Artmaking is a way to explore themes and concepts expressed in works of art. The creative process supports the individuality of each maker through experimentation and self-expression.
Each workshop contains a video that demonstrates the artmaking activity. The video can be watched before you begin artmaking, or it can be watched while you make, with participants following along. We encourage you to pause or rewind as required.
Each artmaking activity has been piloted in our regular Art and Dementia programs both onsite and online. Participant feedback allows us to refine each activity before committing it to the Making It resource.
Artmaking activities are developed in accordance with research surrounding Dementia-based practices. Each activity is made up of three simple steps, and individual participants can determine the complexity of the activity according to their own ability and skill.
Tips to remember:
Tip to encourage a first mark:
Hi, I'm Adriane and welcome to the National Gallery of Australia.
This Making it activity is called Shaping colour and is based on the work of two artists in the Australian collection.
Behind me you can see the work by Frank Hinder called Yellow Abstract and on the screen a work by Anne Dangar called Un composition, pochoir, and pochoir is a word for stencil Anne Dangar and Frank Hinder use rotation as a way to create interest.
Un composition, pochoir [pochoir composition] by Anne Dangar, colour creates a sense of rotation. Frank Hinder uses the same shapes drawn at different angles. The focus is on overlapping forms, repetition, and colour.
You will need just 3 to 5 small objects that you might find outside or in the house and I've got a roll of masking tape. I've got a shell, a smooth stone, a feather, and also just the lid of this box.
I also have some watercolour pencils. I have a very, very small amount of water and some brushes, but because I'm in the gallery, I can't use those, and instead I'm going to use this nifty little brush which has its own water reservoir.
You're welcome to pause this video at any time, or you can participate alongside me. So, let's get started.
So the first thing that I'm going to do is arrange my objects on the paper. I might not use them all. Don't worry about it too much. And then I'm going to start tracing around them.
I might make this double line actually with the inside of the masking tape as well and I think if we look at Frank hinders work, maybe one thing to remember is actually use some of the objects more than once.
I might do this one more time. Good, and now I'm going to use this lid just to provide some kind of structural element, some diagonals and straight lines in the background and you might be able to see that in this instance. I'm just really taking inspiration from Hinder.
So now beginning to select colours and looking at the spaces where there's overlap, let's begin to fill in different areas.
I haven't finished, but I've made a start. But I want to show you what happens when I put the water on the colour. See how that pencil line becomes fluid and how I can blend the pink in with the yellow.
This is what I've made. I think you can see that it's not finished, but you can also recognise where I've used the objects and how after they've been traced around and filled with colour, they lose their connection to reality and to their purpose.
I hope you’ll keep going till yours is finished and that you keep layering on colours and that it's enjoyable.