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. 

Egyptian Artefacts 

Use the film and imagery below to enable children to explore Egyptian artefacts. Try to create a sense of momentum – for example you might pause on an image or 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 artefacts.

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

Explore the collections of Rijksmuseum van Oudheden here.

You can find lots of visual resources on Google Arts and Culture about preserving Egypt’s history.

Military Musicians Showing Nubian and Egyptian Styles, Nina de Garis Davies (1881–1965), New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Thutmose IV, ca. 1400–1390 B.C. From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, Tomb of Tjeneny (TT 74) Tempera on paper, H. 44.5 × W. 93 cm (17 1/2 × 36 5/8 in.)  Rogers Fund, 1931

Watch the clip with the volume off as you guide children’s attention to parts of the paintings

Bronze statuette of Osiris, Late Dynastic-Hellenistic 664–31 B.C.  Egyptian Medium: Bronze Dimensions: H. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm) The Cesnola Collection, 1874–76

Tomb Chapel of Raemkai: South Wall, Old Kingdom, Dynasty 5, ca. 2446–2389 B.C., From Egypt, Memphite Region, Saqqara, North of the Djoser pyramid complex, Mariette D3, Egyptian Antiquities Service/Quibell excavations, 1907–08, Limestone, paint, Rogers Fund, 1908

Take a virtual tour of the Tomb of Menna on Google Arts and Culture

Deconstructing Ancient Egyptian Stelae on Google Arts and Culture

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Pathway: working with shape and colour

This is featured in the ‘Working with Shape and Colour’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of imagery and sources designed to explore the work of Kevork Mourad.

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.

Kevork Mourad

Born in Qamishli, Syria, Mourad now lives and works in New York City. 

Mourad employs his technique of live drawing and animation in concert with musicians – developing a collaboration in which art and music harmonize with one another.

A painter, printmaker and video artist, Mourad has performed his animated and live visuals internationally.

Mourad also uses monotype as a medium to explore middle eastern politics and history.

See more of his work here.

The making of Seeing Through Babel

Questions To Ask Children

Describe what you can see.

Can you describe the process that Mourad uses?

How do you think it would feel to be interacting with the installation?

How does it make you feel?

From the Sun to the Moon 2020 by Kevork Mourad.

Questions To Ask Children

Describe what you can see.

What do you think the artist is trying to say in this animation?

How does it make you feel?

Groong 2020 by Kevork Mourad.

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Making Monotypes

This is featured in the ‘Making Monotypes’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of imagery and sources designed to explore the tradition of Wayang Kulit.

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.

Malaysian Shadow Puppets

Explore images of Wayang shadow puppets here.

Explore Wayang Shadow Puppetry on Google Arts and Culture.

Find out how puppet masters in Malaysia are modernising the tradition of Wayang Kulit. 

Questions to Ask Children

How do you think it would feel to watch one of these traditional puppet shows?

Describe the atmosphere? 

Can you think of other popular stories you’d like to be made into a puppet show?

What do you like about these puppet shows?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Shadow Puppets

This is featured in the ‘Shadow Puppets’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore exciting packaging design.

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.

Packaging design is really important for a products success. The packaging has to echo the values of a company through design.

Read this Waitrose case study to find out how they redesigned the ‘free from’ range to fit with the values of the company and customers.

See how packaging is used to unify the brand feel here.

Watch the videos below to find out what designers might consider when designing packaging.

Questions to Ask Children

Do you prefer the old design or the new design? Why?

Can you list the different things that designers factor in when they’re thinking about a redesign?

See how designers might create a mock up of their design to show the client how the packaging will look.

Watch a designer improve upon a packaging design. 

Questions to Ask Children

Do you prefer the first design or the design that this designer created? Why?

Would you be more likely to pick up packaging with photos or with drawings on it? Why?

As a class, discuss how you might create packaging for pineapple juice. Think about the shape of the juice carton, colours and text.

Once a company has created packaging they need to think about advertising. 

Questions to Ask Children

As a class discuss how you might advertise your pineapple juice. 

Watch this video to find out how you can make a net for a packaging box.

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: 2D Drawing to 3D Making

This is featured in the ‘2D Drawing to 3D Making’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the colourful  spaces created by Yinka Ilori.

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.

Yinka Ilori

Yinka Ilori is a multidisciplinary artist and designer with a bold bright visual language influenced by his British-Nigerian heritage. Three components that feature heavily in Yinka’s work are pattern, colour and storytelling.

