All things big and small
Lesson One: Beatrix Potter
Study of Nine Beetles
Lesson Objectives
To consider the effects 'scale' can place on an artist and their audience.
To incorporate scale into our own anatomical drawings.
Teachers Notes
Beatrix Potter is most famous for her tales of animals, such as Peter Rabbit and her acccompany illustrations. However, this image of a 'study of nine beetles' showcases her ability to draw living creatures with great detail. The detail provided with the shape and colour should encourage children to consider how small creatures can often be portrayed as one simple shape, with one defined colour. Children can often overlook these features, and in turn this could provoke reflection on how they can portray a small creature in future.
This image is also beneficial when discussing 'scale'. As there are nine beetles of varying size, it should encourage the children to consider whether they think these are representative of each beetle. Also through comparing each beetle, they should begin to form an understanding of 'individual size' and what place scale has with this.
Key Questions and Vocabulary
1.What can you tell me about the creatures in this image?
2. What effect does the detail in colour have on this?
3. How has the artist used 'scale' when producing this piece?
4. How would you feel if these beetles were to exact scale, as they are on the white board?
Scale - Relative - Detail - Size - Tone
The Lesson as Part of a Sequence
This is the first image to be used in the sequence of lessons entitled 'All things big and small', which will introduce the children to the concept of 'scale' and how we can use 'scale' to create different artforms.
In this first lesson the children will be using magnifying glasses and microscopes to look at a range of insects in more detail. They will first describe what they can see to their partner, to encourage them to think about the finer details which are now more apparant with magnification such as colour, size and tone.
They will then be given the freedom to draw the insect in a larger scale than its original size. This will be encouraged with larger pieces of paper and by focussing on the magnified image of their insect.
Children will create these drawings using pencil, however if they feel confident should explore different tones and textures they can recreate in their work using shading and pressure.