Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

About the artwork

This is a painting by Samuel John Murphy, who was born 170 years ago in county Cork. The painting shows a horse in a neat stable with a cobbled stone floor. The horse has some hay to munch on and looks very healthy, shiny and sleek. The horse has a neatly chopped tail, short and straight across.

The title of this painting is Bay Horse. Why do you think it is called that? The horse isn’t sitting by the bay of the sea chowing down on chowder.

All manner of horses

A bay horse is a reddish-brown or brown horse with a black mane, tail, socks and snout. Bay is one of the most common colours for a horse. But did you know there are many more? Can you name any other horse coat colours?

Here are six more horse colourings - all scrambled up. See if you can solve them!

Did you know…?

Horses can sleep lying down and standing up

They have lived on earth for more than 50 million years, evolving from much smaller creatures…

….and have lived with people (domesticated) for over 5,000 years

A female horse is called a mare

A male horse is called a stallion

A young female horse is a filly

And a young male horse is a colt

They have huge eyes - some of the biggest of any land mammal!

Horsing around

Let’s draw some horses of our own. This is Serena - an emerald roan with piebald patches.

Follow the steps below to get the outline of your horse.

If your horse looks lonesome - add a companion! This is Chippy with their horse Bronntanas!

Talking Pictures: 'Horse' was devised by Annie Forrester

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Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

About the artwork

What do you think this is? Long green tendrils on top of a platform - some kind of octopus on a stage?

Officially it is a salt cellar - something you would have on your table filled with salt ready to be added to your mashed potatoes. It was made in the 17th century.

Perhaps it could also be an egg cup for your boiled eggs. Could you see an egg sitting on top the salt cellar with runny yellow yolk oozing down the side?

A brief history of the Easter egg

Eggs are a common symbol for spring, hatching out all sorts of little winged creatures during the season. The new babies are signs of new beginnings as the trees begin to bud and nature comes out of a sleepy winter hibernation.

One of spring’s most common festivals is Easter. For centuries people have been giving painted eggs for Easter presents as they are in plentiful supply at this time of year. Then in the 19th century France and Germany began producing eggs from chocolate, quickly followed in the 1870’s by JS Fry & Sons as well as John Cadbury in England. And thus the chocolate easter egg was born!

Egg painting

Whether you celebrate Easter or not - this is a very fun way to add some springtime decorations to your home!

Here’s a video of the process which might make it easier:

Once you are finished painting and your egg is dry - you have the option of gluing a string to your egg so you can hang up your new decoration. For this use PVA glue and a piece of string or thread.

Or you could design an egg cup for your egg friend!

Talking Pictures: 'Eggcellent Salt Cellar' was devised by Annie Forrester

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Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

About the artwork

This painting is by Pauline Bewick and it shows a family in County Wicklow. The family are standing in their yard with trees framing their small cottage. Can you see the mountains in the background? These mountains make the painting seem very deep, like the land goes on for a long time behind this family’s home. Can you find the animals in the yard?

The artist Pauline Bewick spent a lot of her childhood moving around between Ireland, Wales and England with her mother and her sister. Her family lived in caravans, a houseboat, a railway carriage and a workman's hut while she was growing up.

A party of people

What do you call a group of people? It could be your family, your class at school or the GAA team you play for. These are all ‘collective nouns’ - different names for groups of more than one human. Your squad, your tribe, your band.

And what if you are talking about more than one cow? A farmer has a herd of cattle or a gaggle of geese. Every animal has a collective noun for its group - and there are some strange ones out there! See if you can match up these animals to their collective nouns.

Put your finger down on one of the pieces and draw around the tip.

Drawing our family troupes

Who do you have in your family bunch?

Pick up some paper and pencils and we will follow Pauline Bewick’s example and draw our own clan.

• Decorate each character with their favourite outfits and anything else you want to add.
• Put your finger down on one of the pieces and draw around the tip.
• Now you need to think of your very own unique collective noun for your family!

This is a charming of Chopras.

We will use a selection of small rectangles of paper - I cut these from scraps.

Then add a long rectangle for the body and rectangles for the arms and legs.

