A collection of sources and imagery to explore artist Laura McKendry’s love of nature.

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. 

Laura McKendry

Laura McKendry is an artist who lives and works in London. She takes her inspiration from wildlife and nature.

Explore more of Laura’s work on her website.

In this video Laura McKendry explains how the natural world inspires every aspect of her work – from the art itself to the materials with which she works.

Questions to Ask Children

Which season is your favourite? Why?

Is there a space in your local area where you would like to sit and draw?

How do you think sitting in nature whilst drawing differs to working in a studio?

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 a part of AccessArt membership.

Drone Footage Over Natural Landscape

Use the film below as source material to enable an exploration of drawing natural landscapes. You can also try to find drone footage of your own environment, or that of areas relating to projects you are covering in school.

Pause the footage at points which catch your eye and invite the children to make timed drawings – 15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 2 minutes or 1 minute. 

Vary the drawing materials you use and work in sketchbooks or sheets of paper of different sizes and textures. You may also like to make multiple line drawings over one page – each with a different colour or line weight, to describe different pause points in the same film to capture a moving landscape. 

Patagonia, South America

Howqua Hills, Australia

Reading, UK

The Netherlands

This Source Material Features in…

Pathway: Cloth, thread, paint

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

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

How can small ideas in a sketchbook grow into something much bigger?

Shaun Tan uses his sketchbooks as a space for exploring ideas. Starting small, he works without pressure, drawing and writing down any idea that comes to mind. From there, he selects the strongest ones and gradually develops them into fully fledged stories, graphic novels, and animations. 

Watch the videos below and discuss the questions that follow to build a deeper understanding of Shaun Tan’s work.

Please Note:

This page includes links and videos from external sites, verified at publication but subject to change.

Teachers should review all content for classroom suitability.

Report any issues, and check school firewall settings if videos don’t play.

Shaun Tan

Shaun Tan grew up in Perth and works as an artist, writer and film-maker in Melbourne. He is best known for illustrated books that deal with social and historical subjects through dream-like imagery, widely translated throughout the world and enjoyed by readers of all ages. –Shaun Tan

See more of Shaun Tan’s work on his website.

Shaun Tan’s Sketchbook Work

Watch the film below to hear how Shaun approaches his early sketchbook work, and how he then develops this into more finished artwork. 

Stop the video at various points so that you can have a discussion with the children to help them think through what Shaun might mean by his various working practices.

The Arrival

Watch the trailer for ‘The Arrival’ by Shaun Tan.

Watch the video above to see the full animation of Shaun Tan’s graphic novel. 

Questions to Ask Children

Do you like Shaun Tans work? Why?

How do his drawings make you feel?

What kind of atmosphere did you pick up on in ‘The Arrival?’ How do you think he achieved this?

Do you think that Shaun Tan was successful in capturing the story without any writing or text? Why?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Storytelling through drawing

This is featured in the ‘Storytelling Through Drawing’ pathway

Additional Pathway: Drawing and Making Inspired by Illustrators

This is featured in the ‘Drawing and Making Inspired by Illustrators’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

How can the materials we use when drawing help us tell a story?

When illustrating a children’s story, Laura Carlin incorporates a variety of techniques, from the materials she uses to their scale and colour. The way she chooses to represent the words on the page goes beyond illustrating the obvious, bringing greater depth and life to the story.

Watch the video below and answer the following questions to begin exploring Laura Carlin’s work.

Please Note:

This page includes links and videos from external sites, verified at publication but subject to change.

Teachers should review all content for classroom suitability.

Report any issues, and check school firewall settings if videos don’t play.

Laura Carlin

Primarily known for her work as an illustrator, Laura Carlin’s ambitious and emotionally resonant work has led to some of the most striking contemporary books for children, including her award-winning illustrations for The Iron Man, The Promise and for her solo project A World of Your Own. – Waterstones

Explore all of the books that Laura Carlin has illustrated here.

Questions to Ask Children

Do you like the illustrations in The King of the Sky? Why?

How do they make you feel?

What colours might you feature in an illustration if the story was about being hopeful? Fearful? Lonely? Happy?

How has Laura’s use of materials and composition helped with the storyline? 

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Storytelling through drawing

This is featured in the ‘Storytelling Through Drawing’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

As part of our 25 year celebration, and to help advocate the importance of art education at all stages of life, AccessArt is pleased to announce we have partnered with Postcard Models, makers of beautiful models, based in South East Kent.

The AccessArt Art School

We are so excited! To help us celebrate our 25th birthday, Postcard Models have designed a very special kit for us.