Yinka uses his crafts as a way to communicate Nigerian parables and verbal traditions.

His work is described as a fusion between contemporary design and Nigerian tradition.

Explore some more colour spaces here.

Watch the videos below to find out about Yinka’s designs for a basketball court in Canary Warf.

Questions to Ask Children

How does the basketball court look in its surroundings?

How does this basketball court vary from a normal basketball court?

Can you think of any other sports courts that could be made more exciting? How might you do this?

Watch the video below to find out about the Laundrette project.

Questions to Ask Children

How did Yinka and the children improve upon the original Laundrette?

How do you think it would feel to play in that space?

Can you think of other boring spaces that you would like to redesign and make more fun and colourful? 

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Brave Colour

This is featured in the ‘Brave colour’ 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 Morag Myerscough.

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.

Morag Myerscough

Artist & Designer Morag Myerscough creates installations and immersive spatial artworks that transform places and champion community and public interaction.

From schools and hospitals to cultural hubs and town centres Morag transforms public spaces by creating engaging experiences for everyone.

Explore more of Morag’s work here.

Questions to Ask Children

What do you like about Morag’s work?

How does her work make you feel?

How would it feel to be in that space, interacting with the sculpture?

How many people do you think were involved in making/installing Morag’s installations? What jobs did they have to do

Do you think the artists minds making an artwork which won’t last forever?

How do you think the people felt when they returned to the “normal” landscape around them? Would they have been changed by the artwork?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Brave Colour

This is featured in the ‘Brave colour’ 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 Fausto Melotti.

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.

Fausto Melotti

‘It wasn’t until the early 1980s that he designed set pieces for the actual stage. This exhibition looks back throughout Melotti’s lifetime to consider how theatre – conceptually as much as a dramatic art – informed the artist’s own creativity. –Galleries Now

Watch the videos below to find out more about the exhibition. 

Apologies if you cannot watch one of the videos because your school has blocked YouTube. 

Pause the video on stills of Melotti’s work and ask children the following questions…

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you can see.

How does the set make you feel?

What do you like/dislike about the set?

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

What materials do you think the artist has used?

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 Chris Kenny.

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.

Twigs

Chris Kenny works with humble, found materials: fragments excised from books or maps, discarded photographs or books, and fine twigs. He transforms these constructing fragile pertinent worlds that provoke wonder, humour or pathos.

Please note that that there are swear words on the artists website so you may not want to ask pupils to research by their own accord.

Twenty Twigs 2021 36 x 36 x 5inches Construction with cut twigs By Chris Kenny

Twelve Twigs 2012 construction with twigs 22 x 22 x 3” by Chris Kenny

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you see.

What could the stick people be doing?

Which is your favourite stick man? Why?

Noli Me Tangere (After Veronese) 2016 construction with found twigs 27 x 27 x 3″ by Chris Kenny

Questions to Ask Children

What do you think is happening in this image?

How does this image make you feel?

How do you think the artist created this stick image? Do you think he planned the image with a pencil or just start making?

Maps

Mexico Triptych, Second Panel 2018 Construction With Map Fragments 36 x 36 x 3 by Chris Kenny

Maidenhead Thicket 2011 construction with map fragments by Chris Kenny

Elsewhere 2014 18 x 18 x 3 construction with map fragments by Chris Kenny

Questions for Children…

Describe what you can see.

Do you like this work? Why?

How does it make you feel?

Which map is your favourite and why?

How much does Chris Kenny reveal about himself through the map?

Can you spot any symbols or visual metaphors? 

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Typography and Maps

This is featured in the ‘Typography and Maps’ pathway

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 The Shoreditch Sketcher.

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.

Tips from The Shoreditch Sketcher

The Shoreditch Sketcher has kindly provided the following tips for your own drawing. Read the tips and then explore his drawings below. Can you see his tips some to life in the drawings he makes? 

Travel light
You don’t need to have lots of expensive equipment for urban sketching. I find the less kit I have, the easier it is to focus on the drawing. If you always travel with a small selection of pens and an A5 sketchbook, you will be able to set up camp anywhere and get drawing quickly wherever you are.

Pick a subject that interests you
There is absolutely no point in sketching something that doesn’t excite you. The fact is, you’re more likely to get a great result with something that interests you. Start with whatever catches your eye!

