CARTOONING AROUND…

with Frank Rodgers.

 

Ten Things  About Frank Rodgers

Frank Rodgers is Scottish.

He lives in Glasgow.

He is an author and illustrator.

When he was a boy he loved reading comics.

He drew a lot and loved inventing funny characters.

Frank studied Art at Glasgow Art School.

He worked as an Art Teacher.

Later he became an full-time illustrator.

He also writes and illustrates many of his own titles.

Frank also writes Songs and Musical Plays.

       Cartoon Fun for World Book Day

We enjoyed listening to and watching Frank Rodgers…

and had a go at drawing some Cartoon Dogs.

   Learn to draw…

Develop your Drawing and Colouring Skills with Frank Rodgers

https://www.frankrodgers.co.uk

 

   Try some Cartoon Cats!

 

 

Hello from Miss McCluskey.

 

It was EARTH HOUR.

 

 

 

We designed Posters with bold lettering and a graphic image.

https://www.earthhour.org

 

https://www.edinburghgzoo.org.uk>webcams>panda

 

https://www.wwf.org.uk

   XO

 

   We will all try to…

remember to switch off!

 

Do more…

Art to Relax!

 

 

Time to count the birds at school but wait…

Just a wee group of P.3 children attending school at the moment but we will do our best.

We made Bottle Feeders filled with Wild Bird Seed.

 

We put them outside on the trees for the birds.

 

 

Now back inside to make some ‘Bird Art’…

 

‘Bird Tracks in the Snow’

 

Thick white paint on black card-

Scratch the ‘Birds’ Footprints’ with the end of a thin paintbrush.

 

Mix shades of grey with thick paint and make textured ‘Birds’ Footprints’ on canvas.

 

 

Paintings of the big, black Crows that fly down to the playground after lunch!

Big brushes and a little bit of black paint at a time to create a feathery effect.

#Three Craws…

 

  The Kay Park Lake- frozen today.

Don’t forget to give the birds some water to drink too!

 

  Be inspired by birds!

Sometimes we are inspired to create something-

( maybe a poem or a picture) by just a single word or an image.

……….. HEART……………

   Knitted Heart Mug Warmer

   Ceramic Heart

   Heart Box with Quilling

   Heart Kitties

   Heart Tree Hanging

All the images above are of much treasured

Creative Craft ‘Heart Gifts’ given to me over the years.

Heart to Art      Art to Heart

 

Let’s go outside again…

  ‘Heart with Stones and Leaves’

It was lovely just to spend time looking around and finding stones.

I made a rough Heart Shape and then refined the appearance of form and size by adjusting, moving and swapping the stones. Turning them round to improve the outline.

I then looked for leaves with interesting colours, lines, patterns, shapes, textures and tones.

It was then just nice to sit and watch the leaves flutter in the breeze and BE IN THE MOMENT.

   It is good to take time out to be creative…

Look out for a post coming soon – ‘EXPRESS YOURSELF’

  Keep Art in your Heart….

 

 

Hello from Miss McCluskey.

A wee update on The Big Garden Birdwatch…

It was a beautiful day- Just perfect for Birdwatching.

Let’s see who turns up today.

Maybe some of the smaller chirpy birds…

Or some of the noisy bigger birds…

All the birds pictured visit my garden but not all at the same time of year.

Time to start counting 1, 2. 3…

Playful Jackdaws flying up to the topmost branches of the Birch tree and enjoying being blown by the gentle breeze- the largest group at any one time was 7.

Lots of wee sparrows popping in and out of the big Hawthorn hedge – the biggest group numbered 5.

Three Magpies coming and going- following one another from garden to garden.

A pair of collared Doves flew down and had a peck about in the grass.

Mr & Mrs Blackbird hurrying here and there but never far apart.

A single Thrush hopping along the wall and looking to see who is at the bird feeder.

Let’s keep looking…

The tiny wren constantly in and out of the ivy.

A noisy woodpecker on a tree trunk in the neighbouring garden.

A big Crow down to see what’s going on.

Here come the starlings- firstly gathering on the chimney pots then swooping down to cover the drying green and scatter the other birds- the largest group at anyone time is 14.

  Good job everyone!

STARLINGS WIN TODAY!

 

 

  Beautiful Bird drawings

by illustrator Zoe Ingram

 

Q ???   Starlings are known as ‘Stuckies’ in Scots Language.

