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Listed under:  Arts  >  Visual arts  >  Composition (Visual arts)
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Brushing up on animals

Students discover techniques for drawing animals and painting an artwork.

Interactive

Your Public Art Project

What is public art? How can it transform our local environment? Primary and secondary students from across NSW worked with Kaldor Public Art Projects to reimagine public spaces within their local communities. This eResource explores the school’s work using innovative technology to bring site specific works alive through ...

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Heywire: Digging for diprotodons

Ever dreamed of finding buried treasure in your own backyard? For Natasha Camp, this is a reality. Her 'treasure' is not gold or silver, but the bones of ancient Australian megafauna. In this Heywire photo story, Natasha describes the latest dig at Floraville Station, Queensland, her family's property. It was on this dig ...

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Conrad Martens: 'View from Rose Bank' 1840

Many early artists romanticised the Australian colonial landscape and did not always strictly paint what they saw. In this example Martens has given the landscape a decidedly Italian atmosphere, softening the colour palate and creating a more ‘civilised' view. Can you think of why the artist may be interested in changing ...

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Manankurra Kujika: The song of the Tiger Shark

The Rrumburriya clan of the Yanyuma people are the custodians of the Tiger Shark Dreaming. In this animation, the Tiger Shark sings plants, fish, birds, fresh water and people at Manankurra, at the mouth of the Wearyan River on the Gulf coast of the Northern Territory. This story from the Yanyuwa people is one of nine that ...

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Sally Rippin on authors and illustrators

Watch this clip to find out about the relationship between authors and illustrators. What role does the publisher play in this relationship? What does Sally Rippin say about the role of illustrations in books for young children?

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Making a Mini-documentary, Ep 5: Interviewing tips for a video interview

You've got your questions, your equipment, your location and your interviewees. How do you do the interview? Catherine Marciniak and Benj Binks from ABC Open have some practical advice for you. This clip is one of eight on making a mini-documentary.

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John Eyre: (print after) 'Port Jackson Harbour NSW' 1812

This panoramic view of Port Jackson shows the fledgling European settlement taking shape. Part of a set of 12, this print was drawn by convict artist John Eyre who was transported for breaking and entering. The intended clientele included local trading ships and members of the British military and naval forces. The series ...

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Powerful words: Gough Whitlam's dismissal

Gough Whitlam is the only Australian prime minister to have been sacked from office - along with his entire government. After learning of his dismissal, Mr Whitlam addressed the Australian public and uttered a line that has resonated throughout Australian politics since 1975. Words can be immensely powerful and, as you ...

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Purdiwan: Pretty One

The Garrwa people live inland from the Gulf of Carpentaria, on either side of the border between the Northern Territory and Queensland. In this brief but beautiful animation, a Garrwa woman herds her pretty goats eastward.

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'The Rajah quilt' 1841

The Rajah quilt was made by female convicts on route from England to the colony of Tasmania in 1841. It consists of 2815 pieces of fabric and was presented to the Governor's wife upon arrival as a testament to the women's industry. The women learned these skills on the long journey to Australia on board their convict ship ...

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Libraries in decline

Did you know that libraries have been around for over 4000 years? For a very long time, you could only borrow books from libraries, but in recent years this has changed. You can now borrow magazines, DVDs, CDs and even download ebooks! How does Sarah, the reporter, feel about this? How does Debra, the librarian, feel about ...

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Emma Boyd: 'The quail shooter' 1884

In this work Emma Boyd depicts the landscape near her home, ‘The Grange', in Victoria. See how the landscape dominates the single human figure? What do you think this suggests? What is the artists trying to say by creating this sense of scale?

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Eugene von Guérard: 'Purrumbete from across the lake' 1858

Lured to Australia by the discovery of gold, Eugene von Guérard was the lead painter in the first century of European settlement. This piece is one of a pair that was commissioned by land owners Peter and John Manifold. Von Guérard was known for his mastery of landscapes, and his attention to detail and interest in the ...

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Making a Mini-documentary, Ep 1: Basic equipment for filming a video documentary

What basic equipment do you need to film a short video documentary? Catherine Marciniak and Benj Binks from ABC Open show you some useful cameras and other equipment, and give you some handy tips on how to use them. This is one of eight clips on making a mini-documentary.

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John Lewin: 'Reed warbler' 1805

Natural history illustrator John Lewin was the first professional artist to come to Australia as a free settler. His collected illustrations of native birds became the first non-government book published in the colony. How difficult do you think it was to identify and illustrate so many different birds?

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li-Maramaranja Dugong Hunters

The story of the Dugong Hunters, or li-Maramaranja, belongs to the Rrumburriya clan of the Yanyuwa people, who live along the Gulf coast of the Northern Territory. In this story, the dugong hunter Jurruji encounters trouble when he falls into a crevasse on an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. This story from the Yanyuwa ...

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Ngurdungurdu: The Tiger Shark

The Tiger Shark travels from the east to his country at the mouth of the Wearyan River on the Gulf coast of the Northern Territory. On his way he encounters the Rock Wallaby, who drives him from her country. The Rrumburriya clan of the Yanyuma people are the custodians of the Tiger Shark Dreaming. This story from the Yanyuwa ...

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Eugene von Guérard: 'North-east view from the northern top of Mount Kosciusko' 1863

In this landscape Eugene von Guérard blends topographical accuracy with the grandness of a mountain top view which he witnessed in 1862 as a member of a geographical survey led by scientist Georg von Neumayer. The artist has taken some liberties with the depiction of the boulders in the foreground to demonstrate the enormous ...

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Stamping in visual arts

In visual art, what do you think stamping refers to? Learn how to create artworks using this technique. See if you can find something other than a leaf as the stamp to experiment with.