Get comfortable
For beginners and people who work at a slower pace, a seated position may be more comfortable and allow for more accuracy. Find a location where you can easily sit on a wall or chair to give yourself more time to capture the scene.

Remember that a drawing is not a photograph
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to faithfully capture the scene you are drawing as if it were a photograph. A sketch is an expression of what you’re looking at, not an exact reproduction. Celebrate the mistakes!

Set yourself a time limit
It can be useful to give yourself a time limit on your live drawings. This helps to focus your mind and instil your drawings with energy, and it forces you to move on to another view. Quick sketches often capture much more than an overworked piece!

Work in a medium that you feel comfortable with
I love drawing with pen – straight in, with no pencil. But I’m very aware this requires a lot of confidence and my advice to beginners is always to start with a medium you feel comfortable with. This might well be pencil or charcoal, both of which are quite forgiving.

Stop and come back to it later
Don’t be afraid to call time on a sketch even though it’s not ‘finished’. Remember, you are the one to decide what’s finished and what’s not. A great tip is to take a quick photo of the view you’re sketching on your phone and then use the image as a reference for adding more detail, tone or colour later on!

Keep at it
Practise makes perfect, and a sketch a day is a great way to train your eye. Draw everyday things such as bus journeys, sandwich shops, mugs on desks and drab buildings. You’ll quickly become adept at looking for interesting views, and soon your sketchbook will become a record of your travels!

Piccadilly London by the Shoreditch Sketcher

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you see.

Look at the artwork as a whole – which words would you use to describe the whole piece?

Tell me about the details you like.

How does it make you feel?

Chinatown London by the Shoredtich Sketcher

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you see.

Which details are missing?

How do you think he decided how much detail to include or leave out?

Tell me about the details you like.

Westminster by the Shoreditch Sketcher

Questions to Ask Children

What can you see?

Do you recognise any of these buildings?

Why do you you think he chose to include details of those specific buildings and leave others out?

Tell me about the details you like.

Royal Academy London by the Shoreditch sketcher

Questions to Ask Children

What can you see?

Which details do you like?

Leicester Square London by the Shoreditch Sketcher

Questions to Ask Children

What do you see?

How has the artist given the image perspective?

How would you describe the atmosphere?

Do you think that the blank space adds anything to the overall composition?

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

Pathway: Architecture- Dream big or small?

This is featured in the ‘Architecture: Dream Big or Small?’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources and imagery to explore tiny houses.

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.

Apologies if you cannot watch some of the videos because your school has blocked YouTube. 

Questions to Ask Children

What do you think of the materials used to build this home? Name some of the materials you can see.

Would you live in this microhome?

What are the pros and cons to living in a tiny home?

Questions to Ask Children

Could you live in this space?

Do you like the interior space? Why?

Would you prefer to have a tiny house in the countryside or in a city?

Can you think of a clever way to design a chair so that it can be stored away easily.

Questions to Ask Children

What do you think of this home?

Would you live in this microhome?

What premade structure could you make a tiny home out of?

AKT II and OFIS Arhitekti

Questions to Ask Children

Does this microtome have enough space?

Would you like to live in a microtome that could be moved around?

Do you like the design of the home? Why?

Could you fit all of your belongings in this home?

Questions to Ask Children

Could you live in this space?

Do you think that all homes should be made like this in the future? Why?

Do you like the interior space? Why?

What would you miss if you had to live in this space?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Architecture- Dream big or small?

This is featured in the ‘Architecture: Dream Big or Small?’ 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 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.

Amazing Architectural Homes

Use this collection of films as source material for pupils exploring amazing architectural homes. 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 building. 

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: Architecture- Dream big or small?

This is featured in the ‘Architecture: Dream Big or Small?’ 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 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.

Oceans and Seas

Use the film below as source material to enable the children to draw things living in the ocean.

You can either choose to stop the video, and draw from a collection of paused images, or you can also choose to ask the children to work from the moving image. 

Find drawing exercises below to help your drawing exploration.

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. 

You May Also Like…

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 Yinka Shonibare.

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.

Yinka Shonibare

Yinka Shonibare is interdisciplinary artist. Within his practice he explored Western art history and literature to question contemporary cultural and national identities within the context of globalisation. 

Through examining race, class and the construction of cultural identity, his works comment on the tangled interrelationship between Africa and Europe, and their respective economic and political histories. Find out more on his website here.

Watch “Who is Yinka Shonibare” -Tate Kids.

