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Art In

Nature

Student Hand Book


By Suzanne Brewster
"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his
pictures" -Henry Ward Beecher

Image 1
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Table of Contents
Introduction to Art in Nature ................................................................................................................ 6
Activity 1 - Looking for Animals and Insects in Nature ....................................................................... 7
Artist 1 Cathy McClelland ................................................................................................................ 9
Activity 2 - Learning the elements of Visual Art ............................................................................. 12
Activity 3 Mini Garden Pictures ..................................................................................................... 15
Activity 4 Origami Artist 4 Akira Yoshizawa ............................................................................ 20
Activity 5 Aboriginal Bark Painting Video on Bark Painting ........................................................ 22
Artist 5 Billy Yirawala...................................................................................................................... 24

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WHO does this
Book belong to?

.
.

Write your
name in the
space
provided
above.
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Introduction to Art in Nature

Hi Year 3/4. My name is Kit, Kit the Koala.


During this unit in Art, you will be working on
activities based around Art in Nature.
This booklet is for you to keep and use when
your teacher will be doing Art in one of your
sessions during each week.
Together with your teacher I will guide and
assist you along your journey in learning
about creating art in nature and critiquing
art- yours and others.
We will learn about some inspirational artists
and look at their art work and learn about
their technique/s.
So, be ready to be inspired and stimulated to
create your own art works along the learning
journey and have fun!

When you see me


then you know your
teacher wants you to
read about an artist,
learn a technique or
do an activity. 6
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Introduction to Art in Nature

Man, has been painting as


early as 25,000 BC and his
subjects of those early
paintings were animals.
Animals of course are part of
our beautiful nature, and
have been painted all the way
through our history.
Conservation of the worlds
environment and our heritage
in nature has bought about a
new awareness of examples
of works of art from around
the world depicting living
things (Nature in Art Gallery
and Museum, 2017).

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Activity 1 - Looking for Animals and Insects in Nature

L king for animals in nature


Activity 1
Looking for
animals in
nature then
doing a
drawing

Image 2 - Animalswill be easy to find outside in the


school garden where they live. In pairs I want you to
go outside and see what animals or insects you can
find? Wait until your teacher tells you its okay to
begin the first activity.
What did you find in the school garden? Write down
your findings with your partner in the table below.

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Now that youre sitting back at your desk, draw Kits Tip: Draw
your animals and
the animals or insects that you wrote down in your insects with HB
table with your partner. Make sure you use your pencil first, then
colour-in.
crayons or felt pens to include lots of detail and
colour.

Dont forget to take a


photograph on the class iPad
and place a copy on the back
page of your booklet.

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Artist 1 Cathy McClelland

Activity 3

Cathy McClelland Fine Art Art Critique

Image 3 - Cathy McClelland is an Australian artist who lives at the foothills of


the Bunya Mountains National Park in Queensland, on a cattle property with
her husband and animals. The outdoors is Cathys favourite place, which
encourages her to continue her work and enjoy all the wow moments. One
of Cathys proven favourite paintings, which is named the Tap dancer, came
about one summer when Cathy and her family were eating lunch. The little
Blue Wren was playing in the shade in and around an old tap, when Cathys
youngest daughter called out to Mum, look Mummy hes a Tap dancer and
the rest they say is history.

Image 4 Is one of a series called Tap Dancers


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Cathy McClelland is a contemporary realist, wildlife and landscape Australian artist,


who works in acrylic, oils and mixed media. Below are some more examples of
Cathys beautiful creations. Notice that all the paintings are of animals and or
landscapes. Going down the page the first one is called Country Life, second one is
Bunya Mountains and the third painting is, Birds & Wildlife.

Image 5 Country Life

Image 6 Bunya Mountains

Image 7 Birds & Wildlife


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Activity 2 - Learning the elements of Visual Art

Lets first talk about


painting, and the
elements of visual art.

Colour: red, blue, green, yellow etc. Some paintings have many colours and
some have none. Colours can bring about feelings and moods, for example blue
is cool, icy, calming, green is tranquil, soothing and of nature, red is hot, happy,
strong or angry, white is peace and innocence or even cold or bland.

Line: A mark on a painting with length and direction. Types of lines include
horizontal, vertical, wavy, curved, bent, straight etc. Line can control a viewers
eye and where to look as well bring about movement like wind, or a person
dancing.