Do you know the Scots for any other birds?

Scots is rich in language connected to birds.

For more information on the sights, sounds, where names come from and birdie behaviour go to…

https://www.scotslanguage.com/Birds/Scots_bird_names_uid2017

 

Time to go outside and make some more ‘Bird Art’…

           An ‘Automatic’ Bird Drawing

All you need is some card from a box, a broad felt tip, a paint brush and some water.

Watch the birds for a wee bit then as you continue to watch put your pen on the card ( start anywhere!)

Keep looking and as they fly in and out of your view let your hand move about ‘tracking’ their flight.

Don’t look at the card too often just let the drawing happen automatically.

Do this for a couple of minutes then change your pen for a brush.

Dip- and keep dipping your brush in water and trace some of the ink marks that you made with a sweeping motion .

You have hopefully created a wee  Abstract Painting showing quick and often fleeting  movement of birds.

 

 

 

                 ‘Stone’ Birds

It is good to be out enjoying the fresh air and looking around to see what there is to just pick up and make some Transient Art.

So with a few stones, some beautiful dried leaves and bits&bobs of ‘wintering plants’ you can have good fun making your own wee garden birds.

They might not last long and soon get blown by the wind or washed away by the rain but it is enjoying them in the moment that counts!

 

  Have a go at making…

some ‘Stone’ Birds!

    More Art Ideas…

in Big School Birdwatch coming soon.

 

 

 

 

Red

Colour of luck, joy and happiness!

Gold

So beautiful and bold!

 

Let’s make Art in red and gold-

 

P.3 Bubble children enjoyed …                                                                      ‘Legend of the Chinese Dragon’  – a beautiful book written by Marie Sellier with illustrations by Catherine Louis and calligraphy by Wand Fei. ( There is also  a storytelling video available)

‘Dragon Dance’ – a lively song telling of the Dragon Puppet on parade. ( Seasonal Songs Available from’Out of the Ark Music’)

http://www.outoftheark.co.uk/the-niki-davies-calendar-of-songs

They worked in the theme of ‘Red & Gold’ and used paper, chalk, paint,crepe, tissue and wool to express the movement of the ‘Dancing Dragon’

Some detail of each collage…

Here comes the dragon- Dancing down the street,

Here comes the dragon- See his bouncing feet.

Rising up to the sky- Zooming down from on high…

See him leap- See him prance- Doing the Dragon Dance!

Here comes the dragon- Dancing down the street,

Here comes the dragon- See his bouncing feet.

Hear the sound of the Gong- As he dances along…

See him leap- See him prance- Doing the Dragon Dance!

Robert Burns has been a creative influence on Expressive Arts down through the years-

We might immediately begin to think of Scots Language- Reading and writing poems and stories- Music, songs and events around the birthday of the bard on the 25th of January each year.

   ‘My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose’

 

The life, loves and works of Robert Burns have also inspired artists to create portraits and portray the colourful characters in his poems.

       

Here are three more Scottish Artists who have been inspired by the ‘Ploughman Poet’.

There are, of course, many more…

 

    ‘To A Mouse’

by Margaret Irving Miller

This image is an illustration for Irving Miller’s collected poems written by Robert Burns-    ‘Burns for Bairns’

 

     ‘Robert Burns’

by Greg Moodie

This image comes from a mixed media piece using silkscreen printing, collage, acrylic paint and pastels.

     ‘To Ruin’

by Peter Howson

A collection of 15 works to celebrate the opening of Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway.                                                                                    Three large pieces are in oil paints and twelve smaller pieces in pastels.

 

  ‘Off with the Tail’

by Alexander Goudie

The epic poem telling the story of Tam O’Shanter depicted in 54 images.                                                                                                                                         (The whole thing was commissioned in 1996 for the 200th Anniversary of the death of Robert Burns in 1796. )

 

Our own wee artists have been busy too…

 

 

These portraits were made by drawing with charcoal – Then rubbing and smudging to produce interesting textures and add tone.

The P.3. Bubble children cut circles and cut shapes too from prepared tartan paper. The designed the mount and put it all together.

‘Up in the morning’s no for me,                                                                                     Up in the morning early!

When a’ the hills are cover’d wi snaw-                                                                       I’m sure it’s winter fairly!’

The P.3 Bubble Children were inspired to create these Winter Trees.

