A collection of imagery and sources designed to stimulate conversation around the work of Saoirse Morgan.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt Membership.

Saoirse Morgan

“My paintings explore my connection with familiar landscapes. The subject of my work is my home terrain of West Wales: the landscape, the coast, the ecology. I am inspired by local colour, plant life, atmosphere and weather. I spent my childhood on small islands, surrounded by swirling tide races and wild, wind-blown seas.  My terrestrial environment is maritime heath and lowland heath. It’s a warm, familiar colour palette, dominated by bracken, heather and gorse.” – Saoirse

Questions to Ask Children

How does Saoirse’s painting process connect to the sea?

How do the colours, shapes and textures evoke the atmosphere of the sea?

Questions To Ask Children

How does the painting, and process capture the essence of the sea?

What do you like / dislike about the painting?

How does the painting make you feel?

Questions to Ask Children

Are there any animals / insects / plants in your local area that has been suffering the consequences of climate change? How has your local landscape been affected?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Mixed Media Land and city scapes

This is featured in the ‘Mixed Media Land and City Scapes’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

Concertina Landscape

A collection of imagery and sources designed to stimulate conversation around the work of Mark Hearld.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

  *If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt Membership.

Mark Hearld

Taking his inspiration from the flora and fauna of the British countryside, Mark Hearld works across a number of mediums, producing limited edition lithographic and linocut prints, unique paintings, collages and hand-painted ceramics. – St Jude’s Prints

Watch the first 5 minutes of this video to see how Hearld creates some of his collages.

Explore more of Mark Hearld’s collages inspired by the natural world.

Questions to Ask Children

After seeing how Hearld creates patterns for his collages, what do you like/dislike about this process?

What do you like about Hearld’s collages? How do they make you feel?

Do Herald’s collages remind you of anything?

Questions To Ask Children

Mark creates work using lots of different techniques, which is your favourite method of working and why?

List the different methods of working that you can see in the video. How does Mark’s knowledge and experience of one technique inform his other methods of working?

Questions to Ask Children

Is there a place in your local area that inspires you? Where is it and why do you feel inspired by it?

Thinking about sight, sound and touch, note down what you might experience when you visit your chosen inspiring local area. 

A collection of imagery and sources designed to encourage children to consider how line weight can impact drawings.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate.

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Line weight refers to the thickness or thinness of a line. The weight of a line can be altered by applying different amounts of pressure to a drawing tool and by changing the drawing media.

Depth, tone, character and atmosphere can be achieved by exploring a variety of weighted lines in drawings.

When we look at the lines in drawings we may get an impression of what the artist was experiencing or what they are trying to communicate through their drawing. For example thinner lines can create a delicate peaceful atmosphere whereas thicker bold drawings can evoke a sense of power and authority.

Find a recording of a zoom session exploring line weight and how we can use it to improve drawing outcomes for teachers & learner.

Leo Gestel

Seagull (ca. 1891–1941) drawing in high resolution by Leo Gestel. Original from The Rijksmuseum. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

Portrait of Jean Jaur&egrave’s (ca. 1891-1941) drawing in high resolution by Leo Gestel. Original from The Rijksmuseum. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

Taguchi Tomoki

Japanese vintage original woodblock print of birds and butterfly from Yatsuo no tsubaki (1860-1869) by Taguchi Tomoki. Digitally enhanced from our own antique woodblock print.

Paul Signac

La Rochelle (1911) painting in high resolution by Paul Signac. Original from Barnes Foundation. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

Jean Bernard

Standing pig in the grass (1805) by Jean Bernard (1775-1883). Original from The Rijksmuseum. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

Hermann Esser

Ornamental fonts from Draughtsman’s Alphabets by Hermann Esser (1845-1908). Digitally enhanced from our own 5th edition of the publication.

This Talking Points Is Used In…

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the ancient tradition of drawing Kolam.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

‘Every morning at sunrise all across Southern India women practice the ancient art of drawing kolam on the thresholds of their properties. A physical form of prayer and symbol of protection, a daily exercise, and a moment of intense concentration and meditation, drawing kolam is an important household ritual that has a lot more to it than may first meet the eye.

Two very different women living in Chennai explain their shared passion for kolam, and their involvement in the local kolam competition.’ – BBC

Questions to Ask Children

What do you like/dislike about kolam drawings?

Do they remind you of anything?

What are some of the rituals do you take part in every morning?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Spirals

This is featured in the ‘Spirals’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the question ‘what is composition?’

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Composition is the arrangement of different elements in a piece of artwork.

As well as positioning, elements like shapes, lines and colours can have an impact on composition.