Shape: Forms such as circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, ovals, etc. Shapes
create balance in an art work.

.
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Texture: The feel of an artwork: rough, smooth, soft, hard, etc. Texture can be real (for
example, an oil painting may be bumpy) or an artist may create the appearance of a texture.
So, texture is the way an object may feel to the touch like the fur on an animal.

Value: The lightness and darkness of the colours used in the painting. Value can also be the
shade of colour for example dark green to light green. Drawing and painting is about the
seeing.

Key Words: Developing art literacies is important to understand what the artist is
saying. Here are some new words analysing, evaluating, critique, understanding
genres, producing, executing and performing.
4CS: Is communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.
Communication will help you discuss or critique your understandings of different art
works.
Collaboration in small groups communicating, to solve problems.
Critical thinking is the ability to reason effectively, make judgements and decisions,
and solve problems.
Creativity is a construction or demonstration of what the artist knows and
understands. Creativity requires you to problem solve, come up with different
solutions; by creating a product then reflect on, revise, and share with others.
So now you know about the visual elements of visual art (colour, line, shape, texture
and value). Have a go at answering the questions on the next page as an art
critique. Remember you can always refer back to your learning to help you.

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Which of Cathy McClellands art works is your favourite and why?

What are the types of lines you can see in the artwork, called Country Life?
What part do you think the lines play in the painting?

What are the shapes used in the art work called Bunya Mountains?

How do the colours used in the art piece Country Life make you feel and
why? Hint Tired, Excited, Hot, Happy, Cold

Which of Cathy McClellans paintings have texture and name the items that
you find?

In the painting named Bunya Mountains can you see where the artist has
used value, the lightness and darkness of colours?

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Activity 3 Mini Garden Pictures

I Activity 3 Activity Now lets see what else you can find and gather
m
Mini from Mother Nature? Image 8, below left gives you
Garden an idea of the types of items you can find in and around
the garden. If you have some unusual nature objects that
Pictures you would like to bring in from home, or you found when
walking along the beach or hiking in the bush you are
most welcome to do so.
I want your imaginations to have no boundaries, be super
creative! I want you to create a mini garden picture: with
the items, you have collected.
Materials you can use:
Gum nuts
Dry or green leaves that are all different shapes and
sizes
Pine cones, pine needles
Drift wood, sticks, or bark
Flowers or buds fresh or dried
Moss
Image 8 Sand or dirt
Small rocks
You will also require some of these items as well;
string, raffia, a basket or wooden box, old wooden
draws, plant pots, trays, A3 size paper or stands to put
your mini garden into.

In this activity, you will be experimenting


using different materials that are found in
nature to make a Mini Garden Picture. After
you have drawn your design and ready for the
creating stage, you will demonstrate your
creativity and produce a Mini Garden Picture 15

from nature.
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Artist 3 Dietmar Voorwold


Firstly, lets look at a creations in nature artist
Dietmar Voorwold who was born in 1957 in Germany,
but now resides and works in Scotland. His main focus
when creating his work is self-expression, joy and
inspiration. Dietmar Voorwold creates beautiful
temporary works of natural land art by arranging rocks,
leaves and other natural materials into geometric
shapes and patterns. Below are some of examples of
his work (Artist arrange rocks and leaves into beautiful
geometric land art. 2015).

Images 9 and 10 16
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Image 9
Image 10

Image 11

Image 12

Images 9 to 12 are showing you examples of Mini Garden Pictures


that have been made from different materials found in the garden or
the bush. Before you go and start collecting your materials you will
need to draw a picture of what design you are going to create for
your Mini Garden. So, have a think about your design and what
might be fun or what interests you. Then you can turn the page and
get started on your design (drawing).

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Material Requirements: HB Pencil, eraser, ruler, your imagination.

My design picture for Mini Garden

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You are now ready to produce your mini garden from


your design picture. By now your teacher would have
instructed you to gather all necessary materials to
complete your picture. When you have finished dont
forget to take a photograph on the class iPad. A copy
of your creation can be placed at the back of this
booklet.

Image 13 Image 14

Now you have finished producing your mini garden picture, what adjectives
describes your art piece?

Were you happy with the choice of materials chosen or should you have
experimented further before producing your art work, and why?