Earth Kids

“The wild is far from unlimited. It is finite. It needs protecting.” – David Attenborough 

This series of new sculptures by Shonibare reflect on the connection between the history of colonial domination and humankind’s domination of the natural world and the exploitation of its limited resources.

Questions to Ask Children

In your own words, what do you think that the artist is trying to say through his work?

Do you like the sculptures? Why?

How do the sculptures make you feel?

Wind Sculptures

We can’t see wind, but we do see its effects. Here the dynamic movement of a piece of fabric in a gust of wind is rendered in solid fiberglass at monumental scale.  

What we now regard as traditional African cloth is based on Indonesian batik fabric first brought to Africa by Dutch traders in the 1800s. For Shonibare, and for Wind Sculpture, identity is always a richly layered and dynamic set of relationships. – Public Art Fund.

Questions to Ask Children

In your own words what do you think the artist is trying to say with this series?

How does that artwork make you feel?

How do you think the scale of this sculpture impacts the viewer?

What do you like/dislike about the sculpture?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Exploring Identity

This is featured in the ‘Exploring Identity’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources to explore the still life paintings of Dutch and Flemish artists between 1600-1800.

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.

Jacob Vosmaer

A Vase with Flowers, Jacob Vosmaer (Dutch, Delft ca. 1584–1641 Delft) 1613, Oil on wood, 33 1/2 x 24 5/8 in, Purchase, 1871

Questions to Ask Children

How would you describe the mood of this painting?

How have the colours impacted the mood?

How does the painting make you feel?

Jan Davidsz

Close up of Flowers in a glass vase by Dutch painter Jan Davidsz. de Heem, 1606-1684, Oil on wooden panel, height 93.2 cm x width 69.6 cm – from the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Questions to Ask Children

How does this painting compare with the first painting of flowers?

Which do you prefer and why?

Rachel Ruysch

Still life with a rose branch, beetle and bee (1741) painting in high resolution by Rachel Ruysch.

Explore another painting by Rachel Ruysch in close detail on Art UK, featured in their The Superpower of Looking project.

Questions to Ask Pupils

What stands out to you when you look at this painting and why?

How would you describe the atmosphere of this painting?

Melchior d’ Hondecoeter 

Peacocks, Melchior d’ Hondecoeter (Dutch, Utrecht 1636–1695 Amsterdam), 1683, Oil on canvas, 74 7/8 x 53 in. (190.2 x 134.6 cm), Gift of Samuel H. Kress, 1927

Questions to Ask Children

What can you see in this painting?

What time of day do you think this painting captures? Why?

Do you think that the animals in this painting get on? Why?

Why do you think the animals have congregated together in this painting?

What do you like/dislike about this painting? Why?

Peter Claesz

Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill, Pieter Claesz (Dutch, Berchem? 1596/97–1660 Haarlem), 1628, Oil on wood, 24.1 x 35.9 cm, Rogers Fund, 1949

Questions to Ask Children

What can you see?

What do you think the painter was trying to say with this painting?

What do you like/dislike about it?

How does this painting make you feel?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Exploring Still Life

This is featured in the ‘Explore Still Life’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources to explore the art of Paul Cezanne.

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.

Paul Cezanne

Cezanne was a French Post-Impressionist painter.

It is said that he formed the bridge between late 19th-century Impressionism and the early 20th century’s Cubism.

Cézanne’s often repetitive, exploratory brushstrokes are highly characteristic and clearly recognizable. He used planes of colour and small brushstrokes that build up to form complex fields. His interest was not in the objects themselves but in using them to experiment with shape, colour, and lighting. He arranged his still lifes so that everything locked together. The paintings convey Cézanne’s intense study of his subjects. Find out more here.

Explore this Google Arts and Culture resource on Cezanne.

A Table Corner (Un coin de table) (ca. 1895) by Paul Cézanne. Original from Original from Barnes Foundation.

Questions to Ask Children

“It is understood that the artist places himself in front of nature; he copies it while interpreting it.“‘ – What do you think Cezanne meant by this?

What can you see in this painting?

What do you like/dislike about this painting?

How does it make you feel?

Whats your favourite part of the painting?

The Peppermint Bottle (ca. 1893-1895) by Paul Cézanne. Original from The National Gallery of Art. 

Questions to Ask Children

What can you see?

How does the colours in this painting make you feel? Talk about the use of cold and warm colours.

What kind of atmosphere does this painting capture?

