2020 RGS Taster Day

Tiger Drawing Workshops
Year 6 Taster Days, Royal Grammar School, Newcastle
3 - 5 March 2020

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

As part of Royal Grammar School, Newcastle Taster Days for visiting Year 6 students, Jane was invited to deliver one-hour art workshops between 3 - 5 March 2020. Inspirational Artist Teacher, Christine Egan-Fowler of the school's exceptional art department, welcomed students with her magical, encouraging words explaining the creative possibilities they could all achieve as young artists.

Jane designed a Tiger Biro Drawing workshop for the taster-day art sessions. In her presentation, she discussed her art practice including multi-layered Biro drawings, sculptures and installations, product designs, as well as her Where Did All the Animals Go? (WDATG) art and environmental education project in partnership with Born Free Foundation. This project was instigated by Christine Egan-Fowler and Linda Peacock, Arts Co-ordinator at Jarrow Cross Primary school, who approached Jane in 2018 and suggested she organise an exhibition of drawings by North-East children, created in her workshops. Alongside artwork created by exceptionally talented RGS students, drawings from the WDATAG exhibition are also on display in RGS for Taster Day students to view.

Shh, it's a Tiger! 2013 black Biro drawing, Jane Lee McCracken

Jane's presentation also communicated factual information about conserving the 3,500 remaining wild tigers and the challenges they face including habitat destruction and poaching, and that there are now more tigers in captivity than in the wild.

She also discussed ways to help tigers and other wildlife kept in poor conditions, as well as boycotting petting zoos and reporting illegal wildlife products. Born Free has a brilliant action page to help advise what to do when confronted with any of the forementioned situations here:

www.bornfree.org.uk/take-action

Image: slide from Jane's presentation

Priyanka one of the Taster Day students attending the 3 March workshop, shared her exciting memory of seeing a wild tiger when visiting Ranthambore National Park, India.

Jane also explained that the reason she often features and champions endangered species within her art practice originated from her reading an article in 1976, aged eight, announcing that the Caspian tiger had been declared extinct. Unable to comprehend how such a beautiful and iconic species was allowed to go extinct, this event prompted a promise to do what she could to help vulnerable wildlife.

Image: Caspian tiger slide from Jane's presentation

The presentation also included tips to help wildlife both locally and globally. For Where Did All the Animals Go? project Jane and Born Free put together a list of 12 ways to help wildlife here:

janeleemccracken.co.uk/blogs/where-did-all-the-animals-go/12-ways-you-can-help-wildlife

WORKSHOP DRAWINGS

Students were given the choice of two images to use as inspiration and create either a tiger face or a walking tiger Biro drawing. As always Jane encouraged attendees to express themselves and enjoy drawing, as well as highlighting that her workshops focus on exploring the unique drawing styles we all possess and which are all valid, coupled with the fact that everyone can draw.

With only 45 minutes to create their Biro drawings with no pencil guidelines, the resulting artworks are astonishing with beautiful, vibrant and expressive drawings produced by all attendees, of which Jane is particularly proud.

3 MARCH WORKSHOP

Biro drawings created by students attending 3 March workshop:

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Aadi

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Jessica

Tiger 2020 Biro drawing, Chloe

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Anya

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Oscar

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Solomon

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Priyanka

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Riya

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Dhrav

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing in progress, Elizabeth

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Samay

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Shuwen

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Akithra

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Lila

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Hamza

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Florence

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Hannah

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Ding

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Amilee

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Olivia

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Hope

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Milly

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Trystan

4 MARCH WORKSHOP

Student's attending this workshop chose to work in vibrant colours and think out the box. Nicholas made a remarkable artwork with the words 'endangered tiger' woven into the tiger's facial stripes and added a thought-provoking statement and imagery beneath. Charlie drew a shattered tiger, the pieces symbolic of the fact tigers are disappearing. The future for tigers is bright with compassionate young people such as Nicholas and Charlie championing them.

Biro drawings created in 4 March workshop: