By Ellie Daly

In the ‘Adapting AccessArt’ series, we will be spotlighting teachers who have used AccessArt resources to develop their own pathways.

In this resource, Ellie Daly, Higher level teaching assistant and Arts Award Lead at Brooklands Community Special school, shares with us her adaptation of the Making Birds pathway. Ellie recounts her love of nature and photography, and explains how this project was developed to suit a current set of students studying for the arts award.

Read on to find out how Ellie facilitated an exploration of drawing, collage, photography and sculpture.

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Pathway: Making Birds

Flying Minpin Birds

Visual Arts Planning: Birds

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Session Recording: Adapting AccessArt

Drawing Fish with Pen, Pencil and Watercolour

the geometry of chickens

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Drawing and Making Flowers

Painted and Sculptural Plant Pots

Drawing Insects with Wire

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patterns with nature

Continuous Line Drawings of sticks

Making a Mask from Sticks and Tissue Paper

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Painting with Poster Paint

Collaging with Wax Crayon Rubbings

Prop making for toys

Repeat Pattern Printing Roller

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Transforming Objects

Autumn Floor Textiles

Imaginary landscapes

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 which you can use to prompt drawing in schools and community groups. 

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. 

Shells

Use the films below to enable children to explore drawing shells. Try to create a sense of momentum – for example you might pause the video 4 times and ask the pupils to make a 1 minute, 2 minute, 3 minute and 4 minute drawing at each pause. 

Encourage close and slow looking by talking as they draw – use your voice to attract their attention to qualities of the shells.

Try the same exercise using different materials, ie handwriting pen, ink and nib, pastel, watercolour…

Charles Dessalines

Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt

Common Triton Horns, Charonia tritonis (1596-1610) by Anselmus Boëtius de Boodt. Original from the Rijksmuseum. 

George Shaw

Tritonian murex or Sea trumpet illustration from The Naturalist's Miscellany (1789-1813) by George Shaw (1751-1813)

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Pathway: Spirals

This is featured in the ‘Spirals’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of imagery and sources which you can use to prompt drawing in schools and community groups. 

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. 

Food

Use the film below to enable children to explore drawing food. Try to create a sense of momentum – for example you might pause the video 4 times and ask the pupils to make a 1 minute, 2 minute, 3 minute and 4 minute drawing at each pause. 

Encourage close and slow looking by talking as they draw – use your voice to attract their attention to qualities of the food.

Try the same exercise using different materials, ie handwriting pen, ink and nib, pastel, watercolour…

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Pathway: Festival Feasts

This is featured in the ‘Festival Feasts’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of imagery and sources which you can use to prompt drawing in schools and community groups. 

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 part of AccessArt membership.

Wild Flowers

Use this collection of films as source material for pupils exploring wild flowers. In the first instance you might want to pause the videos as suitable points to enable the children to carefully look at the main forms and details. Try to create a sense of momentum – for example you might pause the video 4 times and ask the pupils to make a 1 minute, 2 minute, 3 minute and 4 minute drawing at each pause. 

Encourage close and slow looking by talking as they draw – use your voice to attract their attention to features of the flowers. 

When pupils are more experienced, you can also try getting them to make their drawings as the videos play – making quick gestural sketches. 

Drawing Exercises

1. Have the children draw in a quiet room, with the video on the whiteboard.

2. Stop the video at a chosen frame and use your voice to direct their drawing. Choose words which relate to the imagery, for example you might decide to focus their attention on vertical lines, so you might choose words like: line, growth, upward, downward, fall… or you might choose to attract their attention to the energy of a wave or the curve of a plants stem. Think carefully about the words you use – they don’t have to be used in sentences – you can speak lists. 

3. Each sketchbook response might take just 3 to 5 minutes, then move on to another still. Create a sense of momentum. 

4. Direct pupils to use a chosen medium. You might like to start with soft pencil or handwriting pen. 

This Source Material Features in…

Pathway: Cloth, thread, paint

This is featured in the ‘Cloth, Thread, Paint’ pathway

Pathway: Flora and Fauna

This is featured in the ‘Flora and Fauna’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of imagery and sources which you can use to prompt drawing in schools and community groups. 

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 part of AccessArt membership.

Insects

Use this collection of films as source material for pupils exploring insects. In the first instance you might want to pause the videos as suitable points to enable the children to carefully look at the main forms and details. Try to create a sense of momentum – for example you might pause the video 4 times and ask the pupils to make a 1 minute, 2 minute, 3 minute and 4 minute drawing at each pause. 

Encourage close and slow looking by talking as they draw – use your voice to attract their attention to features of the insect. 

When pupils are more experienced, you can also try getting them to make their drawings as the videos play – making quick gestural sketches. 

Drawing Exercises

1. Have the children draw in a quiet room, with the video on the whiteboard.

2. Stop the video at a chosen frame and use your voice to direct their drawing. Choose words which relate to the imagery, for example you might decide to focus their attention on vertical lines, so you might choose words like: line, growth, upward, downward, fall… or you might choose to attract their attention to the energy of a wave or the curve of an animals back. Think carefully about the words you use – they don’t have to be used in sentences – you can speak lists. 

3. Each sketchbook response might take just 3 to 5 minutes, then move on to another still. Create a sense of momentum. 

4. Direct pupils to use a chosen medium. You might like to start with soft pencil or handwriting pen. 

This Souce Material Is Used In…

Pathway: Flora and Fauna

This is featured in the ‘Flora and Fauna’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of imagery and sources which you can use to prompt drawing in schools and community groups. 

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. 

These resources are free to access and are not a part of AccessArt Membership.

Birds

Use this collection of films as source material for pupils exploring birds. In the first instance you might want to pause the videos as suitable points to enable the children to carefully look at the main forms and details. Try to create a sense of momentum – for example you might pause the video 4 times and ask the pupils to make a 1 minute, 2 minute, 3 minute and 4 minute drawing at each pause. 

Encourage close and slow looking by talking as they draw – use your voice to attract their attention to features of the bird. 

When pupils are more experienced, you can also try getting them to make their drawings as the videos play – making quick gestural sketches. 

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Pathway: Making Birds

This is featured in the ‘Making Birds’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see