You can download an Irish language pdf version of this article here.

Talking Pictures: 'Family' was devised by Annie Forrester

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Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

What do you see in this painting? Does anything stand out to you? Do any of the colours remind you of something?

This painting is called Walking to the Sea. It was painted by William Crozier in 1989.

Now that you know the title of the painting - do the shapes and colours make more sense to you? Can you see the line where the sea meets the sky? There is a large yellow area that connects the person looking at the painting with the sea - could this be the sand?

The sky is made up of dark blues on the left of the painting and light pinks and blues on the right. Why do you think the artist did this? Could it be the morning time when the sun is rising, eating up the darkness? Or perhaps a storm is coming and the gloomy clouds will swallow up the light…

In our island of Ireland, we are very lucky to have so many beautiful beaches and soon we will be able to take trips to the coast again.

What is your favourite part of going to the beach? Is it burying your brother? Building a pit and watching unaware beach goers fall into it? Finding crabs and anemones in rock pools? Throwing lumps of seaweed into the water for your dog to catch?

Here are some beach facts which you can wow your friends with when we are all able to enjoy them again:

How important are sand dunes?

Sand dunes are created when the wind pulls sand into a hill-like shape. We need these dunes to protect our coast from wind and waves. They are important for coastal grasses and plants, as well as providing a safe haven for animals.

How old is sand?

Sand is, indeed, just a bunch of tiny rocks. It is also one phase of the endlessly churning rock cycle that has been shaping the surface of our earth for the last 4.5 billion years.

Got sand?

You probably do, in your kitchen pantry. Sand is defined as any material made up of grains within a specific size range. Sugar and salt typically qualify.

Got gravel?

The next size up from sand grain is gravel.

Let’s fly a kite

Another thing beaches are great for is kite-flying. Here we will learn how to make a kite that you can fly anywhere with the help of a little breeze.

You will need:

• A4 sheet of paper
• two straws or wooden chopsticks or wooden skewers
• scissors
• ribbons and strings
• PVA glue
• things to decorate your kite with

• Fold your page in half lengthways.
• Fold two of the sides in to meet the centre line.
• Fold one side from the edge of your first fold in to meet the middle line (as shown). Repeat on the other side.
• Now unfold your page and you will be left with a kite shape.

• Cut out your kite. If the page is too scruffy from all the folding you can always trace around this shape onto a new page.
• Decorate your kite however you want. Here I used markers, pencils and paint.
• Now you have a fancy kite - don’t forget to put something on the back too!

• Add a hole at the bottom of the kite for your streamers.
• Pull your strings and ribbons through and tie so that the knot does not slip through the hole.
• You will need one full length straw/chopstick/skewer and one cut in half. Attach these to your kite with PVA then glue a string for flying your kite on to where the straws meet in the middle.

Once all the glue is dry you can try out your kite!

Talking Pictures: 'Walking to the Sea' was devised by Annie Forrester

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Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

About the artwork

This huge drawing is by an artist called Stephen Brandes.

There is a whole strange city within the tree trunk shown in this drawing. There are factories pumping out smoke, what do you think they could be making? Would you like to live in a city in a tree trunk? It might be dark but it sounds quite cosy.

Tree time

What kind of tree do you think this is? It looks tall and has no leaves, so it must lose them in winter time. Here are some Irish trees that have been grown here for thousands of years:

Do you recognise any of these trees? Can you see any from your window or around your area?

Every tree has a unique leaf shape that helps us to identify them. Can you match these leaves to the trees above?

Where there’s a tree there’s a home

Let’s take another look at Stephen Brandes’ tree. There are lots of little houses in it, so it looks like many people or creatures are living there. Trees offer shelter for all sorts of beings - insects, birds, squirrels, rabbits, badgers.

Let’s make some tree houses. You can download and print the template below or just draw your own.

My tree is home to Wilma the Woodpecker who loves reading books about science. Underneath, in the basement, there are lots of rooms for local worms and burrowers. Wullo the worm is an outdoorsy fella and watches lots of travel shows to help him choose his next destination. Rebecca the rabbit enjoys a hot cocoa after her evening lettuce.

