Creative Sustainability: Creating Art Outdoors - Visual Arts - Years 9 & 10

Activity Introduction

Quick summary: In this lesson students will create artworks inspired by their environment. By first analysing various techniques presented by contemporary artist, Don Colley, students learn how to draw inspiration from an outdoor setting. They then create an artwork based on various outdoor areas around your school.

Faber-Castell has long understood the importance of creativity to all people, especially to young people. It is also continuously searching for environmentally friendly processes and high-quality materials to enhance children’s creative experience throughout every development phase. For more information about Faber-Castell, click here.

Learning intentions:

Students analyse how artists draw inspiration from their environment and utilise this understanding in their own art making.
Students use a range of drawing techniques to create work as commentary on an important issue of their choosing.

21st century skills:

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptions:

Year 9 & 10 Visual Arts

Conceptualise and develop representations of themes, concepts or subject matter to experiment with their developing personal style, reflecting on the styles of artists, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists (ACAVAM125)
Manipulate materials, techniques, technologies and processes to develop and represent their own artistic intentions (ACAVAM126)
Develop and refine techniques and processes to represent ideas and subject matter (ACAVAM127)
Plan and design artworks that represent artistic intention (ACAVAM128)
Present ideas for displaying artworks and evaluate displays of artworks (ACAVAM129)

Syllabus outcomes: VAS5.1, VAS5.2, VAS5.3, VAS5.4, VAS5.5, VAS5.6

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability.

Relevant parts of Year 9 & 10 achievement standards: Students identify influences of other artists on their own artworks. Students manipulate materials, techniques and processes to develop and refine techniques and processes to represent ideas and subject matter in their artworks.

Topic: Sustainability, Social Issues.

Unit of work: Creative Sustainability – Visual Arts – Year 9 & 10.

Time required: 140 mins.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – seek relevant material for art making prior to the lesson and facilitate class discussions.

Resources required: Student Worksheets – one copy per student. Device capable of presenting a video to the class. Device capable of creating audiovisual recordings, such as an iPad or camera. A range of natural materials for students to sketch. A class set of lead pencils and Pitt Artist Pens (Calligraphy Brush Pens are a great alternative artist’s tool for this activity).

Keywords: Art, drawing, sustainability, outdoor education.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher Preparation

Learning intentions:

Students analyse how artists draw inspiration from their environment and utilise this understanding in their own art making.
Students use a range of drawing techniques to create works as a commentary on an important issue of their choosing.

Success criteria:

Students analyse an artist's practice for their ability to communicate a message by drawing directly from their environment
Students choose and utilise appropriate art making techniques in their practice
Students draw on an existing artwork as inspiration in their art making practice

Teacher content information: Sustainability describes the ability to keep going at the same rate and in the same (or better) condition as before. In order for our world to be able to sustain us, as well as the generations to come, we need to change. It’s time to think differently – and more creatively – about sustainability and the future of our planet.

Creativity and approaching challeng

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Student Worksheet

Thought starter: Where does art making usually occur?

Watch 'Urban Sketching: Where will your sketchbook take you?' (https://youtu.be/YzSt2Y7JrNI) and respond the following questions:

What did you notice about the settings Don chooses to work in?

What did you find interesting about the drawing techniques?

Now, watch Faber-Castell – Life of an Artist: Don Colley (https://vimeo.com/49032722) and answer the questions below:

What do you think would be the advantages of drawing in an outdoor environment?

What do you think would be the challenges of working outdoors?

If you practiced as Don does, do you think you could add an underlying message to your artworks?

Reflection

Once you have returned to the classroom after working on your drawings outdoors, set up your work on a table, chair or A-frame. Walk through the classroom, art gallery-style and observe each other’s artworks.

Provide your peers with feedback and take the opportunity to discuss anything that you felt

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Activity: Creative Sustainability: Creating Art Outdoors – Visual Arts – Years 9 & 10