The AccessArt Art School is a beautiful industrial building that you can make and customise so that you can create your very own Art School.  There is even an empty “billboard” so that you can paint or write your own message to the world about the importance of art to you. 

We have a number of these kits to give away at our upcoming Zoom CPD events. You can also win a kit via submitting your response to “Shout Louder About Art education” opposite. The kits are available to buy directly from Postcard Models.

Tag @accessart.org.uk @postcardmodels and #AccessArtSchool on Instagram when you share your AccessArt School!

Please note these kits are not for children. 

Shouting Louder About Art Education

AccessArt has been advocating for the importance of visual arts education for 25 years. 

We are collecting evidence from individuals as to why visual arts education is important to you and your audiences. 

Whether you are a parent, carer, or educator (any setting) please take the time to tell us what art education means to you. We hope to build a library of testimonies which help us further campaign for, and support, the need for visual arts education at all stages of life. 

Shout Louder About Art Education now. 6 respondents will win one of the Postcard Models AccessArt School kits (deadline 31st May 2024).

Thank you, Paula Briggs, CEP & Creative Director AccessArt

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the paper cut outs.

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.

Phillipp Otto Runge

Red Currant, Philipp Otto Runge (German, Wolgast 1777–1810 Hamburg) Late 18th–Early 19th century, Silhouette, sheet: 13 9/16 x 11 5/8 in. (34.5 x 29.5 cm), Janet Lee Kadesky Ruttenberg Fund, in honor of Colta Ives, and Mary Martin Fund, 2010

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you can see.

Describe the different types of edges that you can see.

Henri Matisse Cut Outs

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you can see.

What do the cut outs remind you off?

Pippa Dyrlaga

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you can see.

How do you think the artist has created this?

How has the artist used negative space?

See more of Pippa’s cut outs on her website.

Thomas Witte

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you can see.

How has the artist used negative space?

How does Thomas’ work make you feel?

What do you like/dislike about his work?

Visit Thomas’ website to find more of his work.

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 the work of Davy and Kristin McGuire.

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.

The Paper Architect

The Paper Architect is a play combining paper-craft, animation, projection mapping and performance. It tells the story of an old model-maker who uses his paper creations as vessels for his imagination.

The show features tiny, accurately mapped animations playing across intricate paper sets. 

See more of their work on their here.

Questions to Ask Children

How do the Paper Architect make you feel?

How would you describe the atmosphere of The Paper Architect?

Do you like it? Why?

If you could cut a paper structure and make it come to life what you it be? Why?

The Icebook

The Icebook – the world’s first projection mapped pop-up book. An exquisite experience of fragile paper cutouts and video projections that sweep you right into the heart of a fantasy world. It is an intimate and immersive experience of animation, book art and performance.

This Talking Points Is Used In…

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 explore the work of Nicole Dyer.

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.

Nicole Dyer

Like the 14th-century Dutch still-life painters who depicted tabletops piled high with edible symbols of wealth, power, and mortality, Dyer, a 2013 BFA graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, compulsively catalogs the objects that attract their attention with the allure of satiety and wholeness and packs them into dense tableaus of excess. –BMoreArt

Explore more work by Nicole Dyer here.

Ladies, Ladies, Ladies, 2018 Acrylic, ink, collage, and ceramic on canvas 16” x 12”

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you see in the paintings.

How does it make you feel?

What do you think the artist is trying to say with this work?

Describe the colour palette. How does the colour effect the mood of the painting?

If you were to include some of your favourite books in a still life painting, what would they be? Why?

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you see.

How does it make you feel?

What materials do you think were used to make these food sculptures?

Which sculpture is your favourite? Why?

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

A sculptural challenge encouraging the exploration of colour.

Artwork by Krijn de Koning

Questions for Children

How would it feel to be in the spaces Krijn creates?

How do you think he chooses the colour for each wall? How do you think the shape and size of the wall affects the colour too?

Find more of Krijn’s work here.

Sculptural Challenge! 

Use Krijn’s work as your inspiration, think about how you might make a series of colourful walls. You won’t be building a life-size sculptural installation (not today anyway!) but instead you can either make a model or create a piece of 2d artwork which shares your vision. Remember, because you are not creating the artwork then you can really be imaginative and dream!

Here are some clues, but you may have your own ideas too:

Use your sketchbook to “collect” colours that you like. Find them in magazines by cutting swatches out, find them by mixing paints, find them by mixing other materials. Record them, test them, label them, make notes (what colours did you mix?), name them (the names you give them might help you to describe the affect they have on you).

