People from different times
Art Making Activities
Activity 1: Story & Illustration
Many of the paintings in this section show what women and men were wearing in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Remember this was a time when Australian soldiers were fighting in World War 2 (1938-45). Do a bit of research into what children in Australia were wearing at this time in history. What did they wear to the beach, school, or to parties? Imagine you are a child living at this time and write a short story about a particular experience you might have had and then create a matching illustration (you could use colour pencils, watercolour pencils or watercolour paints and brushes for this activity). Try to show what you might have been wearing and what you were doing.
Activity 2: Creating family portraits from old photos
Can you find a very old family photograph that includes one of your relatives? Maybe a grandmother or grandfather when they were young? Ask your parents if they might have kept some old family photos. These are usually very precious so it would be great if you could photocopy one or two of these photos (just in black and white).
Tip: If they are small pictures then you could ask the teacher to enlarge them on the photocopier. In the old days photos were usually only printed in black and white and people tinted them (coloured) later by hand. Try lightly colouring in your printed copies of the photos with pencils or crayons. On a separate paper sheet draw old fashioned frames (you could look closely at the frames around the paintings in this section) that will fit around the outside if your photos and colour these in yellow or gold then place your copy of each photo inside your gold frame. Give your framed photos a title and a date.
Activity 3: People in the future using crayon resist
Imagine that it is 50 years from now- What would people be wearing and how would they travel around?
Draw a scene from the future in oil crayon on paper that shows a person or people doing something? Maybe they are working, playing games, or travelling in some new mode of transport? When you are finished drawing with the crayons gently apply a wash of diluted colour ink (add water to mix) or acrylic paint with a wide paint brush all over your picture. Your crayon markings should show through the paint. Tip: If there is a lot of paint sitting on top of your drawing you can use a tissue or paper towel to take off some paint while it is still wet in order to see your original lines and shapes better. Leave to dry on flat surface.
