By Paula Briggs and Andrea Butler

The starting point for this project was a donation of jewellery from One Button. We challenged participants to think about how they could use the jewellery as a material with which to make sculpture.

The pieces of jewellery were often beautiful and striking – all had big personalities, so it was sometimes daunting to see how it could be transformed and its personality changed. Participants had to be brave, take creative risks and more often than not deconstruct before they constructed. Exploring and adding new materials, using tools and thinking creatively about how things balance and how things could be fastened all contributed to the process. In all cases we advised participants not to design on paper first, but instead to design through making.

Enjoy the results below.

To access all content, I would like to join as…

An Individual

Creative practitioners, educators, teachers, parents, learners…

From £3.50

An Organisation…

Schools, Colleges, Arts Organisations: Single and Multi-Users

From £42

AccessArt is a UK Charity and we believe everyone has the right to be creative. AccessArt provides inspiration to help us all reach our creative potential.

You May Also Like…

Transforming Cardboard with Andrea Butler

Artist Andrea Butler shows how to explore simple design and construction using cardboard and jewellery. Read More

What We Like About This Resource….

“This activity is a great example of how we can use paper as the focus of creativity. Often we use paper purely for drawing or painting on, but here, it is central to the activity itself. While these particular folded sculptures have their roots in Turkish culture, you could still deliver the activity if looking at things like Origami too, thus linking it across different cultures” – Rachel, AccessArt

You Might Also Like….

Puzzle Purses Part 1

Puzzle Purses Part 2

Paperback Figures

What We Like About This Resource….

“It’s really interesting to hear how the interest Liz has in the quality of light comes from a personal place and is something she has responded to since childhood. Seeing how her work has developed over the years is therefore a really positive re enforcement that individual creative journeys, where nurtured, are so central to a rich arts education. We also love hearing Liz is always on the ‘quest for knowledge’ – meaning she is open to her ideas constantly evolving and the process of gathering new information and inspiration never stops!” – Rachel, AccessArt

You May Also Like…

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

Lightbulb Art

Mini World Light Boxes

Visual Arts Planning: LIght and Dark

What We Like About This Resource….

“This project links poignant subject matter with meaningful art processes and local history. What we learn about the re purposing of materials, (in this case spent ammunition) re affirms how we can use what is around us as a starting point to making and creating. You could extend or adapt this project by looking at broken pottery, re purposing that into new sculptures that link with Roman or other local historical cultures” – Rachel, AccessArt

You May Also Like….

Henry Moore’s Shelter Drawings

Remembrance Day Soldiers

For Remembrance Day

What We Like About This Resource….

“We really enjoyed reading about the process of creating art work according to a design brief and how the experience of this differs to when an artist begins with their own idea or concept. That’s not to say an artist can’t approach a brief with their own individual style and ideas, but what this post shows us is that there can be a balance between the two. This would be a great resource to show older KS pupils who may be beginning to consider their options beyond Primary School”. – Rachel, AccessArt

You Might Also Like….

Pathway: 2D Drawing to 3D Making

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

Talking Points: Packaging Design

What is Typography

Which Artist: Rachel Parker

Repeating Patterns

Block Printing Repeat Patterns

What We Like About This Resource….

“It’s interesting to hear Theresa describe Printmaking as a social activity, with the shared use of materials and equipment so central to the practice. This could be a positive way of working for lots of children in school, where instead of just working on individual art work, they can collaborate and embrace the creative sharing experience!” – Tobi, AccessArt.

You Might Also Like….

Monoprint Animals

Screen printing Inspired by Matisse

An Exploration of Shepherd Fairey

You Might Also Like….

Ancient Greek Lyres

Decorative Coil Clay Pots

Visual Arts Planning: Clay

See the Resource Used in Schools…

What We Like About This Resource….