Paul Cézanne & Rococo Vase (1876) still life painting. Original from the National Gallery of Art. 

Questions to Ask Children

What do you like/dislike about this painting?

How does this painting compare with the other two paintings above. What are the similarities and differences?

The Three Skulls (ca. 1902–1906) by Paul Cézanne. Original from The Art Institute of Chicago. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

Questions to Ask Children 

How does this drawing differ to Cezanne’s paintings?

What do you like about the drawing?

Why do you think Cezanne included colour washes in his drawing?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Exploring Still Life

This is featured in the ‘Explore Still Life’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources to explore contemporary artists who study still life.

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.

Hilary Pecis

The imagery in Pecis’ work comes from snapshots taken from trips, visits with friends in their homes or restaurants, and the artist’s surroundings. Pecis focuses on specific details that evoke the feeling of the moment. Pecis then uses texture and brushstroke, colour and pattern, and perspective as tools to create a sense of place. 

Pecis often includes stacks of monographs, exhibition posters, and works by other artists within her compositions, allowing Pecis the opportunity to include different styles of painting in one composition. Cultural art and historical references within her paintings allow the viewer to understand the time and place. – Rachel Offer Gallery

Sleeping Dog, Hilary Pecis, Painting, 2020

Watch the video above as teacher, so you have an understanding of Hilary’s work. Then pause the video at set places to introduce the pupil’s to Hilary’s paintings.

Questions to Ask Children

When you look at one of Hilary’s paintings, what words come to mind? How would you describe it to someone who couldn’t see it?

How do Hilary’s paintings make you feel?

Do you have favourite parts of the paintings? Do you recognise anything you have at home? 

Think about your interests and hobbies- what objects might you include in a still life that reflects snapshots of your life and memories? Could you write/draw them in your sketchbook.

Nicole Dyer

Nicole Dyer creates vibrant paints, drawings and mixed-media assemblages and sculptures that explore contemporary life and everyday objects.

Dyers creates playful still lifes using materials such as paper-mache, collage techniques and impasto, putting a twist on traditional still lifes. 

Find more of Nicole’s work at “Talking Points: Nicole Dyer“.

Palegrino, Nicole Dyer, 2019, Acrylic, flashe, and insulation foam on canvas, 10” x 8”

Questions to Ask Children

Is this a painting or a sculpture?

How would you describe it to someone who couldn’t see it?

What do you think the artist was trying to say with this painting?

What do you like/dislike about this painting?

How does this painting make you think differently about still life paintings?

Bas Meeuws

Bas Meeuws is a digital florist artist. His work inspired by the still life paintings of dutch and Flemish artists in the 18th Century.

“The bouquets actually were impossible constructions, with flowers from different seasons, all in full bloom. I like to emulate this in my work, and to transcend time. The consolation of photography, that is how I see these timeless works.” – Bas Meeuws

Questions to Ask Children

Meeuw’s takes lots of photographs of flowers and other objects and then manipulates the images into one still life. What does this enable him to do, which he couldn’t do if he just took a photograph of an arrangement of flowers? 

In the video he uses a dark background for the photographs. Why do you think he does that?

In the video he mentions 17th century still lives. Take a look at “Talking Points: Flemish & Dutch Still Life” and see if you can see the links between the work of the old painters and that of Meeuw.

What do you like about Meeuws’ photographs?

“I just start and work until I get stuck, then I’ll start something new and go back to it later on,” says Bas Meeuws in the film. Why do you think working like that helps him?

Hirasho Sato

Hiroshi Sato is focused on contemporary realist oil painting. He draws influence from past and present artists including Vermeer, Andrew Wyeth, Euan Uglow and Chuck Close. Sato explores the illusion of form and flatness in space.

Explore more of Sato’s work here.

Questions to Ask Children

Pause on one of the still life paintings in the film (or visit his website) and discuss it with the class.

What words would you use to describe the painting?

Look at the way the shapes and colours are arranged on the canvas in relation to each other (the composition). Where does your eye want to look? 

Can you see a foreground? A background? Is there a difference in the way the artist has painted the foregound and background? 

Can you see any negative space?

What do you like/dislike about this painting?

How does this painting make you feel?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Exploring Still Life

This is featured in the ‘Explore Still Life’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources to explore the work of Hannah Rae.

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.

Hannah Rae

Hannah Rae is a textile artist based in Cambridge. Her work is formed of embroidery and free motion embroidery. 

