Roald Bradstock Inspiration

Overview

This 30-minute lesson introduces Year 1 students to Roald Bradstock, the 'Olympic Picasso' known for combining art and athletics. Pupils will explore how creativity and movement can come together to make unique artwork. This lesson aligns with the National Curriculum for England (Art and Design) and fosters early skills in exploring and using media creatively through drawing, inspired by a real-life artist.

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National Curriculum Links

Key Stage 1 - Art and Design

Pupils should be taught to:

• Use a range of materials creatively to design and make products
• Use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
• Develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space
• Talk about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities and making links to their own work

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

• Understand who Roald Bradstock is and how he combines art and athletics.
• Explore mark-making using different drawing tools inspired by movement.
• Create their own movement-inspired drawings expressing ideas about sport or activity.
• Use simple vocabulary to talk about their artwork and the artist’s style.

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Resources Needed

• Photos or short, age-appropriate video clips of Roald Bradstock in action (throwing javelin & painting)
• Large sheets of white drawing paper
• Variety of drawing materials: charcoal sticks, crayons, coloured pencils, wax crayons
• Examples of Bradstock’s art (printed images or projected slides)
• Space in the classroom or school hall for movement activities
• Smocks or art aprons for pupils

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Lesson structure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Gather children in a circle and briefly introduce Roald Bradstock as an Olympic athlete and artist.
• Show a picture or video clip of Bradstock painting while throwing a javelin or moving dynamically. Explain that he uses movement to inspire his pictures.
• Use simple language: “Roald uses his body and feelings from sport to make his drawings interesting and full of energy.”

2. Movement Warm-up (5 minutes)

• Lead children in gentle stretching and moving around the space, encouraging them to imagine they are athletes or artists making marks as they move.
• Prompt with action words: “Can you jump high and then ‘draw’ lines in the air? Can you make swirling arm movements like drawing curly lines?”

3. Drawing Activity (15 minutes)

• Hand out drawing materials and paper to each pupil.
• Encourage children to create their own ‘movement drawings’ inspired by what they felt during the warm-up, using broad lines and energetic marks.
• Suggest they think about shapes made by their arms, legs or whole body — translating these into marks on paper.
• Circulate and provide language prompts: “Tell me about the lines you are drawing — are they quick or slow? Are they straight or curvy?”
• Remind pupils that there is no ‘wrong’ way to draw — it’s about expressing movement and fun.

4. Sharing and Reflection (5 minutes)

• Invite pupils to share their drawings with a partner or small group using simple sentences:
  “I used big swirls because I pretended to jump.”
• Show a few works to the whole class, drawing attention to the diversity of marks.
• Recap by linking their work back to Roald Bradstock: “Just like Roald, you used movement to make interesting art!”

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Assessment

• Formative: Observe pupils’ participation in movement and drawing activities to ensure engagement and understanding.
• Check pupils can express one idea about their drawing using simple sentences or key words.
• Ensure pupils can recall a fact about Roald Bradstock (e.g., “He is an artist and athlete”).

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Differentiation

• Provide pre-drawn shape templates for children who need extra support in mark-making.
• Offer additional materials like finger paints for pupils who find drawing tools challenging.
• Encourage more confident pupils to experiment with layering colours or creating patterns.

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Extension Ideas

• Display artworks in a mini-exhibition titled ‘Movement Art’ with Roald Bradstock information.
• Link to PE sessions by encouraging pupils to think about how their bodies move differently when making marks.
• Invite children to create a poem or sentence about how they feel when they move and draw.

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This lesson creatively merges the physicality of athletics with the imagination of art, helping young children connect their bodies with expressive mark-making, just like Roald Bradstock does. It also meets key components of the National Curriculum by introducing pupils to artists and encouraging exploration of materials and ideas.