint paper, suitable for all wet media.
What size of brushes would you recommend?
I would recommend that you have a small brush that will enable your child to paint finer lines and a larger brush for larger areas that need to be painted a size 3 and an 8 would be ideal. The more expensive the brush the better the quality. I would recommend a brush of around £4 would be adequate for your child at this stage.
What oil pastels / chalk pastels would be recommend?
I would recommend the following: Oil pastels •Pentel •Caran d’Ache •Faber - Castell •Reeves Chalk pastels •Inscribe •Faber Castell •Rembrandt •Prismac