Next think about what the “walls” would be like. What shape? What size? Would they enclose? Would they have holes? Would there be a roof? How do they connect? How would the person get in to the space? How would you want the person to feel? Again, use your sketchbook to plot and plan. 

Think too about the location or context you would like your sculptural installation to be in. Would you like it to be in the Antarctic? The jungle? The high street? Again, use your sketchbook. 

Think about how you would apply your colours to the walls? Would each wall be one colour? Would you introduce pattern? Images? Again, use your sketchbook.

Finally, either make a model using card, paint, fabric etc to share your vision, or make a 2d artwork. 

See This Resource Used In Schools…

You May Also Like…

Pathway: Brave Colour

This is featured in the ‘Brave colour’ pathway

Talking Points: Yinka Ilori

Talking Points: Morag Myerscough

A sculptural challenge to encourage the exploration of colour, light and form.

Questions for Children:

Can you imagine what it would be like to be in a room with the installations in the videos above? How would it make you feel? What do they remind you of?

How do you think the colour affects the mood?

Sculptural Challenge! 

Using the artwork in the videos above as your inspiration, think about how you might design a sculptural installation which involves light, form and colour. 

You won’t be building a life-size sculptural installation (not today anyway!) but instead you can either make a model or create a piece of 2d artwork which shares your vision. Remember, because you are not creating the artwork then you can really be imaginative and dream!

Here are some clues, but you may have your own ideas too:

Use your sketchbook to “collect” colours that you like. Find them in magazines by cutting swatches out, find them by mixing paints, find them by mixing other materials. Record them, test them, label them, make notes (what colours did you mix?), name them (the names you give them might help you to describe the affect they have on you).

Think about the kinds of forms (shapes) you would like the coloured light to fall on to. Would you like the coloured light to surround a person, or would you like the person to pass near the objects? How would the person enter the space? Would the space be very small or very large? How would you want the person to feel? Again, use your sketchbook to plot and plan. 

Think too about the space you would like the coloured light to be in. Would you like it to be a dark space so that the lights show up against the darkness, or would you prefer a light space, so that it feels floaty and ephemeral? 

Think about how you would apply your colours to the walls? Would each wall be one colour? Would you introduce pattern? Images? Again, use your sketchbook.

Finally, either make a model using card, paint, fabric etc to share your vision, or make a 2d artwork. If you make a small space, you might like to be inspired by the Mini Art World Resource and use coloured filters and torches to replicate the space. 

You May Also Like…

Pathway: Brave Colour

This is featured in the ‘Brave colour’ pathway

Which Artists: Liz West

Talking Points: Carnovsky

Talking Points: Olafur Eliasson

How can installation art transform a space and change our relationship with the environment?

Olafur Eliasson creates large-scale installations that immerse audiences in experiences of light, colour, reflection, and shadow. Using projections, film, photography, and sculpture, he encourages us to think about how we connect with nature and the wider world. His work invites reflection on both everyday changes in our environment and larger issues such as climate change. 

Watch the videos below and use the following questions to begin a discussion about Olafur Eliasson’s work.

Please Note:

This page includes links and videos from external sites, verified at publication but subject to change.

Teachers should review all content for classroom suitability.

Report any issues, and check school firewall settings if videos don’t play.

Olafur Eliasson

Olafur Eliasson’s interest in light came from growing up in Iceland, where for half of the year the country is in darkness. 

Olafur is known for sculpture and large-scale installation art employing elemental materials such as light, water, and air temperature to enhance the viewer’s experience.

Explore more of Olafur’s work here.

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you see.

How does this make you feel?

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

How do you think the artist creates these playful light installations?

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you see.

How do you think it would feel to interact with the light installations?

Does it make you think about space and colour in different ways?

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

How can changing an element of our environment make what we see or feel seem different?

Artist duo Carnovsky manipulate light within the environment to change the appearance of flat images. As the light changes, different drawings are revealed, unveiling previously unseen images and allowing a sense of narrative to emerge. New forms appear and then disappear, creating a sense of depth on a 2D surface. 

Watch the videos below and use the following questions to begin a discussion about Carnovsky’s RGB project. 

Please Note:

This page includes links and videos from external sites, verified at publication but subject to change.

Teachers should review all content for classroom suitability.

Report any issues, and check school firewall settings if videos don’t play.

Carnovsky

Carnovsky is a Milan-based art and design duo comprised of Francesco Rugi and Silvia Quintanilla.