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Activity 4 Origami Artist 4 Akira Yoshizawa


Activity 4
All about Origami the art of folding paper Origami

of folding paper
Origami is the ancient art of Japanese paper folding, an art form spanning over one
thousand years. The word origami comes from the Japanese language. Ori means
folded and kami means paper. In Japan, today the art of Origami is widely practiced
by children, parents and grandparents. Originally considered a childs activity origami
now attracts the interest of mathematicians, engineers, scientists, computer
programmers and professional artists.
(Image
Ex 15 below)

Akira Yoshizawa (1911-2005) was a


Japanese origamis, and considered to be
the grandmaster of origami. He has been
credited with raising origami from a craft
to a living art. The images on the right
are of Mr Yoshizawa. One is a Image 16
photograph
W with some of his origami
master pieces and the other is a self-
portrait done in origami.

Image 17

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Kits Tips: You will


need a class iPad
Dont forget to take
for this activity...
a photograph on
the class iPad and
place a copy on the
back page of your
booklet.

Material requirements: iPad, 4 to 6 different sheets of coloured origami paper, a


sense of adventure, and a can do attitude. Happy folding everyone

Technology is incorporated into this activity. Therefore, you will need an iPad then you
will be able to download the App How to make Origami. Once you have done that go and
chose 4 to 6 coloured sheets of origami paper for your paper folding.

How did you enjoy the process of paper folding and creating an object from
paper?

Pick one of your origami pieces and write down where they would live?

If this origami artwork could talk, what do you think they would say?

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Examples of Origami folded in


nature theme

Flower
Fox
Dog
Giraffe

Image 18

Photograph of work produced by


Suzanne Brewster
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Activity 5 Aboriginal Bark Painting Video on Bark Painting


Activity 5
Australian Indigenous people have Aboriginal
traditionally painted on bark. The bark that is bark
used, is cut from the tree of the stringybark tree painting
(Eucalyptus tetra Donta) during the wet season.
The high moisture content within the bark allows
for easy removal.
Traditional mineral pigments for painting are:
white from pipeclay or kaolin, gypsum or chalk;
yellow and red from iron oxides; black from
manganese oxide or charcoal. The pigments are
traditionally ground on a stone and then the
powder is mixed with water and a binding medium,
such as beeswax, fats, egg yolk, and tree and plant
gums.
In recent times artist have begun to mix both
traditional and synthetic pigments together with
Aqua-here (a glue) in an attempt to fix the pigment
more securely to the bark (Bark Paintings, n.d.). Image 19

Short Video on bark painting please watch


To watch the clip please click on bark painting. Very
informative and interesting to watch.

Image 20

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Artist 5 Billy Yirawala

Billy Yirawala 1897-1976 was a


member of the Naborn clan whose
traditional lands lie in the Marugulidban
region near the Liverpool River,
Northern Territory. (Image 21)

Image below, the painter cuts around


Yirawala (The Picasso of Arnhem Land) the trunk, through the bark and then
was a productive and highly influential tears off a rectangular piece. The bark
artist, who is admired and considered is flattened and dried then the outer
layer is roughly trimmed with an axe
one of the most talented Aboriginal
and the bark is scrapped until smooth.
artists of the twentieth century. The Two sticks are tied either end of the
images 19, 20 and 22 are all Billy bark to prevent warping. The surface is
Yirawala work and are known as x-ray then ready to be painted (Aboriginal
Art Online, 2004).
art, where the artist paints what he
sees as well as the internal structure of
the animal including organs and
skeletal structure (artoceanic, 2017).

Image 22
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Lets create our own


Aboriginal works of Aboriginal Art consists of symbols. These symbols were
used as a means of communication; communication of
art! their lives on earth, their rituals, food, customs and also to
show constellations and for ritual decorations. Symbols
were used to show the presence of different things or
objects that existed around them. Aboriginal artists
created their works based on how the land was created
basing their subject matter mainly on patterns and animals
(Art and design technology for kids, n.d.).

The backgrounds of the below art works were never blank. There is always a
continuous use of dotting, patterns, lines or hatching to create a sense of
movement with the work. These works of art could be labelled as Abstract.
Check out some of the frequent symbols that were used:

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Image 23, 24 above
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Now it is your turn!

