Mythical Creatures
In this project children in year 3 and year 5 design their own mythical creatures and place them in the local environment to create dramatic surrealistic images.
Learning Intentions
Process
The children used the Internet to find and save pictures of mythical creatures. They also searched CD and Internet collections for sample photos with appealing textures or patterns. They discovered that many creatures were often a combination of parts of real animals - horse's body, lion's head, bird's wings, etc. The children sketched their own combination of animals to create a creature.
The techniques for image manipulation were demonstrated to the class using a data projector and large screen.
Year 3 Children
The children's colour drawings were photographed with the digital camera. After uploading to the computer, the children learned how to replace their own colouring with textures or colours from the other photos they had collected. This is made easy in software that uses 'layers', where the creature can be placed in front of the texture photograph and an electronic 'rubber' tool used to reveal desired portions of the image behind.
Year 5 Children
These children emulated some of the black and white line drawing techniques they had seen on the Internet and scanned the result. Some wanted to incorporate 'creature features' similar to those found in their research, but felt they lacked the necessary drawing skills.
The children were shown how a portion of one picture (e.g. lion's head) could be cut out and blended into their own picture. When happy with the basic design of their creature, the children set about using portions of the texture and pattern photos collected to 'fill' their own creatures.
Both Classes
The children placed their creatures in a familiar location in the local environment. Manipulating digital photographs the children created a 'mood' for the location, e.g. by creating a threatening sky or making it 'foggy'. They then 'cut' their creature and 'pasted' it onto this background, experimenting with shadow, lighting, and proportion effects to help 'blend' it into the photograph.
Cross Curricular Art and ICT Project
In this project children in year 3 and year 5 design their own mythical creatures and place them in the local environment to create dramatic surrealistic images.
Learning Intentions
- To explore use of ICT in Art through exploring new media
- To use a digital camera and scanner to capture and transfer images to the computer
- To use graphics software to manipulate captured images
- To practise and further develop generic and cross-curricular ICT skills in a context that the children may not have previously experienced
- To research creatures from mythologies using the Internet
- Art & Design KS2 1c, 2b, 2c, 3b, 4a,
- History KS2 4a (European Study - Ancient Greece, beliefs & achievements)
- ICT KS2 1a, 2a, 4a, 4b, 5b
Process
The children used the Internet to find and save pictures of mythical creatures. They also searched CD and Internet collections for sample photos with appealing textures or patterns. They discovered that many creatures were often a combination of parts of real animals - horse's body, lion's head, bird's wings, etc. The children sketched their own combination of animals to create a creature.
The techniques for image manipulation were demonstrated to the class using a data projector and large screen.
Year 3 Children
The children's colour drawings were photographed with the digital camera. After uploading to the computer, the children learned how to replace their own colouring with textures or colours from the other photos they had collected. This is made easy in software that uses 'layers', where the creature can be placed in front of the texture photograph and an electronic 'rubber' tool used to reveal desired portions of the image behind.
Year 5 Children
These children emulated some of the black and white line drawing techniques they had seen on the Internet and scanned the result. Some wanted to incorporate 'creature features' similar to those found in their research, but felt they lacked the necessary drawing skills.
The children were shown how a portion of one picture (e.g. lion's head) could be cut out and blended into their own picture. When happy with the basic design of their creature, the children set about using portions of the texture and pattern photos collected to 'fill' their own creatures.
Both Classes
The children placed their creatures in a familiar location in the local environment. Manipulating digital photographs the children created a 'mood' for the location, e.g. by creating a threatening sky or making it 'foggy'. They then 'cut' their creature and 'pasted' it onto this background, experimenting with shadow, lighting, and proportion effects to help 'blend' it into the photograph.
