Scribble outside
the box.
An Autumn–Winter term exhibition celebrating confidence, curiosity and the joy of trying.
Since September 2025, the after-school art club at The Old School in Thornhill met every Tuesday, bringing together young people aged 5-13 to experiment, collaborate and build confidence through making.
This exhibition gathers work from the 2025/2026 Autumn-Winter term. It reflects a wide range of materials, approaches and ideas explored over the past months - from drawing and painting to sculpture, recycled construction and collaborative projects. A strong focus throughout the term has been process over perfection. Early sessions included blind drawing, mirroring exercises and working with our non-dominant hands to challenge ideas about control and “getting it right.” These activities helped build trust, communication and a sense of play within the group.
Nature has been a recurring theme. We worked with autumn leaves in collaborative drawings, painted seasonal landscapes, made clay mushrooms, and studied sea materials such as shells and mermaid’s purses. The children were free to interpret these objects in their own way... sometimes using natural colours, sometimes choosing bright or unexpected palettes.
This project is called: Fish and the Sea we See
An introduction to our roots, building awareness for the environment and our ecosystems. This work was a chance to show TOS art club where our marks and colours came from, way before felt tip pens and crayons! We looked at Earth pigments by rubbing pigment stones across hard surface stones, revealing paint found from beach treasures. A traditional method from our ancestors thousands of years ago, making art whilst being kinder to the earth.
We focused on natural ecosystems facing environmental issues such as climate change and pollution, and what animals are affected such as fish in the ocean.
We later designed our own Old School Thornhill tartans during Robert Burns Week project. Using bold canvases, neon paints, plaid structures, and touches of glitter we created something playful and unique to the group.
Recycled materials have also played an important role. Students worked in teams to create large monster sculptures from donated fabrics, cardboard and scrap materials, learning how to divide roles, share ideas and solve problems together.
Arms as Sticks...
A great lesson was taught here about perfection and patience. Sometimes we go into an art work with a plan, often there is a pressure of it looking a certain way and we really forget about enjoying to play around in the magical process. The interactive element allowed kids, parents, guardians, grandparents, friends and the wider public to enjoy something creative whilst being on an equal level - where everyone begins the same.
Inspired by Pablo Picasso, the group created a large collaborative portrait, each student focusing on a different facial feature. The final piece reflects how individual contributions can come together to form one unified image. Discussion is part of every session. There are no assigned seats, encouraging new conversations and friendships.
Solar Planet Mobile, made using sticks, woollen yarn, paper plates and water based acrylic paint. Focusing on shading techniques, we created circular forms that resembled planets or eyes. By blending light and dark tones, the final pieces achieved an almost cosmic effect.
At the end of workshops, we reflect on what felt challenging, what worked well, and why certain choices were made. The aim is to create a relaxed environment where students feel comfortable sharing ideas without pressure.
This exhibition was an opportunity for students to see their work displayed publicly, to recognise their development over time, and to share their efforts with parents, families and the wider community. The focus has never been on producing perfect outcomes, but on building confidence, curiosity and a willingness to try.