Ms O'Sullivan's page

Welcome to Ms O'Sullivan's page.

Alongside the home learning resources which our teachers are sharing with you during this time when many of us are learning at home or working from home, I thought it would be nice if I shared some things too, including ideas for art projects and some stories to listen to.
If you click on the red buttons these will take you to videos which introduce activities or where you can watch and listen. If you hover over, or click on some of the pictures, captions will appear with more instructions.
Even though I am very busy most of the time, I will try and find the time to add new bits quite regularly. Please do take a look from time to time to see if there is anything of interest to you.

This page is to share.......

...creative ideas with the children

Art from under the Stairs

Introduction to Print Workshop

Vegetable Print Artwork

If you want your finished print to have a border, you can quickly make a simple frame to print into. You might need a grown-up to help with the cutting.

Use a ruler to draw a line a ruler width in from each edge of a piece of paper

Carefully cut along the lines until...

...you have made a simple frame. You might want a grown-up to help with this too.

Then, lay your frame over another piece of paper and attach with paper clips or tape

Making a vegetable print rainbow

First choose your vegetable. Make sure you ask a grown-up if you can use it - you don't want to use anything needed for dinner!

If your vegetable needs chopping with a knife, you must ask a grown-up to help with this!

For this print you will also need some paper, an old plate, a paintbrush, a pot of water, some paints in primary colours - red, yellow, blue. Any kind of water-based paint will do.

Once your your materials are ready, you can start....
(Hover over the pictures for instructions)

Take off the frame and your beautiful rainbow print is ready to put up in the window.

Artichoke Print

You can use the same sort of techniques to produce artwork that looks quite different too. The workshop below explores pattern and line rather than colour, with pleasing results.

This time, instead of paint, I have used water-based printing ink and a roller. If you don't have these though you can use paint and a brush for this too.

Then I got my other resources ready.

Time to begin printing...

Take off the printing frame, add a border and the finished artwork is ready!

Shiny Model Robot

Introduction to Robot Workshop

First, you need to gather some of the things you need to make your robot. Most of them can be found around the house although you might need to ask a grown up to buy some chocolates with shiny foil and cellophane wrappers - Quality Street have the best colours for this project but any shiny wrappers will do.

Some cardboard boxes and tubes

Scissors, sellotape and maybe some glue

Silver foil and some shiny sweet wrappers-Quality Street are best

Some buttons or some bottle tops

Once you have chosen which boxes you are going to use, you might need to cut some so they are the right size and shape. Then, you need to cover them with silver foil. You can stick down the loose edges with sellotape. It doesn't matter if it shows.

Next, you need to sort out your sweet wrappers into different colours. Which colour wrapper do you have most of ? Use that colour to cover your biggest box.

Once all your shapes are wrapped, you can begin joining the bits of your robot together. It is still OK to use sellotape because it is shiny like the cellophane and foil.

Then you can add as many little details as you like to make your robot look really special.

What other robot designs could you make?

Photograph/drawing workshop

Rose&bloom's photo workshop

Here are the photo-drawings of my daughter, Grace, that I showed you in the video. It is such an easy thing to do and photo-drawings that you made of yourselves would be such a lovely present for members of your family.

First, you choose your photograph and then ask a grown up to print it out for you but in black & white - just onto ordinary paper.
Then you cut around your photograph and carefully stick it onto a larger piece of paper.

Then you can begin to draw. Extend the lines at the edge of the photograph and then use your pencil in different ways to match where it is light and dark.
Keep going until you are happy with the way your image looks.

Next, you can use a small amount of paint, either water colour or poster paint will be fine. Just to highlight some details of you, like your hair colour or the colour of your clothes.

Then your picture is ready to give to someone you love.
Rose&bloom is going to send his to Grace.

Rose&bloom's Brilliant Idea

Rose&bloom suggests that you might want to draw or paint a picture of your favourite toy. Really practise your drawing and painting skills by trying to make it as realistic as you can.

Ms O'Sullivan loves Rose&bloom so much, she has put his picture up on the wall!

What does your favourite toy look like?

...stories with the children

This is an assembly story for you, children. Most of you should recognise the pigeons and the video contains an exciting pigeon 'news' update.

Pigeon Story - for Grace

Please click on the video link below for the next exciting update of Pigeon Story

Pigeon Story 2

Pigeon Story, the final chapter...

Pigeon Story, by Poppy Downes

Mr. Evans sat down in his old deck chair, holding a beautiful, grey-bodied bird. It had a head as white as milk and the boy was so amazed.
“Can I hold the pigeon?” asked the boy.
“OK, name him and he’s yours,” replied Mr. Evans.
“Really? Thank you. I’ll call him King of the Skies” said the boy, as he carefully took the milk white headed bird from his kind friend, Mr Evans.
As they were walking, the boy asked Mr. Evans, “Why do you like the pigeons so much?”
Mr. Evans replied, “Because they are my friends to stay with all day long, and when they fly they make me smile and they fly so gracefully.”

Stories from the Spare Room

These first stories are ones I created to use with my class when I first started teaching.