RGB is a work about the exploration of the “surface’s deepness”. 

RGB designs create surfaces that mutate and interact with different chromatic stimulus.

Carnovsky’s RGB is an ongoing project that experiments with the interaction between printed and light colours. The resulting images are unexpected and disorienting. Colors mix, lines and shapes entwine and not completely clear. Through a coloured filter (a light or a transparent material) it is possible to see clearly the layers in which the image is composed. The filter’s colours are red, green and blue, each one of them serves to reveal one of the three layers. Carnovsky

Questions to Ask Children

Describe what you see.

How does it make you feel when you see the image change before your eyes?

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

What do you think the artists are trying to do through the artwork?

Why do you think that light has an effect of specific colours?

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 imagery and sources designed to introduce students to artist, Linda Bell.

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 the AccessArt Membership.

Linda Bell

“Linda creates large-scale, interactive, and performative sculptural works. Through her multifaceted, experimental approach, Linda explores the sensory nature of materials, such as foil, paper, and fabric. She transforms the materials as they are reshaped and assembled together. The tactile qualities of the materials are vital. Linda seeks out materials that satisfy her need to create certain movements and shapes, which she then repeats to create multiple forms that expand into larger work.

Linda then transforms the work through rigorous movement, interactions, and impromptu performance. Sharing the movement of her sculptural work and the performative experience is crucial to her practice, for Linda to explore the relationship between herself, her work and the viewer or collaborator.” – ActionSpace

Questions to Ask Students

What can you see?

What do you think Linda’s sculptures feel like to touch?

How does Linda’s work make you feel?

How might you interact with Linda’s work?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Playful Making

This resource is features in the ‘Playful Making’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

A collection of imagery and sources designed to introduce students to artist, Nnena Kalu.

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 the AccessArt Membership.

Nnena Kalu

Nnena is a practising artist at ActionSpace, a visual arts organisation that supports artists with learning disibilities.

‘Over the last two decades, Nnena Kalu has created a large body of sculptural and two-dimensional work and developed a live, performative element to her art practice, creating site-specific installations.

Nnena’s sculptural installations begin with compact ‘cocoons’ of textiles and paper tightly packed in colourful cellophane. Repeated forms then build with extensive binding and wrapping with layers of paper, tape and lines of unspooled VHS tapes. When exhibited these sculptural forms are created live in- situ, being made and remade throughout live installs.

Nnena’s two-dimensional works are sculptural explorations of space dictated by the length and reach of Nnena’s arms, as well as the size of the paper. In the making of these works, which are often produced in pairs, the second an echo of the first, a rhythm is built up and multiple layers constructed. As with Nnena’s sculptural works, the drawings are an exploration of continuous line, shifting and ever-evolving forms.’-  ActionSpace

Questions to Ask Students

Describe Nnena’s sculptural process.

When you look at Nnena’s drawings, what can you see? How does the rhythm and pace of the drawing effect the lines?

What do you like about Nnena’s sculptures / drawings?

If you were watching Nnena create a live installation, what kind of sounds might you hear?

Imagine you are interacting with the sculptures, what do you think the sculptures would feel like texturally?

How does Nnena’s work make you feel?

Do Nnena’s sculptures remind you of anything?

This Talking Points Is Used In…

Pathway: Playful Making

This resource is features in the ‘Playful Making’ pathway

using sketchbooks to make visual notes

Show me what you see

Adapting AccessArt: Playful Making Inspired by Nnena Kalu

A collection of sources and imagery to explore the work of Njideka Akunyili Crosby.

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.

Njideka Akunyili Crosby

Njideka is originally from Nigeria but trained as an artist is America, which is where she now lives. This duality of experience has given Njideka a fresh perspective on the places and cultures that she has experienced.

Njideka’s paintings draw on art historical, political and personal references, Njideka Akunyili Crosby creates densely layered figurative compositions that express the complexity of contemporary experience.

Many of Akunyili Crosby’s images feature figures – images of family and friends – in scenarios derived from familiar domestic experiences: eating, drinking, watching TV.

While the artist’s formative years in Nigeria are a constant source of inspiration, Akunyili Crosby’s grounding in Western art history adds further layers of reference.  – Victoria Miro Gallery

Watch the videos below to find out more. 

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

Questions to Ask Children

Pause the video at various points where you can see details of Njideka’s paintings, or find an image on Njideka’s website and discuss the following questions…

Describe what you think is happening in this painting/this detail. 

What do you think the person in the painting could be thinking about?