“The sentiment behind this resource idea is lovely and it provides an opportunity to really develop some fine motor skills as well as independence of approach. Taking ownership of the medal design means the sense of achievement is heightened beyond the children just being given one. You can really imagine the positive energy that would surround this activity within a classroom, with each child working on a shared project but embarking on their own creative journey.”  – Rachel, AccessArt

You May Also Like….

Pathway: Playful Making

Featured in the ‘Playful Making’ pathway

Talking Points: Introduction to sculpture

Clay Art Medals

Talking Points: Nnena Kalu

Talking Points: Linda BEll

What We Like About This Resource….

“It’s great to see music being explored in this way, and combining it with making creates a really interesting immersive project. This activity would work well as part of an extended project looking at musical instruments around the world and some of the natural materials they are made from.” – Rachel, AccessArt

You Might Also Like….

Pathway: Music and art

This is featured in the ‘Music and Art’ pathway

talking points: wassily Kandinsky

drawing source material: orchestras

A Cheerful Orchestra

Talking Points: Linda BEll

Talking Points: Nnena Kalu

What We Like About This Resource….

“You can get a real sense of the environment in this post and how this could provide so much inspiration for creative projects. We are aware there the challenges to exploring the outdoors when many schools are in towns and cities. A way around this could be to have a regular collection of natural objects within the classroom and using them as a stimulus to respond creatively in sketchbooks or in extended projects” – Andrea, AccessArt

You Might Also Like….

Woodland Exploration

A Passion for Woodworking

Visual Arts PLanning: Tees, Forest and Landscapes

What We Like About This Resource….

“It’s always so inspiring to hear how different artists work and we particularly like the detailed references Jake makes to his process – marking out the composition using neutral tones; adding and taking away compositional elements and gradually building in more colour and detail. Delivering a still life session in a classroom could begin with this process and encourage the practice of looking at positive and negative space. Some suggested resources below also touch on this”. – Rachel, AccessArt

You Might Also Like….

Tackling Still Life for Children

Drawing Negative Space

Visual Arts Planning: Still Life

What We Like About This Resource….

“It’s really interesting to hear how Su’s career path evolved organically, and how experimenting with different disciplines such as ceramics and sculpture whilst studying Textiles at the RCA began her journey towards paper craft and books. We really like how the small book sculptures inspired the larger scale set designs for The Snow Queen. They transfer so effectively to the stage and you can imagine how engaging it would be for a young audience to recognise letters and words on lampposts and other scenic elements”. – Rachel, AccessArt

You Might Also Like….

Creating a Book World

Sketch Set Design Models

Set Design for Primary Aged Children

You May Also Like…

Pathway: Exploring Form Through Drawing

This is featured in the ‘Exploring Form Through Drawing’ pathway

Watercolour Washes Inspired by the Tapestries of Henry Moore

What We Like About This Resource

“It’s really interesting to see the combination of hand and digital work in Rachel’s work, and particularly how her hand stitched embroidery is scanned before being used to create patterned products. We love that lots of Rachel’s work begins in sketchbooks and how this really underpins her creative process. For children in school, learning to utilise a sketchbook and discover their potential though drawing and mapping ideas is invaluable. We have a whole Sketchbook Journey section on the AccessArt website (linked below) which explores this in more detail”. – Rachel, AccessArt.

You Might Also Like….

Pathway: Exploring pattern

This is featured in the ‘Exploring Pattern’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

Inspired by Rachel Parker

Sewn Treasure Box

Felt and Embroidery Sets

What We Like About This Resource….

“The sense of journey and feeling of movement is such an interesting part of Cas’ textile work here. We love how location and place is communicated through the variety of fluid and meandering textile marks used. Cas’ Romani background as well as early experience living in Japan make for a rich cultural backdrop to her work. The themes here could be explored in the classroom by asking children to use memories of places they’ve visited to produce a creative response using fabrics and mixed media” – Rachel, AccessArt

You Might Also Like….

Draw Your Home

Working With and In the Landscape

Landscape Sculptures