Talking Pictures: 'Trees' was devised by Annie Forrester

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Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

About the artwork

This work is by Cork based artist Paul La Rocque. It is titled ‘In her Own Garden’.

What do you think is happening in this painting? Who is the person with two small white wings?

There is a green strip at the bottom of the piece filled with flowers and the girl seems to be looking at something in the greenery. What could she be looking at? Do you think there are some interesting creatures lurking in the grass?

Garden critters

Do you have a garden? Or is there a park or field that you like to go to? You probably see all sorts of interesting things when you’re in the park - do you look closely at the bark on the trees and the strands of grass? There you will find lots of tiny creatures.

These insects and bugs are very important for our environment. They make very tasty meals for birds and bats. They pollinate flowers and trees. Some insects are also predators to pest insects, minimising the damage they do to their homes and ours by eating them up.

Can you name the following insects?

How many of these insects have you seen in your garden or in your local park? There is a fun activity you can do to help researchers monitor the amount of insects in Ireland. An adult can help you with this. It is called the FIT Count (Flower-Insect Timed Count)

Choose a plant and closely monitor it for ten minutes, taking notes of all the insects you find. Then submit it to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.

For more information take a look at this link: https://pollinators.ie/record-pollinators/fit-count/

Winged things

Now let’s do some drawing! We are going to try on lots of different wings in this activity, just like the little girl in Paul La Rocque’s painting.

First we will divide a piece of paper into 8 sections. Take a piece of A4 paper and fold it in half lengthways. Unfold it and then fold it in half the other way. Bring the outer edges to meet the middle line and press down on the crease. Unfold the page - now you have 8 equal sections!

Now draw yourself as the following winged things in each section:

Have a look at some winged things here:

Have a look at some winged things here:

Talking Pictures: Winged Things was devised by Annie Forrester

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Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

About the artwork

This is a porcelain Chinese vase probably made around 1735. Porcelain originated in China over 2,000 years ago. Do you have any porcelain in your home? Maybe your Granny and Granda have a few special pieces. Porcelain has an almost translucent look to it.

This vase was once owned by the Penrose family, merchant princes who lived at Woodhill in the Cork suburb of Tivoli.

Look closely

Can you recognise any of the flowers or creatures on the vase? The birds look like pheasants or peacocks. What would you keep in such a fancy vessel? I can’t imagine it was filled with gravy on the dinner table!

This vase is highly decorated with very delicate paintings of flowers and birds and there is a little lion figure on the lid. This ornament is known as a finial, a decorative knob on the top of an object or structure.

Chinese New Year

In Ireland and across a lot of the globe we use the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar has about 365 days in a year and every January 1st marks the beginning of a new one.

But did you know there are many other types of calendar and some people measure time differently? The Chinese calendar is one very popular alternative. They consider a new year to be the end of winter and beginning of spring. This changes each year depending on the first new moon of the season.

The new moon is the first lunar phase of our moon sequence and a brilliant time to start something new. This year the first new moon of spring falls on Friday the 12th February, which makes this date the first day of the Chinese New Year.

One of the best things about the Chinese calendar is that each year relates to an animal of the Chinese zodiac. This year will be the year of the ox!

Can you find your animal from this wheel?

Are you happy with that animal or would your prefer a different one?

How do you relate to your animal?

What animals would you include in your zodiac?

Oxes on boxes

Now we can make a little ox box to keep our treasures in. This box is made from an origami paper folding technique. There are a lot of photos to help you, but do not be intimidated it is a very easy method!

This video is very clear if you need any additional help with the folding:

https://youtu.be/qiLhYdFPFws

Starting with an A4 page, fold one side down to meet the other and cut off the excess. This gives you a perfect square.

Fold the square in half and then half again, leaving you with a smaller square. Unfold the paper and it should now be divided into 4 equal squares. Fold the outside corners in to the middle so you have four triangular flaps.

Fold one third of your square over the flaps and then fold the final third down over the other two. This gives you three lines lengthways across your square when you unfold. Then do the same going the other direction.