How does Njideka use layers in her work to help her create imagery. 

How does this painting make you feel?

How might the painting reflect Njideka’s identity?

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 Chauu masks in performances.

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. 

Chhau Masks

Chhau dance is a semi classical Indian dance with martial and folk traditions. It is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed, i.e. the Purulia Chau of West Bengal, the Seraikella Chau of Jharkhand and the Mayurbhanj Chau of Odisha.

The dance ranges from celebrating martial arts, acrobatics and athletics performed in festive themes of a folk dance, to a structured dance with religious themes. The costumes vary between the styles, with masks being used to identify the characters.

The stories enacted by Chhau dancers include those from  Indian literature.

Find out more about the “Craft of Accessorising for Chhau dancers” and “How the Craft of Mask Making Transforms the Dancers” with Google Arts and Culture.

Click on the image above to find out more about Seraikella Chhau Dance.

Questions to Ask Children

How do the masks make you feel?

How do you feel watching parts of the performance?

How would you describe the colours?

What kinds of materials are used to make the masks? 

A collection of sources to explore contemporary artists who create masks.

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. 

Romuald Hazoumè

West African artist Romuald Hazoumé creates contemporary African masks made using discarded plastic containers, in particular petrol canisters. The petrol canisters are used by lots of people in West Africa and represent the artist’s heritage. They also represent his critical vision of political systems.

“I send back to the West that which belongs to them, that is to say, the refuse of consumer society that invades us every day.”

Questions to Ask Children

How do the masks make you feel?

Do you like the masks? Why?

What do you think the artist is trying to say through the artwork?

What other recycled or waste materials could we use to make masks? 

Damselfrau

Damselfrau focuses on play and make as few conscious decisions as possible to let the materials lead. Damselfrau design the masks as she makes, responding to materials as opposed to a drawn design.

The masks are perhaps more accurately described as wearable sculptures. The ornate creations fuse the boundaries between fashion and design.

Questions to Ask Children

How do these masks make you feel?

How do these masks compare to Romuald’s masks?

If you encountered someone wearing the of the masks how would you feel?

Thalassic Masks

The Thalassic Masks project focuses on rethinking the protective mask, transforming a medical product, born in a state of emergency, into a design statement expressing contemporary identities.

The artists Filippo Nassetti and Vincezo Reale believe that beyond Covid-19, further implications of climate change and the disruption of ecological environments, such as air pollution and transformations in the atmosphere, may see protective devices become more and more an essential extension of the human body.

Questions to Ask Children

Do you like the Thalassic masks?

How does the mask make you feel?

Do you think that it’s an improvement on the surgical masks you’ve had to wear over the past 2 years?

A collection of imagery and sources designed to explore different flip books.

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. 

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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. 

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

Animate the Earth

Animate the Earth uses a book as the foundation for the flip book. Using an old book is a good way to make a flip book quickly. The background text can also add some character to the animation. You could even use the story line or theme of the book to inspire the storyline of your flip book.

Questions to Ask Children

Do you like the background of words on a page? Why?

What is your favourite part of the animation?

Do you think the artist planned what was going to happen next or was just playing with what is possible?

Colibri Flip Book

Graphite and coloured pencil on paper, stainless steel, delrin, motor electronics 10x10x12.7 CM.2011 By J. C. Fontanive

J. C. Fontanive

Fontanive invented the first flip book machine in his bedroom from old bike, car and clock parts and vinyl records. The invention explores moving image, form and structure. Multiple frames are shown in sequence to form the animation. The fluttering of the paper provides a natural soundtrack bring the still images to life.

Quiknesse, 2009 flipbook machine

Questions to Ask Children

What kind of bird do you think that this features in these flip book machines?

Which is your favourite and why?

Does the painted background of Quiknesse add anything to the flip book machine? If so, what?

What bird would you like to see in a flip book machine?

Volume 5 of Harumin Asao’s Cat series

Harumin Asao is a Japanese illustrator who uses flip books as a way to create short and playful animations.

Using small pages for flip books gives a nice control when flipping through as opposed to bigger thinner pages. 

Questions to Ask Children

What your favourite animal?

Think about how that animal might greet you when you get home.

Flip Book Within a Flip Book

The Flippist creates hand drawn flip books as a career, from engagement proposals to more commercial projects the Flippest has made a flip book for every occasion.

Questions to Ask Children

If you could make a flip book for any occasion what would it be?

Whats your favourite part of this flip book and why?

What other objects could replace the volcano and leak out of the flip book?

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