In our summer art topic we look at the work of French artist Jean Guichard, whose photographs of lighthouses are famous. We use his work to inspire our 3D paper scultpures and collage.

LESSON 8

is to create a repetitive pattern using tessellation. Think about these questions:

• How can I fill a page with shapes that fit together in a pattern, with no gaps or overlaps?
• What colours could I use in my repetitive pattern?

Examples of Tessellation

• Floor tiles
• Mosaics
• Window panes
• Honeycomb
• Bricks in a wall
• Reptile scales
• Chess Boards

Have a go at designing your own tessellating pattern, either using regular 2D shapes or by following this lesson below to create a unique tessellating template tile which you can use to fill your page. Choose your own colour scheme to colour your pattern - you could use pencils, crayons, felt-tips, paints or chalks. 

LESSON 7

is to use watercolour paint, candles/wax crayons and salt to create amazing underwater artwork. Think about these questions:

• What happens when I paint on top of wax crayons, candle wax or oil pastels?
• How does salt affect wet paint?

Click on this fantastic piece of artwork to find out how you can recreate this from home. Don't worry too much about the need for watercolour paints - you can water down poster paint which you are more likely to have at home and this works just as well. They also suggest using oil pastels which I definitely don't have in my house. When I was in the hub, I led a similar craft activity where we used plain white candles (tealights are fine if you remove the foil cover) and wax crayons. We drew with the candles then washed over the top with watered down paint. It was amazing to watch as the paint refuses to stick to the wax.

I love the extra step here where they sprinkle salt onto the watery paint. Take a look at the incredible effects which have been created in this underwater scene. 

Top tip: You can also use white wax candles to write SECRET MESSAGES. The message is only revealed when someone paints over it with the watercolour paint!

LESSON 6

is to make a metallic fish. Think about these questions:

• How can I recreate the textures of the skin of a fish?
• What colour combinations will look bold and exciting?

You will need some cardboard (empty cereal boxes are ideal), scissors, tinfoil, permanent markers (Sharpies) and/or paint. 

Cut out fish shapes from the cardboard and carefully cover with tinfoil, making sure that the shiny side is facing out. Add designs using the permanent markers or paint - use the designs above or create your own patterns to resemble the scales of fish. Think about the colours you choose - maybe pick just two or three complimentary colours for each fish or will you use every colour and create a rainbow fish?

Try making a few of these fish in different sizes. What is the collective noun for fish? Do you know? (A school or a shoal of fish.) You might try adding other sea creatures by making a tinfoil seahorse, starfish, sea turtles or jelly fish. Share your designs on our Purple Mash blog - we'd love to see your creations.

LESSON 5

is to make a seaside in a bottle. Think about these questions:

• What do I see at the seaside?
• How can I recreate this on a small scale?

You will need a plastic bottle (ideally one with a wide neck like an Oasis juice or Crusha milkshake bottle), some sand, small shells or pebbles, blue food colouring, washing up liquid and water. You can also make a tag for your bottle.

Follow the instructions on the document below.

LESSON 4
is to decorate a pebble or a stone to add to a class collection. Think about this question:

• How can I make a statement image on a small pebble or a stone?

You will need a smooth pebble or stone and it's best to give it a wash first to remove any mud or dirt. We are still following our seaside theme so look again at the images below to give you some ideas or visit Google to seach for 'pebble painting ideas'. 

If we were in school, we would use acrylic paints and Sharpie pens to give us the boldest colours on our pebbles. While at home, you can use whatever you can lay your hands on. Oscar from 3CB has had a go at this already and you can see his work on the Y3 blog. I can see in his photograph that he has used normal poster paints for this job and his colourful rainbows look great! Sometimes you will need to paint a little bit then let it dry before continuing. The Sharpies or marker pens are perfect for outlining your work or for adding detail. 

You might want to display your finished work in your house or, if you're happy to share it, take the pebble or stone with you on a walk and hide it somewhere for someone to find. These pebbles can really brighten up someone's day! 

LESSON 3
is to create a mosaic using paper squared. Think about this question:

• How can I show curves using square mosaic tiles?

Look at the pictures below to get some ideas.

Choose one of these (or your own) images and draw it lightly onto paper with a pencil. Don't include too much detail at this point, you just want an outline. Now cut some strips of coloured paper, then cut across them to make squares. You will also need a glue stick or some runny PVA glue. 

Try gluing the different coloured squares down within the design on your page to create a seaside mosaic. Have a look at some of the examples below.

LESSON 2
is to take motion photographs (and hopefully end up with one or two of which you are really proud). Think about these questions:

• How can I capture a family member or pet using a camera, tablet or mobile phone to photograph them? 
• What effect does the position of the sun have on my photograph?

Look at the lighthouse photographs (above) by Jean Guichard and have a watch of the video (below). Guichard is a French photographer famous for his photographs of lighthouses. See if you can spot the lighthouse keeper looking out of his doorway when he thought that the photographer's helicopter was the rescue helicopter!

Guichard manages to capture real motion of the waves in his photographs. In some images, the sun is behind the lighthouse, creating a silhouette effect; in others, the light is behind the camera so that the lighthouse is illuminated (lit). How many photographs do you think that Guichard took to achieve each one of these stunning images?

Take a camera, tablet/iPad or mobile phone (with an adult's permission!) and try taking photographs of a family member or pet. Experiment by taking pictures with the sun behind you and then with the sun behind your subject. How can you adjust the light on the image?

Next, experiment with motion (movement). Try taking photographs of your family member/pet throwing or catching a ball, of them running or jumping. How successful are you at catching this motion?

When you have had enough, sit down and scroll through the photographs you have taken. You will probably need to delete most of them. Hopefully you will be left with at least two or three of which you are really proud. Maybe they could be printed and will become a wonderful memory of this strange time in lockdown?

LESSON 1
is to make a paper sculpture of a fish. Think about these questions:

• How can I make a 3D fish?
• What different ways can I bend, twist, fold paper to make it stand up and out?

Here are some techniques you could try:

You can use plain paper, coloured paper, shiny paper, old newspaper, any kind of paper.

Once you've made one fish you could try and make a whole underwater scene with waves, seaweed, coral, seahorses, crabs or dolphins...the possibilities are endless. Get the whole family involved!

If you fancy another form of paper sculpture you could try your hand at the Japanese art of paper folding known as ORIGAMI.

Click to download this fabulous colouring in sheet.

#VisitLiverpoolLater

Draw along with Rob Biddulph

Rob has decided to post some draw-along videos that you can watch together and, hopefully, make some nice pictures. 

We enjoyed following Neil Buchanan's Art Attack programme when we were learning about instructions in our English lesson. You can find old episodes of this programme from CITV on YouTube.

Alternatively, BBC has a newer series called Art Ninja which has loads of great ideas to try at home.