Composition addresses the relationship between these different elements. Some artists aim to create a balanced composition in their artwork whilst others may choose to bring things to the viewers attention by creating imbalance.

Why is Composition Important?

Whether it is a painting, drawing, photograph, print or even a piece of sculpture, the way the elements are arranged impact upon how we respond to the piece of art. The artist might be trying to convey an emotion, or communicate a message, and artists use tools they have through composition to help sell those “messages”. 

Throughout history, composition can be seen as an indication of the period or artistic movements that a piece of art has been created in. 

Focal Point

The focal point is the area of the artwork which your eye is drawn to. The artist might use placement to draw your eye to an object (i.e. where the object is on the page), or they might use colour or value to draw your eye in. 

How goes the artist draw your eye to a focal point in the illustration below?

Interior of the Temple of Aboo Simbel Nubia illustration by David Roberts (1796–1864)

What is the focal point for you in the paintings below? You might have a different focal point to your friends, or you might even have more than one? Where are your eyes drawn?

Little Girl in a Blue Armchair (1878) by Mary Cassatt.

Johannes Vermeer’s The Lacemaker (ca.1669–1671)

Balance / Imbalance

Sometimes the elements of an artwork lend to a sense of calm. This is usually because the artist has intentionally balanced colours, shapes and values. 

In other artwork the artist deliberately makes us feel uneasy by throwing us off balance, by creating a sense of chaos…

Improvisation 35 (1914)  Wassily Kandinsky

Rule of Thirds

Sometimes artists divide rectangles into a grid of 9 – 3 rows and 3 columns.

When working with landscape for example, artists might choose to place the horizon along one of the grid lines. 

Jalais Hill, Pontoise (1867) by Camille Pissarro.

Golden Ratio

The Golden Ratio is a spiral and it can be found in nature and art. 

Can you spot how the Golden Ratio is used in the “Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave” above?

Classical Composition

Within the classic tradition, artists would create a sense of balance by arranging elements in geometric shapes such as triangular compositions.

Foxhound (1760) painting in high resolution by George Stubbs. Original from The Yale University Art Gallery. 

Questions to Ask Children

What can you see in the foreground/background of the painting?

How do the colours vary from the foreground to the background? Why do you think these choices were made by the artist?

Where is your eye drawn to in this painting? What do you see next?

Can you see any triangles in the composition? 

Symmetry 

Can you see how symmetry has been used in the still life below by by Camille Pissarro?

How does this image make you feel? 

Think about the colours AND the shapes, and where they are placed. 

Still Life with Apples and Pitcher (1872) by Camille Pissarro

Abstract Art

Art movements such as cubism and abstraction redefined the rules of composition.

Artists such as Jackson Pollock opted for ‘allover composition’ which considers using the whole canvas instead of top, bottom and centre.

Watch from moment 2:29 to find out how ‘allover’ painting differed to more classic painting styles. 

Questions to Ask Children

How does this vary to the classical way of painting?

Can you see a foreground or background?

Which part of the painting is your eye drawn to first? Where does it travel to after?

Which style of composition do you prefer and why?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Explore and Draw

This is featured in the ‘Explore and Draw’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Pathway: Exploring Still Life

This is featured in the ‘Explore Still Life’ pathway

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the sculptures of Thomas J Price.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Thomas J Price

Thomas J Price is a sculptor who questions the types of people that have traditionally been made into a sculpture and displayed on a plinth. Price is interested in making sculptures of anonymous people – people who are no one and everyone at the same time. By doing this he asks us as viewers to question: What is the purpose of sculpture? How do my figures speak to you? 

Reaching Out

The Space In-Between 

Ordinary Men

Questions to Ask Children

What do you think that the artist is trying to say with the sculptures?

Do you like the sculptures?

How do you think the artist makes the sculptures?

Describe the different types of plinths that the artist uses.

Why do you think the artist has chosen different plinths for different sculptures?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: The Art of Display

This is featured in the ‘The Art of Display’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Find out how pupils can respond to artists work in sketchbooks

Show me what you see

Enable close looking and drawing with this exercise

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the ways in which artists are inspired by birds.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Artists often draw parallels with other lives/beings to help us learn about ourselves. The resources below explore how artists take inspiration from birds, not so much visually but by drawing parallels between behaviour of birds and ourselves.

Conference for the Birds by Marcus Coates

Conference for the Birds celebrates the lives of the birds Thomas Bewick depicted in his wood engravings. His book ‘A History of British Birds’ first published in 1797 was a comprehensive guide to both the appearance and behaviour of birds.

