In 1515 the German artist Albrecht Durer received a letter from a friend that related the story of the King of Portugal sending the Pope an amazing creature.

The tragedy of the story was that the ship was hit by a massive storm and sank. There was no way of saving the special gift. The friend in his letter gave Durer a full description. Durer then worked on drawings and etchings featuring the Rhinoceros.

The Nepalese Rhinoceros is found on the border with India. From photographs it very closely resembles Durer’s.

Using a copy of Durer’s Etching the students made a drawing of the outline of the Rhinoceros on A3 Cartridge Paper.

Using a computer or books they searched for reference of armour from the past, present or futuristic.

Durer’s Rhino is not feeling very confident nor happy about the sudden change in outfit and has gone deep into the jungle.

Using a squeegee, a roller or a sponge paint was applied for a background colour of a jungle. A photocopy of the Rhino drawing was adhered to the background.

Using cardboard, sponges, rollers and any other implement the students created the jungle to hide their Rhino.

Susan Maygar
Visual Art Teacher
Wodonga Secondary College
Suitable for level 6