Birds of Paradise

Level One: Grade Prep

Discussion
Bring in photographs of Birds of Paradise and Peacocks. The males are more brightly coloured than the female in their species. Birds of Paradise are best known for the plumage of the males, in particular highly elongated and elaborate feathers extending from the beak, wings or head.
Show the class an image of Margaret Preston’s Bird of Paradise 1925 woodblock print National Gallery of Australia © Margaret Preston. This is a hand coloured black print depicting the beautiful long plumage of this colourful bird in amongst brightly coloured flowers. Demonstrate the technique of fold printing with a blob of paint, feel the paint squelch between the paper and open it out to reveal the resultant symmetrical print.

Materials
Cartridge Paper A3, Noris Maxi Pencils, Sponges, Zart School Colours, Feathers, Paper Stripping 25mm, Cover Paper – Black 38 x 51cm, Assorted goods for stamp printing- bottle top, lids & Paper Plates

How to create a Bird of Paradise

1. Fold a sheet of A3 Cartridge Paper in half.
2. Draw the body for the Bird of Paradise, starting at the fold. Working in symmetry only half of the body will be drawn. Use the remaining paper to draw a set of wings.
3. Open the Cartridge Paper out flat and use sponges to dab on Zart School Colours along the fold line.
4. Refold the wet painted Cartridge Paper. Use the back of your hand to wipe over the paper to spread the paint around. Open the paper flat and set aside to dry.
5. Fold the paper again and cut out the body and wings. Observe the symmetrical nature of the fold over print.
6. Stamp print with assorted tools e.g. bottle tops on to a sheet of black Cover Paper to create the flowers for the Bird of Paradise. Set aside to dry.
7. Glue on the body and wings to create the bird on the floral background.
8. Decorate with Paper Stripping and Feathers to form beautiful tails. Cut and glue on a beak from Paper Stripping.

Still Life Native Flowers

Level 2: Grades One and Two

Discussion
Look at and discuss the oil painting of Margaret Preston Australian Coral Flowers, 1928 National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
Bring in a vase of flowers and arrange them in front of a striped paper backing, e.g. Stripes Display Paper. Discuss how the petals overlap and face different ways, look at the shape of the petals and the way the flowers fall from the vase.
Demonstrate the technique of bending a piece of cardboard and dipping it into some black paint and printing a number of times around a central point to create the petals of a flower.
Discuss how you might depict a background such as the striped wallpaper in Margaret Preston’s still life painting

Materials
Stripes Display Paper, A4 Cartridge Paper, A3 Cover Paper- Black, Fluorescent Pastels, Zart School Colors –Black, Tissue Paper Assorted, A4 Cardboard & Corrugated Card, Glue Sticks, Chenille Stems, Cardboard Cones 75mm, Clear Tape 18 mm & Fluorescent Kinder Squares

How to create a Still Life Print

1. Colour or pattern the A4 Cartridge Paper with Fluorescent Oil Pastels.
2. Stamp print flowers using Cardboard and Corrugated Card on to the pastel background. Set aside to dry.
3. Glue on scrunched up balls of Tissue Paper to the printed flowers.

Extension Ideas

Option 1

1. As above but cut out the Printed Flowers when dry.
2. Tape a Chenille Stem to the back of each flower.
3. Cut a vase shape from Fluorescent Kinder Squares.
4. Tape the Chenille Stems to a sheet of A3 Black Cover Paper.
5. Glue the vase in place covering the bottom end of the taped Chenille Stems.
6. Create the bouquet by bending the stems to form an interesting arrangement.

Option 2

1. As above but cut out Printed flowers when dry.
2. Decorate a Cardboard Cone with Fluorescent Pastels.
3. Tape Chenille Stems to the back of the cut out printed flowers
4. Push the Chenille stems into the top of the Cardboard Cone.
5. Roll a coil of Plasticine and push the Cardboard Cone into the coil to balance the bouquet.
6. Arrange the still life.

 

Australian Wildlife Lorikeets

Level 3: Grades Three and Four

Discussion
The National Gallery of Australia has in their collection a superb Margaret Preston print Lorikeets 1925. It is a wood cut printed in black and hand coloured. Describe or demonstrate how this print is done using Printing Foam. Create a black print, allow it to dry and then hand colour it with coloured pencils.

Lorikeets are native Australian birds, a small to medium sized parrot. People keep them as pets especially the Rainbow Lorikeet. Ask the class if they know of someone who has a pet Lorikeet and ask them to bring it to school to show the class. Discuss the beautiful colours and markings of the bird. The male and female have the same colouring unlike the Birds of Paradise and Peacock.

Materials
Kinder Squares Heavy Weight 254sq, A3 Cover Paper Green, Rubbing Plates, Zart Drawing Blocks, Zart Glue Sticks, Tissue Paper Assorted, Cardboard Squares & Buttons Assorted

How to create Australian Lorikeets

1. Cover a large Kinder Square with a collage of torn strips of different coloured Kinder Squares.
2. Lay this collage on top of a Rubbing Plate. Use a black Drawing Block and push the crayon away from you pressing down on the paper. This will take a rubbing of the texture underneath.
3. Fold the printed paper in half and cut out a body shape to create two shapes. Use the remaining paper to fold cut two wings and two tails.
4. Cut some leaf shapes from a Cardboard Square. Lay the leaf shapes under a sheet of A3 Cover Paper and gently rub over the leaf stencil with a Drawing Block.
5. Continue to create the background in this manner changing colour and position of the cardboard leaf stencil until the sheet is fully covered in leaves.
6. Lay the two parrot bodies on to the background and glue them in place. Add the wings, tails, beaks and Button eyes.
7. Cut leaves from Tissue Paper to add to the background.

Native Flowers

Level 4: Grades Five and Six

Discussion
Hollyhocks are a winter flowering plant that grow to 1-3 metres tall, it is usually sown from seed in February or March. The class might try growing their own hollyhocks in the school garden in February in preparation for this unit of work.
Look at and discuss the work of Margaret Preston in particular Hollyhocks 1928 National Gallery of Australia. A hand coloured black woodcut print. Look at the pattern of the leaves and the shape of the petals.
Arrange a vase of Hollyhocks or flowers that are similar in shape and compare them to the Margaret Preston print. Did she capture the shape of the flowers as they are in life?
Discuss with the students what a still life means to them. Are they always flowers, find other examples of still life art and discuss the similarities and differences.

Materials
Printing Foam A4, Zart School Colours, Cover Paper A4 black, Noris Maxi Pencils, Tissue Paper, Pre-Cut Mounts A5, Foam Rollers & Clear Tape 18mm

How to create a Native Flower print

1. Cut a sheet of Printing Foam to match the inside of an A5 Pre-Cut Mount.
2. Design and draw directly on to the Printing Foam with a pencil your floral design.
3. Use a Foam Roller to cover your design with paint.
4. Place a sheet of black Cover Paper over the wet foam and press with the side of your hand.
5. Wipe the foam plate clean and then draw further lines and details with a pencil.
6. Cover the Printing Foam with a different coloured paint.
7. Take a further print aligning the Printing Foam edges with the previous dry print.
8. Cut around the edge of the print and tape into a Pre Cut Mount or on to Black Cover Paper.
9. Decorate the border with Tissue Paper flowers.