The birds, played by wildlife experts, discuss topics from migration to predation, with each species speaking about the challenges they face day to day. By exploring the lives of the birds that Bewick studied and depicted, this artwork attempts to reveal how we, when speaking from the position of another animal like a bird, rely on subjective experience to relate across to this alien perspective. –  Kate Macgary

Marcus Coates, Conference of the Birds, 2019, (excerpt) Film by Kate MacGarry

Questions to Ask Children

What kinds of challenges might birds face?

How do you think it would feel to be sharing a space with the installation?

How does it make you feel? What does it make you think? 

How do you think the artist made the heads?

Migrations: Open Hearts Open Borders

The Migrations project started when word was sent out to illustrators asking them to create an image for the front of a postcard (plus appropriate text on the reverse) on the theme of ‘migration’. The project’s aim was to ‘express support for and solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of human migrants who face immense difficulties and dangers in their struggle to find a better and safer place to live.’ When asking for postcards, the organisers stated ‘Do not be concerned about possible damage to the card that you will mail to us. The stamp, the journey of the mail and all it entails will reflect the fragility and the precarious nature of migration.’ – AOI

Questions to Ask Children

Why do you think that birds were used as a symbol in this project?

What do you like about this project?

Why do you think that they asked lots of illustrators across the world to join in with this project?

How does it make you feel? What does it make you think?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Sculpture, Structure, Inventiveness & determination

This is featured in the ‘Sculpture, Structure, Inventiveness & Determination’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Find out how pupils can respond to artists work in sketchbooks

Show me what you see

Enable close looking and drawing with this exercise

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the fashion label Pyer Moss.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Pyer Moss

Pyer Moss (pronounced ‘Pierre’) founder Kerby Jean-Raymond grew up in Brooklyn, the son of Haitian immigrants, and has been engaging with the fashion industry since his teenage years, interning at 14, starting a label at 15. Now in his 30s, Jean-Raymond has been at the helm of Pyer Moss since 2013, naming it for his mother. After a long-standing collaborative relationship with Reebok, Jean-Raymond was announced as the vice president of creative direction for the sportswear behemoth in late September 2020. 

See more collections on the Pyer Moss website.

Please be aware that the Pyer Moss website contains some inappropriate language for Primary ages so ensure that you check pages and content before showing the class.

Questions to Ask Children

What do you like/dislike about the garments in Pyer Moss’ collection?

Where might you wear these clothes?

How do these clothes differ from the other garments you’ve explored throughout this half term?

Would you like to wear these clothes?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Fashion Design

This is featured in the ‘Fashion Design’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the work of fashion graduate Alice Fox.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Alice Fox

Alice Fox is a Fashion Graduate from Norwich University of the Arts.

Her final year collection is inspired by 1960 seaside resorts. Alice’s garments are influenced by old family photos, deckchairs and fairground rides. These items informed the shapes and fabrics used within the collection.

Questions to Ask Children

How does this collection make you feel?

How would you describe the colour palette?

What do you like/dislike about the garments?

Which materials do you think Alice used to make her collection?  How/why do you think she made these choices?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Fashion Design

This is featured in the ‘Fashion Design’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the work of fashion designer Rahul Mishra.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Rahul Mishra

Rahul Mishra runs a sustainable couture brand that works with handmade techniques to empower the craftsmen in New Delhi.

Rahul Mishra is the first Indian designer to showcase at the Paris Haute Couture Week. 

Explore more garments on Mishra’s website.

Questions to Ask Children

How does this fashion film make you feel?

Why do you think that designers create fashions films?

Which outfit did you like in particular and why?

What kind of atmosphere does Mishra’s collection capture?

Did you see any details on the garments? What do these add to the overall garment?

What materials do you think Mishra has used in the collection?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Fashion Design

This is featured in the ‘Fashion Design’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the work of fashion designer Tatyana Antoun.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Tatyana Antoun

Tatyana Antoun is a fashion designer from Beirut, Lebanon. Tatyana’s collection ‘Vamata’ explores the social restrictions in Lebanon. Her work is heavily influenced by 80’s power dressing and the Club Kids of New York during the 90’s.

Find out more about Tatyana’s collection in her “Which Artists?” post. 

Questions to Ask Children

Which garment is your favourite? Why?

Why do you think that Tatyana Antoun selected the chosen fabrics for her garments?

What do you think about the shapes that have been created in the garments?

Would you wear any of these garments? Where might you wear them?

What atmosphere does the fashion video capture?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Fashion Design

This is featured in the ‘Fashion Design’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

Introduce children to the work of artist Luba Lukova.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Luba Lukova

Luba Lukova is a designer who communicates themes of injustice in the world through her work.