Unfold your page completely and then fold two corners to meet in the middle, making a kind of diamond shape. Follow the pictures for the next few steps. If you need some more clues to this part you can watch the video above.

Unfold your page completely and then fold two corners to meet in the middle, making a kind of diamond shape. Follow the pictures for the next few steps. If you need some more clues to this part you can watch the video above.

Glue inside the flaps of your box to make sure it’s sturdy.

Now let’s add a finial like our Chinese vase above.

Cut a strip from the piece of paper we discarded at the start. Glue both ends to your lid like a handle. Flatten the curve at the top of the handle.

This box is for stashing memories, wishes and secrets from the year ahead so I have chosen an ox for my finial. Draw out your animal and cut the shape from the paper. Then glue it to the strip of paper on the lid of your box.

Now comes the fun part - decorate your box however you want and fill it with joy and abundance going into this new year.

Talking Pictures: Chinese New Year was devised by Annie Forrester

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Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

About the artwork

Here we have a print from a wood engraving by Robert Gibbings. This is an illustration for the book called Le Morte D’Arthur by Thomas Malory which translates as The Death of Arthur.

Do the knight theme and the name Arthur ring any bells for you?

This drawing is from the fables of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The Knights of the Round Table were the best knights in Arthur's kingdom, and lived in Arthur’s castle, Camelot.

The table was round so that everyone sitting at it could see the others, making it a trusting circle of friends.

The Legend of King Arthur

When Arthur was born, he was taken to be raised by a wizard named Merlin. This wizard designed a round table for Arthur where over 100 knights could be seated. Arthur's father was meant to sit at the head of the table, but when he died no one knew who should take his place.

Merlin declared that there was a sword called Excalibur stuck inside a stone. Whoever was strong enough to get the sword out of the stone would be the one to sit at the head of the table. Take a guess at who managed this feat? Yes, that’s right - Arthur!

Lady of the Lake

In the myth of King Arthur, there was a mysterious lady who appeared. Her role changes in different versions of the story, but she was believed to have control of the sword. When Arthur saw Excalibur, he asked the lady if he could have the sword. She granted him permission, and Arthur was set to become king. He built a giant castle, called Camelot, and he gained control over a large part of Europe.

Cuchúlainn and his teacher, Scathach

Perhaps you are more familiar with the Irish champion Cúchulainn? The Irish hero was taught in Scotland by a very skilful warrior called Scathach.

Shadowy Scathach was the greatest trainer of warriors. She lived on the Island of Skye, later named for her, and was a renowned fighter of fearsome skill. 

Just like the sword Excalibur given to Arthur by the Lady of the Lake, Scathach presented Cúchalainn with a mighty spear called the Gae Bolga. This was a very treacherous spear which separated into barbs when it entered human flesh and its first strike was always fatal.

A warrior is born

Now to make an Excalibur of our own. You will need:

A big piece of cardboard
Tinfoil
Scissors
Tape
Toilet roll inner
Paint

Talking Pictures: Morte D'Arthur was devised by Annie Forrester

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Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

About the artwork

Here we have a pair of wooden shoes called sabots, carved with geometric patterns. Look at the smoothness of the wood and the narrow openings for the wearer’s feet - do you think these shoes would be comfortable?

Sabotage

Sabot clogs were worn by the working class of the 16th -19th centuries. Can you see the little wooden wedges underneath the sole? These elevated the feet, keeping them out of the wet messes at ground level.

The word sabotage means to damage something on purpose and this comes from the sabot shoe. During the years of the Industrial Revolution, workers would destroy machinery with their sabots to protest the cruel and harsh working conditions.

The sharpest sabots in the shed

Can you see the detailed carving in the Spanish school wooden sabots? If you could design your own sabots what would you carve into the surface?

This pair of sabots is inspired by the Wild West. They have throwing stars on the heel that are as sharp as a blade and can slice through anything when expertly tossed. They are decorated with a desert landscape, featuring Mount Sabotage on the toe.

Pick up some pens and paper to imagine your own tailor-made sabot clog.

