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 FoundationThis 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:

 

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Nicholas 

 Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Charlie
 
Preliminary sketch, Charlie
 

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Akshay   

  Tiger 2020 Biro drawing, Isobel

 

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Rebecca

 

Tiger 2020 Biro drawing, Louise 

 

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Nick

 

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Alex

 

Tiger 2020 Biro drawing, Max

 

Tiger 2020 Biro drawing, Josiah

 

Tiger 2020 Biro drawing, Leo

 

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Titus

 

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Affan

 

Tiger 2020 Biro drawing, William

 

Tiger 2020 Biro drawing, Roo

 

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Aisha

 

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Georgia

 

5 MARCH WORKSHOP

Biro drawings created by students attending 5 March workshop:

 

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Nimra

 

Tiger 2020 Biro drawing, Raphael

 

Tiger 2020 Biro drawing, Adam

 

Tiger 2020 Biro drawing, Ella

 

Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Alfie

 

Tiger 2020 Biro drawing, Thomas

 

Tiger 2020 Biro drawing, Lina

  Tiger 2020 Biro drawing,

 Tiger 2020 colour Biro drawing, Raphael

 

PRELIMINARY SKETCHES

Ella

 

Raphael

 

Alfie

Lina