Explore images of Luba’s work with this Google Arts and Culture resource.

Explore Luba’s Website

Questions to Ask Children

Can you see any similarities between the posters? What are those similarities?

What is a visual metaphor? Can you spot any within the artist’s work? 

How do the posters make you feel?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Print & Activism

This is featured in the ‘Print & Activism’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the work of landscape painter Kittie Jones.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks.

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Kittie Jones

Kittie Jones is a fine artist based in Edinburgh. She graduated from Edinburgh College of Art and Edinburgh University in 2008; she currently works from her studio at Coburg House Art Studios in Leith and regularly exhibits around the UK.

“My work is concerned with the experience of time spent looking and interpreting the natural world. I am drawn to places which have an abundance of nature – sea bird colonies, fertile coastlines and remote islands. On drawing trips I will settle in a promising spot and start to develop work from there. The energy in the work comes from the constantly changing elements of the natural world – birds moving in and out of vision and the shifting quality of weather and light. “ – Kittie Jones

Find a fantastic insight into Kittie’s creative process here on AccessArt.

Questions to Ask Children

What kind of atmosphere does Kittie capture in her work?

How does mark making add to the painting?

How do the paintings make you feel?

What other inputs do you think Kittie gets from painting outdoors? How do you think these impact her work?

Would you like to experience sitting and painting in the outdoors?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Mixed Media Land and city scapes

This is featured in the ‘Mixed Media Land and City Scapes’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the work of landscape painter Vanessa Gardiner.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Vanessa Gardiner

“As a landscape painter I am captivated both by the beauty of the places on which my work is based and by the processes involved during the making of the pictures. In a sense, for me, they go hand-in-hand: the immediacy of drawing directly from the seemingly haphazard natural subject matter, with the careful selection and ordering of the compositions back in the studio.” – Vanessa Gardiner

Questions to Ask Children

Do you like Gardiner’s linear approach to landscape painting?

What does the texture add to the painting?

Does this make you think about landscapes differently?

How do the paintings make you feel?

What kind of atmosphere(s) does Gardiner capture in the painting(s)?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Mixed Media Land and city scapes

This is featured in the ‘Mixed Media Land and City Scapes’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of imagery and sources designed to stimulate conversation around the work of Xgaoc’o X’are.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Xgaoc’o X’are

Two Giraffe and Two Birds II- Botswanan Printmaker Xgaoc’o X’are

Two giraffe and two birds II, Mono print, Xgaoc’o X’are, 50 x 65 cm

Xgaoc’o X’are grew up on a farm in the Ghanzi District in Western Botswana. He now makes mono Prints inspired by his knowledge and love of the Kalahari.

For Xgaoc’o, art gives him the opportunity to put the ideas in his head on a canvas in beautiful naive forms and playful colours. His work is informed by a childhood spent working on farms and hunting with his father and brother for food.

His work is a reflection of his love of the Kalahari Desert and captures the essence of the rock art created centuries ago by his ancestors in Twyfelfontein. The oldest engravings are thought to be as old as 10,000 years.

He signs his work in his Naro name Qhaqhoo.

“Engravings at Twyfelfontein” by hobgadlng is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Xgaoc’o X’are’s (Qhaqhoo) work displays a strong sense of pattern, skewed perspectives and uneven shapes with rich detail. His work is reminiscent of Naive Art, which breaks the rules of the traditional 3 rules of perspective. These rules affect size, colour and the level of detail with distance.

Having had no formal art training Xgaoc’o X’are (Qhaqhoo) draws on his personal experiences and ancestral history to capture a beautiful instinctive approach to materials, colour and composition.

See more of Xgaoc’o X’ares work here.

The Naro language uses clicking noises in its phonetic alphabet. To pronounce the Naro name ‘Qhaqhoo’ we recommend looking at a phonetic table for creating the click noise ‘Qh’. Please do let us know if you have any more information relating to the pronunciation.

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you see.

How does it make you feel?

Which words would you use to describe the whole piece?

How has the artists experience influenced this artwork?

What comparisons can you make between the artists work and the rock engravings?

Make a list of all the animals you often see in your environment.

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway:Exploring the world though mono print

This is featured in the ‘Exploring The World Through Mono print’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore different treehouses.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Treehouses

Questions to Ask Children

Which treehouse is your favourite? Why?

If you could build your own treehouse what would its purpose be? For living in? Playing?

Can you think of an invention that could be used for getting up and down into a treehouse without using a ladder or steps?

Do you prefer the big treehouses or the small treehouses? Why?