1. Pretend you are living thousands of years ago and need to create a work
of art for your ancestors.
2. Choose three-six of the Aboriginal symbols to create a storyline.
3. Below, write down the short story you are choosing to tell with your
symbols.
Use the original Aboriginal Art Works as inspiration to get you started, or
with your teacher permission have a look on your iPad and google images
of bark paintings for ideas.
4. On a blank sheet, draw the symbols you have chosen, and create
patterns to tell your story using different lines.
5. Once your story is finished, go and explain it to the teacher, then you will
receive a blank sheet of paper to paint your story onto.
6. Make sure you refer to your story line, and that you are only using the
same colours you would see in nature to complete your work (Art and
design technology for kids, n.d.).

For your written story

Example: The Kangaroo tracks were washed away in the rain, but the men
were hunting with boomerangs and spears following the Emu. (see bark
painting)

Write your story in this space:

Now draw the symbols to tell your story. Once you are happy
with your symbol story, show your teacher to be able to
move onto painting your story on a fresh sheet of paper.
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Remember to take a
photograph on the iPad once
you have finished your
Aboriginal Story using colour,
pattern and symbols which will
go on the back page.

Dont forget to take a


photo on the iPad once
you have finished your
Aboriginal story using
colour, pattern and
symbols

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Now it is your turn to
critique your own art
work. Answer the
questions below.

Show your Aboriginal story to a class mate and see if they can read your story
by interpreting the symbols used? And write down what they said your story
was about.

Did you use lines within your story? If so what line/s did you use?

As we have learnt colour is important as it sets the mood of the picture/story.


With the colours you used what sort of mood did you achieve and were you
happy with the outcome of your story?

What shapes did you use in your Aboriginal story?

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Exciting news year 4! Because your teacher is very


happy with your achievements in learning Art in
Nature you will be rewarded with an excursion to
Artspace Mackay to view other artist work.

Artspace mackay

24MARCH to 21MAY
PUNUKU TJUKURPA Gallery One, Artspace Mackay Artback NT, in association with Maruku
Arts, presents Punuku Tjukurpa, the first touring exhibition of artworks from the Maruku
Arts archive based at Mutitjulu, near Uluru in the Northern Territory. Punuku Tjukurpa
includes 88 punu objects, alongside sculptural works, 2D objects and specially produced
audio and video footage. The exhibition includes works made by three generations of artists
for whom the tradition of wood carving and painting has been passed down. Artists have
shared the teaching of stories that inform the intricate designs and markings incorporated in
the objects. The title of the exhibition, Punuku Tjukurpa, describes the story and the Law
behind these works.
BELOW: Niningka LEWIS Teapot 2013. Itara: River red gum and acrylic paint,
270x120x90mm.
Opening 6pm Thurs 23
March

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Your turn to
be an Art
Critique on
Punuku
Tjukurpa

How would you describe this art exhibition to someone who has not seen it?

What types of Aboriginal Art did you see at the exhibition?

Describe your favourite piece of art work you saw at the exhibition and why?

Did you learn anything new about the intricate designs and markings
incorporated in the art objects at the exhibition? If so what was it?

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Summative Assessment
Photographs of 4 completed art pieces

Drawing of a Butterfly found in our school garden


Image 25

Mini Garden
Picture: Nature
Faces

Image 26

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My Origami creation Image 27

Aboriginal Story Image 28

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Summative Assessment
1. Have a photograph uploaded in space provided for activity 1-4 of
completed works (iPad is provided during class session).
2. Write a short story based on the completed 4 art pieces that
demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and the new techniques learnt
in creating your visual art pieces and the making journey of
Animal or insect drawing
Mini garden picture
Origami
Aboriginal story told by using traditional symbols
3. Minimum of 2 sentences for each art work incorporated into your
short story.
4. Student Hand Books to be handed in for marking.