The Wheel Plate by Ms O'Sullivan

Fish out of Water by Ms O'Sullivan

Yellow Boots by Ms O'Sullivan

Links to creative ideas and storytelling
from other organisations

The Tate Kids website for activity ideas
https://www.tate.org.uk/kids

Bird themed creative workshops

Under lockdown, and with so little pollution from cars, most of us have noticed the number and variety of birds in our gardens or when we are out on walks, and the amount of birdsong in the air. Inspired by this, and by Pigeon story, I thought it would be nice to explore with you, creative ideas on the theme of birds.

This workshop is dedicated to Holly, because I promised ...

Finger Painting Bird Workshop

All you need for this workshop: paper, a pen or pencil, water-based paints and your fingers!

Once your picture is finished, you just need to decide on the colour for the border.

Bird Mobile Workshop

This is a workshop that you can make as simple or as complicated as you like. If you make it more complex, do remember the two key mobile rules,
build from the bottom
find your balance points
For this workshop you will need some card, some coloured paper, some sticks, a needle and thread, some scissors, a tiny bit of glue and a little bit of patience!
And to watch the video...

Tin Foil Bird Picture

This workshop shares a very simple but effective technique for making beautiful pictures using tinfoil.
All you need is: card, tinfoil, craft glue, a pencil, shoe polish (and your parents permission to use the shoe polish!)

You will need card and craft glue

Then draw your design. Keep it simple, drawing just the outline.

Then draw over the outline with your craft glue.

Once it is completely dry, go over the whole surface with a glue stick.

Then you spread a sheet of kitchen foil over the card and press it down using your finger or a cotton bud until the foil is stuck to the card and you can see the raised outline of the craft glue. Then, get a pencil that isn't too sharp and start making marks over the foil, pressing into the cardboard, to add detail to your design.
Once you are happy with the picture, you rub some black shoe polish into all the little marks and wipe any spare polish off.

Firebird Painting Workshop

This workshop is dedicated to Charlie - a boy who loves bird feathers and has a collection of all shapes and sizes.

All you need for this workshop is a paintbrush, paints, felt-tip pens or coloured pencils, paper and scissors, and feathers.

First, collect some feathers. Then, cut out the shape of a bird's body and secure it to a piece of paper using blu-tack.

Next,you place a feather on the paper holding it firmly in place with your finger. Using the lightest of your chosen paint colours, carefully paint onto the feather and out onto the paper so you end up with a feather outline.

Keep on going, layering on the colours, until you are happy that your tail feathers are finished. Then, take away the paper body shape to reveal the clean paper underneath.

Keep on going until you feel your bird is finished.

Ice flower mobile workshop

This is a very simple workshop. All you need are flower petals or leaves, some freezable containers, some string, some water and a freezer!

Instructions for Ice Flower Mobile

I promised more printing ideas

Printmaking is "the art of transferring an impression from one object onto the surface of another - rather than directly painting or drawing a mark". It is definitely one of my favourite art forms, partly because you can never be quite sure how things are going to turn out.
The kind of print we are exploring in this workshop is called a 'monotype drawing' and a lovely thing about these is that each one is unique - there is no other exactly like it.

Although printing ink will probably create the clearest image, there is no reason why you can't create a monotype drawing by using paint, if you work quickly before the paint dries!

For this, you will need ink (or paint), a roller (or a brush), some paper and a pencil or biro.

You don't have to use a biro, but it will give a clearer line when you reveal your print and is quite easy to draw with. A pencil can be effective if you want a softer effect.
When you peel your paper off of the inked surface, you will find the image on the other side. Don't worry if there are some smudges - these are part of the charm of a monotype drawing.

Yes ... it's the robot again!

You might be happy with your picture being in black and white - it does look really effective.
If you want to colour it in though, that could look good too. If you have printed with paint, it is safest to colour it in with pencils or felt tips. If you have used inks, you can then colour it with water-based paint, but do follow the simple tip below to keep your image nice and clear. (Hover over the pictures for instructions)

You can make your monotype drawings as simple or as complex as you like. Remember, the more you practise, the better you get.

You can also add textures and patterns to your pictures by pressing on your paper with everyday things too.
Why don't you experiment and see what effects you can create?

Lockdown 'time capsule'picture

You can make images of anything using monotype drawings. When the lock down first started, I made some images of some of the things that are important to my family and I, and then put them together into a sort of collage of special things we had thought about during this time.

Can you see Rose&bloom?

Perhaps you could think about things that are important to you to make your own 'time capsule'. You could print, draw, take photographs or write a list!
I wonder what you will think of these things in 10 years time, or 50 years time, and whether they will still be important to you?

Alexander Calder inspired Mobile Workshop

Art Mobile Workshop

As I explain in the video, the two key things when you are making a mobile are:

always work from the bottom up
make sure you have found the 'balance point' before you attach the next piece

As long as you remember the first and have understood the second, you can make mobiles in all shapes and sizes and out of anything you want!

To make the mobile in the video, you will need some strong card (or some thinner pieces stuck together), some coloured paper/paint, some paper clips, a pair of scissors and something sharp like a drawing pin to poke holes through your card. If you are little, make sure you ask a grown-up to help with this bit.

Once your shapes are ready, you can make them bright and colourful. I used sticky back plastic and coloured paper, but you could use paints, felt-tips or pencils - or just leave your pieces of card plain.