Birds
In this unit the projects focus on a range of different bird species as inspiration for a variety of artworks.
The units focus on the form and structure of birds such as guinea fowl, flamingoes, parrots and zebra finches. In these lessons, students will learn how to represent birds using a range of styles, from realistic to stylized representations.
Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2
In the K-2 category, the Guinea Fowl Painting project will teach students how to create a beautiful painting using acrylics on coloured paper. The project guides students through the drawing process and will teach them how to use paint to colour and add pattern and detail to their bird. This lesson focuses on the use of colour, form and pattern and teaches students the basics of drawing with pencil and painting with acrylic paint. The Clay Flamingo project will teach students how to make a quirky, stylized flamingo from clay. This sculptural work will allow students to learn key skills, such as shaping, manipulating and joining using the clay medium. This project will teach students about the use of colour, shape and form and will encourage them to use their imaginations in creating stylized representations.
Grade 3 and 4
In the 3-4 Year category, the Curious Bird Sculpture project will teach students to make a zany bird sculpture using painted card, which they create themselves and assemble to create a stylized bird on a stand. Students will learn basic painting techniques, as well as how to design and create shapes and assemble these to create a zany bird. This lesson focuses on the elements of shape and colour and teaches students about pattern and form as they create embellishments and assemble their final sculpture. In the Flamingo Mixed Media project, students use a broad range of techniques and media to create a realistic flamingo drawing framed by an intricate pattern of foliage. Students will create a background for their work using acrylic wash and detailed, patterned drawing. They will follow a guided drawing process to create a realistic flamingo representation, which they will colour using oil pastel and add to their background. There is a strong focus on the elements of colour, line and shape as well as the principles of pattern and balance within this lesson.
Grade 5 and 6
Lessons within the 5-6 Year category focus on more detailed, highly realistic representations of birds. In the Wind Up Parrot project, students will draw a detailed, realistic representation of a parrot using coloured pencil, learning the skills of observational drawing and colour blending. Students will then create a 3D version of their parrot using modelling medium and a wind-up mechanism, learning basic modelling and joining techniques as well as colour mixing principles. The Zebra Finch Drawing project teaches students to create small, detailed coloured pencil drawings of these cute birds. The project looks more closely at detail within the subject matter as well as techniques to represent form and to create realistic representations, including sketching, blending, and using tonal variation to create form. The project focuses on colour, value and shape and teaches students about the principles of pattern and contrast as they become more proficient in their aesthetic choices.
Related Art Lessons
Create amazing buildings in this fun unit with art lesson plans inspired by architecture. There are exciting drawing, painting, collage and printmaking projects to create, inspired by Paul Klee and Dr Seuss. There's a city skyline to draw and paint and a collagraph house printmaking project to try.
Students will have fun creating a range of Arctic and Antarctic themed artworks. We'll use stylised and realistic techniques to bring a variety of different projects from the coldest regions on Earth to life! In this unit, we'll use collage, painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media and craft, whilst having fun learnng aobut the farthest reaches of the planet.
Students will have fun creating a range of fish themed artworks. We'll use stylised and realistic techniques to bring a variety of different fish projects to life! In this unit, students will use collage, painting, drawing, clay, mixed media and textile, whilst having fun in the watery realm.