Drawing Made Easy

Pick a picture, any picture....now draw it.

Often, when teaching, you spend all of your time actually teaching and showing, never doing. I mean, sure, we have to show pupils an almost finished product...but how many times do we just take 'em from the Internet or books?

When I teach drawing I emphasise an awareness of: space, form, shape, line (these are from the curriculum) I also would mention: tone, texture, debt.

When I was teaching in resource, I decided to draw a few images and then ask the pupils to do the same. I was working on hand-eye coordination and motor skills. And yes, being aware of space on the page can be translated into real life.

Anyway, I start with the eyes, then mouth and chin, I add the ears and hair. Once the neck is added, I have a shape that I can really build up. It is really that simple; start with the eyes, nose and mouth.

Here are my picutres below.












For more info on the curriculum:

Strand: Drawing
Strand unit: Making drawings

The child should be enabled to
  • experiment with the marks, lines, shapes, textures, patterns and tones that can be made with different drawing instruments on a range of surfaces, demonstrating increasing sensitivity and controllooking closely at specially chosen objects and interpreting qualities of line, shape, texture, light and shade
    concentrating as appropriate on outline drawing, silhouette, shape, tone, texture, pattern and rhythm and structure
  • discover how line could convey movement and rhythmmovement in nature (cloud shapes)
    calligraphic styles (the Book of Kells)
    cartoon figures in action
  • make drawings based on themes reflecting broadening interests, experiences and feelings
    pastimes, outings, special events
  • draw imaginative themes using inventive pattern and detailstories, poems, songs
    dream cars, motorcycles or houses
    futuristic fashion
    characters in cartoon strips
    designing and sketching plans for a threedimensional project
  • draw from observationstill life arrangements
    aspects of the environment when viewed from different angles, using a viewfinder (or a classroom window) to help position objects and define space
    the human figure (e.g. a classmate in a particular setting)
    details of the human figure (e.g. a portrait of a classmate).

Bealtaine Festival 2012 for 50+

I received this press release from the South Tipperary Arts Council. This festival is for the over 50's and aims to encourage creativity. Please pass on info on this festival to anyone who would benefit from it.


"The Bealtaine Festival is Ireland’s largest collaborative Arts festival. It celebrates creativity as we age during the month of May every year. In association with Age & Opportunity, Tipperary Bealtaine festival presents a month long programme inviting people aged 50+ to engage with arts and cultural activity and offers opportunities to reignite the flame of creativity and unlock hidden talents through theatre, the visual arts, music and literature.


The Arts Services of South and North Tipperary County Council together with Tipperary Libraries have once again co-ordinated the Tipperary Bealtaine Festival, celebrating creativity as we age.   The launch of the 2012 Tipperary Bealtaine Festival takes place on Tuesday 1st May at 2.30pm in The Source Arts Centre, Thurles. This is a free event and will feature performances by Internationally renowned storyteller Niall de Burca and close harmony vocal trio Swingabella, followed by refreshments. Admission is free and bookings are currently being taken by the Box Office at The Source Arts Centre, telephone: 0504 - 90204 to reserve your seat!


 Active Retirement Groups and Care Centres should advise of numbers attending.  

Niall de Burca will also be performing at South Tipperary County Museum, Clonmel on 2nd May at 7pm – Admission is free but places are limited so booking is essential. Contact 052 6134565 / 052 6134552 to book. Niall de Burca is one of Ireland’s finest traditional storytellers performing Nationally in theatre’s, on radio and at many festivals including FĂ©ile Earrai, the CS Lewis Festival and the National Children’s Book Festival.

The Bealtaine Festival is described by Age and Opportunity as an invitation ‘to try something new, to explore something creative this Bealtaine in recognition of the life enhancing joys of constant learning and our capacity for creativity at all stages of our lives.’

 The theme for this year’s festival “What kind of old do you want to be” recognises that, as older people, we are not one homogenous group; we are individuals with widely different talents, interests and needs. In the spirit of this we are encouraging people to experience new art forms, and to try something new this May. Events range from dance workshops to ceramics and from film to visual arts and we hope that by the end of the festival you might have had a chance to discover new skills and talents in the arts.   For further information, please contact:  

South Tipperary Arts Office, 052 34565, email sally.oleary@southtippcoco.ie  or www.southtipparts.ie   North Tipperary Arts Office, 067-44860 artsoffice@northtippcoco.ie  or www.tipperarynorth.ie/arts   ;    Emer O’Brien, Library Headquarters, 0504 21555, email eobrien@tipperarylibraries.ie  or www.tipperarylibraries.ie  "

Mitch Resnick & Natalie Rusk of MIT -Scratch

I found this on South Dublin Libraries. But it's a school night and I am baseded all the way down in Tipp.....so I will miss it. If you attend can you please let me know how you get on. 


"April 23, 2012 South Dublin Libraries in association with ITT Dublin Tallaght and LERO (The Irish Software Engineering Research Centre) are delighted to welcome Mitch Resnick & Natalie Rusk of MIT Media Lab What are people creating and learning with Scratch?


Tuesday May 1st 6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. County Library, Town Centre, Tallaght Scratch is a visual programming language that makes it easy to create interactive stories, animations, games, music and art and share these creations on the web.

Mitch Resnick is LEGO Papert Professor of Learning Research & head of the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts) Natalie Rusk is Research Specialist in the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Laboratory developing creative learning technologies. Spaces for this exciting event are limited. If interested in attending, please ensure that you book online now by clicking signup below.

For more information click here  Directions to the County Library are available here. ITT Dublin, Tallaght, celebrating 20 years serving South Dublin, Ireland and the world."