Is there an area in your local community where you’d like to build a treehouse? What materials would you use and why? What would its purpose be?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Stick Transformation project

This is featured in the ‘Stick Transformation Project’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the tradition of Guatemalan Worry Dolls.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Guatemalan Worry Dolls

You may wish to show pupils the video above from 2.25 minutes onwards if there are any anxious children in the class.

“Guatemalan worry dolls” by roxweb is marked with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

“4 worry dolls at work” by Leonard J Matthews is marked with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Questions to Ask Children

When Guatemalan people make Worry Dolls, in what ways are the dolls the same and in what ways are the dolls different from each other?

What is the purpose of the dolls?

How do the dolls reflect the culture of where they are made?

Do Guatemalan people make Worry Dolls for themselves or for others, or both?

Do artists make the dolls, or do you think anyone can make the dolls? 

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Stick Transformation project

This is featured in the ‘Stick Transformation Project’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the work of animation directors Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Tiny Inventions

Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata are award-winning animation directors. They often combining handcrafted art, CG animation, drawn animation, stop-motion and photographic effects. Since 2008, Max & Ru have been working together as “Tiny Inventions”. 

Watch this video to see how Max and Ru made the animation Negative Space.

(The animation below contains themes of death.)

See the main animation to find out how the set came to life. 

Questions to Ask Children

How does the set make you feel?

Do you like like the set?

What about the set draws your attention?

What materials do you think the directors may have used to make the set?

How long do you think it might have taken to build this sets for an animation?

How many different sets can you spot in the animation?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Set Design

This is featured in the ‘Set Design’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Find out how pupils can respond to artists work in sketchbooks

Show me what you see

Enable close looking and drawing with this exercise

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the work of set designer Rae Smith.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Rae Smith

Rae Smith is a British set and costume designer.

Smith worked as set designer on War Horse, a stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s novel about a horse on the Western Front of the First World War.

To prepare for the role Smith reviewed personal recollections, photographs and archives from the period, held at the Imperial War Museum. A key theme was the use of the backdrop as a giant sheet of paper from one of the characters sketchbooks, onto which she projected images that might have been drawn by the character.

Please Note: If you ask students to research the artist on computers, the ‘sketchbooks’ section of her website contains some inappropriate content for children.

Find the drawings and mock ups of Rae Smiths set here.

Watch this video to find out how Rae Smith starts work on a new project. 

Warhorse Animation Montage

“Working with the drawings by show designer Rae Smith, and creating new digital content, we were able to create an animated sketch book that travels from idyllic Devon to the horror of WWI battlefields.” – Peter Stenhouse, Animator

Questions to Ask Children

How do Smith’s drawings make you feel?

Describe the atmosphere of the set. How do you think this has been achieved?

What materials do you think the artist used?

Does this make you think of set design in a different way?

What do you think the role of ‘set designer’ entails?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Set Design

This is featured in the ‘Set Design’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Find out how pupils can respond to artists work in sketchbooks

Show me what you see

Enable close looking and drawing with this exercise

A collection of imagery and sources designed to introduce children to the work of Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky.

Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control. 

Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate. 

We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks. 

*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*

This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.

Kandinsky and Responding to Music

Teacher’s Notes

“Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.” – Vassily Kandinsky

Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian painter born in 1866. Kandinsky was gifted with the neurological phenomenon ‘synesthesia’ which allowed him to associate music with colours. Kandinsky is considered a pioneer of abstraction in western art.

Take a close look at these paintings, talking about them as a class, and using the questions to help deepen looking. 

Wassily Kandinsky, Improvisation No. 30 (Cannons), 1913

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you see.

What do you think could be happening in this abstract painting?

What kind of music do you think that Kandinsky was listening to when he painted this?

What do you think the blue dashes represent?

How does the painting make you feel?

Watch this animation that brings elements of Kandinsky’s paintings to life.

Questions to Ask Children

How do you feel watching the animation?

What colour would you associate with the music played by a saxophone? A drum?

If you could animate one of the paintings above or below, how would you bring it to life? What would you make it do? 

Untitled (1916) by Wassily Kandinsky. Original from The Art Institute of Chicago.

Questions to Ask Children

How do you think Kandinsky was feeling when he painted this painting?

What genre of music do you think that Kandinsky might have been listening to while he was painting this?

Play a Kandinsky Painting in class with this interactive Google Arts and Culture Activity.

Watch this video on how to paint like Kandinsky whilst putting your own experience at the centre of the painting. 

Questions to Ask Children

Choose a colour and a shape to describe how you’re feeling right now.

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Music and art

This is featured in the ‘Music and Art’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see