The works are responses to the environment and the passage of time. The surface of Rae’s work are pieced together through stitch, rust and eco printing, dyeing, painting, and applique; faded and weathered by use and the elements, fragments of past times.

Website

Questions to Ask Children

How does this image make you feel?

Describe the texture of this piece.

How do you think the artist made this work?

Questions to Ask Children

Draw the different marks that you can see.

How would you describe the colours?

If this was an aerial view of a scene, what might the scene be?

How does this piece differ from the first that you saw?

How does this work you feel?

Questions to Ask Children

What do these 3 pieces have in common?

What is different about the 3 pieces?

Which one is your favourite? Why?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Cloth, thread, paint

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

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources to explore the work of Frank Bowling.

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.

Frank Bowling

‘Frank Bowling has been hailed as one of the finest British artists of his generation. Born in British Guiana in 1934, Bowling arrived in London in 1953, graduating from the Royal College of Art with the silver medal for painting in 1962. By the early 1960s, he was recognised as an original force in London’s art scene with a style combining figurative, symbolic and abstract elements.’ – Explore Frank Bowling’s website.

Questions to Ask Children

What objects would you choose to include in a painting? Why?

How would you describe the way he works in one word?

How does scale impact the way that the artist works?

Questions to Ask Children

How does Frank Bowling’s work make you feel?

What do you like/dislike about Frank Bowling’s work?

How does scale impact the viewers experience of the work?

Which geometrical shapes would you include in your abstract painting? Why?

Choose one of Bowling’s paintings to look at in class:

Ask children to describe the colour palette, movement and texture. If you can see objects on the paintings take a closer look and think about why he might have chosen them.

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Cloth, thread, paint

This is featured in the ‘Cloth, Thread, Paint’ 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 to explore the work of Alice Kettle.

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 Kettle

Alice Kettle is a contemporary textile/fibre artist based in the UK. Alice originally trained as a painter and will often begin her work with a painted background which she then embroiders on. Her large scale work is composed of individual tiny stitches, which combine to form great swathes of colour, painterly backgrounds incorporating rich hues.

Alice Kettle, Odyssey, thread on canvas (2003)

The Scalloped Edge

“The project uses stitch as a common cultural language to make connections through motif, process and metaphor. The sharing and exchange of the tacit knowledge with the local community in a series of collaborative works forms an important part of this collection.

Embroidery in Madeira as with British stitchwork, is undertaken primarily by women. The exhibition uses distinctive elements of Madeiran embroidery reinterpreted into my contemporary works in machine and hand stitch. Titled the scalloped edge, which is a feature of this embroidery, it draws upon the characteristic palette of white or blue and the repeated flowing lines in satin stitch and long-and-short stitch.” – Alice Kettle

Watch the first 4 minutes of this video about the project.

Sea Figure, Alice Kettle, 2016, Thread on linen, 223 x 128 cm

Questions to Ask Children

How does the work make you feel?

How do you think that collaboration benefitted the community and the artist?

What connections can you see to the sea in these works?

How does scale impact the viewers experience of the work?

Threadbound

Watch this video to find out more about Alice’s recent collection for the exhibition ‘Threadbound’.

Questions to Ask Children

What do you like/dislike about the work that you can see in this video?

Did one textiles piece stick in your mind? Why?

If you combined an image of yourself with a plant, what would you choose? Why?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Cloth, thread, paint

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

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of sources to explore the work of Lucia Hierro.

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.

Lucia Hierro

Lucia Hierro is a Dominican American artist who fuses photography and sculpture to explore identity, community and consumer culture. 

Lucia is curious about objects, their histories and the identities that are associated with them. 

Find more images of Lucia’s work on her website.

Watch the videos below to find out more about her work.

Explore how Lucia Hierro brings food and culture into a collaboration with Adidas.

Watch this interview with Lucia Hierro exploring where sculpture and photography lines blur.

Marginal Costs Mural & Casita 2021 Digital Print on Cotton Fitted Sheets, Upholstered Twin Mattress 39 x 76 x 5

Mondeo para Baby Chowder 1, 2019 Poly-organdy, Felt and Foam, Digital Print on Brushed Nylon 42 x 57 x 5 inc

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you can see.

How do the colours in the installations make you feel?

How does her work make you feel?

How would it feel to be in that space, interacting with the sculptures?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Festival Feasts

This is featured in the ‘Festival Feasts’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see