They used masking tape, paint and sponged the background.                   They used paper marked with charcoal to cut and collage the trunk and branches of the trees.

   Legacy Burns…

More than 200 years after the death of Robert Burns, his descendant, Elizabeth Burns, was working as a Poet and Potter to great acclaim!

She might be his great, great, great……. niece ?

I will try to do a post on her, at some point, as I think her story is very interesting.

 

   Keep Creating!

 

 

Hello from Miss McCluskey.

I hope that you have enjoyed my posts so far-

  Turner Exhibition

Perhaps you managed to visit the ‘Turner In January’ Online Exhibition at the National Galleries.

(This Exhibition has now finished but if you didn’t get a chance to see some of the prints, oils and watercolours- NGS has a collection within Art & Artists)

You can view these Landscapes and Seascapes at

http:// nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/artists/joseph-mallord-william-turner

Mountain pass in Switzerland 1804

by J.M.W. Turner

I hope to do Spotlight Features

on a range of Artists as part of the Art & more Blog

so watch out for Turner in the future…

 

    Snow Art

Maybe you made some Art about snow, in snow or even from snow!

These Snowflakes were made by children in the P.3 Bubble.

They used Oil Pastels and Watercolour to good effect.

     

     

These Snowflakes were made by P.6 Children.

They used black and white paint and carefully mixed a variety of grey tones on black paper.

  We will continue to experiment and explore with colour and tone – so watch this space…

 

  Birdwatching- Drawing outdoors

Did you do a bit of Bird-spotting and take a sketchbook outside-

This ‘One Minute Drawing’ was made using a basic black ink pen.

I sat very still and watched the birds for a little bit- They were flying back and forth, up and down, from tree to ground and away off into the air.

I kept my eyes on the birds and began to draw a wing here, a tail there- not looking at the paper just lifting my pen as a bird landed or took off!

It was good fun- Why not have a go!

  Promises of more Outdoor Art

in the Big Garden Birdwatch and also look out for our Big School Birdwatch.

   New Things…

Ready to share soon.

Hello from Miss McCluskey.

Posted yesterday to catch up with you about –

The Landscape Artist JMW Turner Exhibition

Snow Art

Birdwatching and drawing/sketching

Not sure if this post has failed to publish or is lost in space…?

If it doesn’t appear – I will redo

  Keep Creating!

The Big Garden Birdwatch is here…

Time to count the birds and enjoy time with nature.

(I think this is a great thing to do ALL YEAR ROUND!!!)

 

What will you see?

 

For lots more information and Birdwatch Activities-

log on to http://rspb.org.uk/birdwatch

RSPB also have a lot of At Home Activities.

Big Wild Stuff    Fun Factoids    Games    Stories   Competitions

http://rspb.org.uk

Now for some Bird Art to inspire…

This Art Work was made by pupils at Saint Andrew’s Primary during Book Week Scotland November 2020.

P1&P2 made Pen and Pencil Drawings of Puffins after enjoying the story of Harris the Hero by Lynne Rickards and Gabby Grant.

Well done little Artists on those colourful beaks and delicate cliff top flowers.

P5 painted the details of the tiny Wren after looking at the work of illustrator and designer Zoe Ingram.

Notice the upright tail and the speckled feathers as she perches on the thorn.

 

P6 painted the Goldfinch-usually a very colourful bird in monochrome.

The Goldfinch was very popular in Victorian Times as a caged songbird.

These Goldfinches have perched on Teasels as they love to peck at the tiny seeds.

 

P6&P6/7 captured birds beginning to flock together at Roosting Time-

“Birds o’ a feather flock the gither”

They worked with both large and small brushes using a dry technique.

P7 inspired by a well known illustrator Quentin Black made line drawings in black ink and mixed their own colours for a colour wash.

 

Last but not least – The Gardeners’ Friend- Robin Redbreast.

P4  mixed their own colours to paint this wee feathery songbird sitting on the Hawthorn.

He is sitting among the berries and singing his heart out.

Robin Rid Breist

by JK Annand

(You can find this poem & many more on the site below)

http://www.scotslanguage.com

I think the Robin might just be my favourite… or is it the little wren or maybe the Starling???

I will be taking part in The Big Birdwatch at the weekend- maybe I’ll decide then…

 

…and if you feel inspired have some drawing materials with you and see if you can capture the movement of the birds that you spot in your garden or park.