Mythical Creatures Art Study

Mythical Creatures
In the home learning pack that pupils were sent home at the start of lockdown you were asked to:
· Research mythical creatures
· Gather a range of creatures which are real, mythical or have been created in books or films.
· Create your own mythical creature. Use different art materials to recreate your creature (coloured pencils, pen, writing pencil only, outdoor art tools, sticks, paint etc.)
 
The purpose of this was to then move onto the following activities and competition which is being run by The National Gallery of Scotland.
The information is all below or you can access it directly at:
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/national-galleries-scotland-art-competition-schools/primary-4-7-2020
 
Before you create your art work there are some tasks to complete. Write the answers to the questions in your jotter or on Word then upload them to me.
Welcome to the National Galleries of Scotland Art Competition for Schools and Families 2020. The aim of this competition is to encourage school children to interact with, and be inspired by, artworks in the National Galleries of Scotland Collection.
Here you will find three key artworks to look at and discuss as a class, with some additional images included below. There are suggestions of things to think about, instructions on what to make, examples of materials that can be used and how the artwork will be judged.
 
Picture 1:

Things to think about and answer:

1. How has this strange creature been made by the artists?
2. Can you identify different objects in the body of the creature?
3. How do you think it would move around?
4. Would different parts of the body make different noises?
5. Do you think it would have any special powers? What would they be?

 
Facts
Surrealist artists drew inspiration from the unconscious mind. They used games and dreams to help them create their art. The Cadavre Exquis (Exquisite Corpse) was a game they played where three or four people would add to a drawing, without seeing what anyone else had done. You can try this by folding a piece of paper in 3 and drawing a head, body and legs without looking at what the person before you has drawn.
 
​Picture 2:

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​Things to think about and answer:

1. What is magical about the creature in the centre of the picture?
2. It looks like it has the body of one animal and the wings of another. What animals are they?
3. How do you think it would have flown through the air?
4. Would it have been easy for the knight to hold on? How would he have fought while the creature was flying?
5. Do you think the creature has any other magical powers?

 
Facts
The artist, Sir Joseph Noel Paton, was very interested in myths, legends and stories. He loved painting fairies and other magical creatures but he studied animals and plants in real life to make sure that the details in his pictures looked believable.
Picture 3:

Things to think about and answer:

1. What kind of creature do you think this is?
2. Do any parts of her body look like different animals? What is her hair made of?
3. What do you think her skin would feel like to touch?
4. How would she move?
5. Do you think her hair, body or tail would make a noise?
6. Do you think she is friendly or fierce?

 
Facts
This is a model of Medusa made by Ray Harryhausen for the film, Clash of the Titans (1981). Harryhausen used stop-motion animation to make Medusa appear to be fighting with the actors in the film. The character of Medusa comes from Ancient Greek mythology.
Image: Ray Harryhausen, Medusa model from Clash of the Titans, (about 1979), © The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation (Charity No. SC001419)
Here are a few more questions to answer to help spark the imagination.

1. What kinds of magical creatures have you heard of?
2. What is a monster? Is a monster always scary?
3. What makes a creature scary? Its size, sharp claws, big teeth, colour, loud roar, ability to breathe fire?
4. What makes a creature magical? Wings, talking, magical powers - what could they be?
5. Where would your magical creature or fierce monster live? What would they eat?
6. What size would your creature be? As big as a house or small enough to fit in your pocket?
7. Is your creature furry, scaly, slimy, spikey or feathered?
8. What would your creature do if it met you? Would it let you ride on it? Would it show you some magic? Would it want to eat you up?
9. Think about different stories with fierce monsters and magical creatures in them, Greek myths and legends, fairy stories, stop-motion model animation in films: King Kong, Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts

 
Now you are ready to create your own artwork…

MakeA picture of a magical creature or a fierce monster or both of them together. You could be in the picture as well if you like.
UseAny materials, techniques or processes (for example drawing, painting, printmaking, textiles, photography, computer aided design, collage, montage) to make your piece as long as each entry is two-dimensional.
It can be any size up to A2 (60 x 42 centimetres).
Entries will be judged on:

• Originality and creativity
• Confident handling of materials
• Boldness and impact

 
Try to experiment and create more than one piece of artwork. 
Last Task: Evaluation
Write a paragraph explaining which of your pieces of artwork is your favourite and why?