Australian Animals

Try out a range of different art materials and techniques, including chalk pastel, printmaking, clay, acrylic painting, watercolour and drawing to create these adorable animal artworks. Create a sweet Koala, a curious Kangaroo, a spiky echidna, a bouncy bilby or a magnificent cassowary in this phenomenal art unit. Inspire your students with the natural wonders of the Australian bush, while teaching them a range of art skills that are sure to expand their creativity. 

In the K-2 category, students can create an endearing Koala artwork using chalk pastels. They will learn potato printmaking techniques to create an enchanting Kangaroo artwork using acrylic paints. The clay echidna is sure to delight with this sculptural artwork in clay, complete with spikes! In the Koala lesson, students will be introduced to the concept of composition and will make choices regarding size, shape, form and style in creating a balanced composition. They will also follow a guided drawing tutorial, learning the basic skills involved in the creation of a representational sketch from a reference image. Students will build their understanding of implied texture in the creation of fur on their artworks using chalk pastel application techniques. In the Kangaroo artwork, students will have fun learning printmaking techniques by creating their own potato stamps. Children will consider size, space, form and composition in the creation of each stamp and in deciding where the placement of each feature should be. Students will consider colour choices, mixing a range of brown paints to use in different sections of their artwork and will create contrast with oil pastels to add details. In the echidna lesson, students will expand upon their knowledge of sculpture and clay handling. They will learn about rolling, pressing, indenting, and pinching clay in order to create an accurate representation of an echidna shape and then will expand upon their knowledge of form and detail to add spikes to their artwork in the appropriate direction and length. 

In our year 3-4 year category, children will complete a sweet painting of a baby Koala using acrylic painting techniques. We have a painted paper collage of a charming bilby to create, or a range of other Australian animals. In the Koala painting lesson, students will expand upon their knowledge of contrast, composition, and representational drawing with a guided lesson plan that outlines step-by-step how to draw a representational object by starting with basic shapes, and refining until the sketch is accurate. Students will learn colour mixing and paint application skills, learning how to create implied texture and depth in an artwork. They will practice their compositional skills in sketching a representation of a koala from a reference image, and taking into consideration form, shape and size in deciding where to place objects in their artwork. In the painted paper bilby collage artwork, students will create an observational representative sketch of their chosen animal, taking into consideration the proportions, shape and size of the target animal in preparation for their collage. They will then use found-image collage techniques and acrylic paints to create textured painted papers that will enhance the implied texture of fur or skin on their chosen animal. They will have to take into consideration highlights, shadows, and contrasts in their artworks to create a composition that is balanced and accurately portrays their chosen Australian animal. 

In the 5-6 year category, students will create an impressive cassowary art project using watercolour painting techniques. They will expand on their knowledge of acrylic painting techniques to create a spectacular artwork of a Kangaroo on canvas or paper. In the cassowary art project, students will practice their representational drawing and compositional skills in the creation of a base sketch that is proportionate and contains all of the Cassowaries main features, such as the wattle, beak, neck and body. Students will learn how to sketch by starting with basic shapes and forms and adding details and refining until the sketch is accurate. Students will expand their knowledge of colour and contrast, utilising tone to represent highlights and shadows in their work to create a sense of depth. They will explore the creation of implied texture in an artwork, using sponging techniques to add a skin texture to the artworks for increased realism. In the Kangaroo painting project, students will expand their knowledge of representational drawing, by using basic forms and shapes and adding details until their sketch is accurate. Students will be challenged to create a drawing that is proportionate and similar to a reference image, utilising the elements of space, form and shape to complete their sketch. They will experiment with colour and layering techniques in the application and mixture of oil pastel and acrylic paint in their artworks. The layering technique used in the lesson will be used to create the implied texture of fur on the Kangaroo’s body. Students will learn how base colours can interact with colour on the top layer of a painting, changing the tone of an artwork. They will consider colour and tonal contrast in their artworks, in an effort to increase the depth of the artwork and enhance it’s representation of the image. These projects will support students in learning how to create representational artworks that incorporate contrast, texture, and depth.