These two pictures aim to show use of quick, figure studies in a sketchbook. Pupils could be asked to produce lots and lots of quick, figure studies in their sketchbooks – an ‘idea’ or ‘sketch’ doesn’t have to take a long time or even be finished. These could be used to visualise and demonstrate a sequence of action.

This 3D figure in action can provide links to other pictures of Degas in which he tries to capture the excitement of moving subjects in his paintings of ballet dancers and horse racing scenes.

These three show various action pictures that may be followed up by a class.

The vase shows warriors in combat watched by an aristocratic man (which may relate to football, rugby or martial arts) the market scene could tie in with the colour, movement and action seen in Walsall market and the animal picture may relate to pictures of pets.

These starting points could lead to cartoon sequences, animations, collages reflecting movement using newspaper/ magazine cuttings of people in action or in use of repeated prints to show movement or sequences.

This is a surreal image showing a hat containing a dragon’s tail. Design and make a hat taking inspiration from either the shapes or the patterns of animals or look at surrealist artists and develop ideas for an outrageous piece of head-wear based on surreal imagery. If pupils are visiting the gallery they could produce drawings based on the sculptures of animals in the collection that could then be used to design their hats.

This domestic summer scene is of someone sitting out in a garden surrounded by the writhing life, pattern and colour of the flourishing garden plants. The sky is blue and the windows are open in the picture of Theo’s grandmother’s garden. Encourage pupils to emulate the richness of patterns and tone in sketches of summer plants in a school garden or home and use the sketches in class to produce an oil type painting using readymix paint applied with a flat rubber brush or a thin strip of card. This application of paint would give an impasto effect as if the paint was applied by a palette knife. Look at foreground, middle-ground and background in the composition of a landscape and consider how it can be used to indicate depth in a picture.
 

This contrasts in both colour and in its simple triangular composition to the two previous pictures. It also reveals Monet’s interest in changing light at different times of the day and during poor weather conditions. Monet painted many landscapes but is perhaps most famous for creating and then painting his own garden at Givenchy which could be researched in both books and the internet links. The BBC has also produced a website and video entitled ‘Painting the Weather’.

These pictures develop the idea of figures working in the landscape which can be transposed to modern urban settings where pupils devise a picture based on people going to or at work. Both pictures could be used to develop pupils’ experience of the range of sketching materials by using charcoal and pen and ink (to emulate the etching) using crosshatching to build tone within their pictures.

N.B. The woman is going to work carrying a drink and putting her basket on her head for shade – this sort of detail can make a picture interesting.

This is an urban scene with warm, sunny colours with a gentle perspective. It uses blocks of colour to give the colour and indication of buildings. Pupils could produce a response by replicating the loose, impasto effect or by developing a pen and ink drawing in perspective and gluing on overlapping layers of transparent tissue paper.

If a digital camera is available pupils could take pictures of buildings and use image manipulation software to distort it, and change the colours.