My short story about the making journey of:

Animal or Insect

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Mini Garden Picture

Origami

Aboriginal story told by using traditional symbols

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References

Art and Design Technology for Kids! (n.d.). Aboriginal Art. Retrieved from: http://art-
educ4kids.weebly.com/aboriginal-art-and-patterning.html
Artspace Mackay. Exhibitions Activities & Events January to June 2017. Retrieved from:
http://www.artspacemackay.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/203629/Program
_Brochure_january_to_june_2017_w.pdf
Artist arrange rocks and leaves into beautiful geometric land art. 2015. Retrieved from:
http://www.boredpanda.com/geometric-land-art-dietmar-voorwold/
ArtsEdge connect. create. 1996-2017. Arts Integration and 21st Century Skills. Retrieved
from: https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/how-to/arts-integration/why-
arts-integration/why-connections/21st-century-skills
Artoceanic. 22nd April 2017. Billy Yirawala c 1894-1976.
Bark paintings. (n.d.). The Mulka Project. Retrieved from: https://aiccm.org.au/things-we-
conserve/bark-paintings
Cathy McClelland Fine Art. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://cathymcclelland.faso.com/
Image 1. Byles, S. (n.d.). Three Portals Sculpture. Retrieved from:
https://au.pinterest.com/pin/514184482434194102/
Image 2. Williamson, B. 22nd July 2015. Students look through their school garden for
flowers that may attract bees. Retrieved from: ABC Adelaide.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-22/students-look-through-their-local-garden-
for-flowers/6636482
Image 3. Cathy McClelland Fine Art. (n.d.). Retrieved from:
http://cathymcclelland.faso.com/
Image 4. Cathy McClelland Fine Art. (n.d.). Retrieved from:
http://cathymcclelland.faso.com/
Image 5. Cathy McClelland Fine Art. (n.d.). Retrieved from:
http://cathymcclelland.faso.com/
Image 6. Cathy McClelland Fine Art. (n.d.). Retrieved from:
http://cathymcclelland.faso.com/
Image 7. Cathy McClelland Fine Art. (n.d.). Retrieved from:
http://cathymcclelland.faso.com/
Image 8. LandLove Projects. Make your own magical mini forest garden (n.d.). Retrieved
from: http://www.landlove.com/article/1565/projects/make-your-own-magical-
mini-forest-garden
Image 9, 10. Artist arrange rocks and leaves into beautiful geometric land art. 2015.
Retrieved from: http://www.boredpanda.com/geometric-land-art-dietmar-
voorwold/
Image 11. LandLove Projects. Make your own magical mini forest garden (n.d.). Retrieved
from: http://www.landlove.com/article/1565/projects/make-your-own-magical-
mini-forest-garden
Image 12. Thought Pursuits. 18th August 2014. Artist use elements from nature to create
beautiful pieces of art. Retrieved from:
https://au.pinterest.com/pin/149674387588176098/
Image 13, 14. Art with Mrs. Brown. (n.d.). Retrieved from:
https://au.pinterest.com/pin/149674387588176098/
Image 15. Natural origami. 2016. Retrieved from: https://naturalorigami.wordpress.com/

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Image 16, 17 Akira Yoshizawa. 2017. Wikipedia. Retrieved from: Https://


www.google.com.au/search?q=famous+origami+artists&ie=&oe=#q=Akira+Yoshizaw
a+&spf=1
Image 18. My origami creation. Suzanne Brewster. 2017. Photographed by Suzanne
Brewster.
Image 19, 20. Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal art collection of the University of Virginia. 2017.
Retrieved from: http://www.kluge-ruhe.org/exhibitions_past/timeless-bark-
paintings-from-arnhem-land
Image 21. Yirawala. (n.d.) collection explorer. Retrieved from:
http://collectionsearch.nma.gov.au/highlight/2715
Image 22. Taylor, L. National centre of biography. 2006-2017. Yirawala (1897-1976).
Retrieved from: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/yirawala-12088
Image 23, 24 Image 22,23. Art and Design Technology for Kids! (n.d.). Aboriginal Art.
Retrieved from: http://art-educ4kids.weebly.com/aboriginal-art-and-patterning.html
Image 24. Art with items found in nature. Nature Faces. 5th June 2012. Retrieved from:
http://happyhooligans.ca/nature-faces/
Image 25. Anderson, A. Picture of a butterfly. 11th March 2014. Retrieved from:
http://angelaandersonart.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/butterfly-watercolor-paintings-
kids-art.html
Image 26. My origami creation. Suzanne Brewster. 2017. Photograph by Suzanne Brewster.
Image 27. My Aboriginal Story. Suzanne Brewster. 2017. Photograph by Suzanne Brewster.
Nature in Art Gallery and Museum. 2017. Retrieved from: http://natureinart.org.uk/
Image 28. My bark painting. Suzanne Brewster. 2017. Photographed by Suzanne Brewster.

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