Would you have them made from wood or fabric? Would they glow in the dark or have wheels on the bottom for a speedy exit?

Whose shoes?

Can you imagine the worker who wore the Spanish school wooden sabots? What do you think their craft was?

Who do you think would wear the Wild West sabots above? A glamorous grandpa? A hairy hound?

Take a look at the following pairs of shoes and think about the wearer. Who can you see in these daycent designs? Grab your pen and paper and dream up an owner for each pair.

Here’s a flip-flop wearing croc! See you next week!

Share them with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the #crawfordartgalleryhomelife.

Talking Pictures: Sabots was devised by Annie Forrester

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Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

About this artwork

This illustration is by Harry Clarke. It is a preparatory sketch for a collection of stained glass windows telling the story of St. Agnes Eve, a poem by John Keats.

This sketch is done in watercolour and gouache. Look at the vibrant washes of blue - how delicate and dramatic they can be depending on the amount of water used. Look at the dazzling whites, illuminating the buttons and threads of the fabrics.

The Eve of St. Agnes

This poem takes place on the 20th January, the eve of St. Agnes. St. Agnes is the patron saint of girls and is often depicted with a lamb. Can you guess why? The name ‘Agnes’ comes from the Latin word agnus, which means lamb.

Traditionally on the Eve of St Agnes, you would perform certain rituals before bedtime if you want to dream of your future love. In the past these rituals included transferring pins one by one from a pincushion to a sleeve whilst reciting the Lord’s Prayer, walking backwards upstairs to bed or fasting all day. Another tradition was to eat a portion of dumb cake (a salty treat prepared with friends in total silence) before retiring to bed, hoping to dream of a future love.

In Scotland, girls would meet in a field of crops at midnight, throw grain on to the soil and pray:

‘Agnes sweet and Agnes fair,
Hither, hither, now repair;
Bonny Agnes, let me see
The lad who is to marry me.’

The Feast of St. Brigid

St. Brigid is the patron saint of babies, midwives, travellers, poultry farmers, dairy farmers, printing presses, scholars, sailors and poets (to name but a few)

St. Brigid’s Cross

Just like the rituals for St. Agnes Eve above, there are rituals for the feast of St. Brigid.  The most well-known is making a St. Brigid’s Cross on February 1st, St. Brigid’s Day and the first day of spring. These crosses are hung by a door in the house to protect from fire and evil. Every year on St Brigid’s Day the household make a new cross and the old one is burned.

The crosses are traditionally made from rushes but today we will use paper. You will need:

An A4 sheet of coloured paper
Scissors
Pritt stick

1. Cut your page into long thin strips. Make sure they are all of a similar length. You can use two or three different colours if you want.

2. Fold all your strips in half, keeping one straight.

3. Fold one of your strips around this long bit of paper, halfway across.

4. Glue the flaps to each other so that the paper doesn’t slip.

5. Turn your cross 1/4 anti clockwise and add another strip to the next pole.

6. Continue turning your cross by 1/4, adding a new strand to each pole and using pritt stick to keep it in place.

7. When you are happy with the shape you can finish - trust your eye!

Don’t eat too much salty dumb cake this evening!

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Talking Pictures: St. Agnes was devised by Annie Forrester

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Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

About the artwork

This is a sculpture from the Canova cast room, by artist Antonio Canova around the year 1816. The woman seated is the Goddess Concordia. Concordia is the Goddess of agreement or harmony.

Roman deities

Ancient Romans worshipped a wide variety of gods and goddesses. They had many deities (gods) for different things. For example, Mars was the god of war and the Roman military. He was the son of Juno, the goddess of woman and fertility.

The Ancient Romans had gods for just about everything. They believed that different powers were watching over different areas of their lives and they wanted to keep them happy. Their religion borrowed a lot from the Ancient Greek religion and so many of their gods have a Greek twin.

Let’s see if you know any of these Roman gods. Many cartoons and films have characters and storylines from Ancient Rome, which might help you if you’re stuck. Hercules and The Little Mermaid are two examples. Maybe someone at home will know a few too!           

Roman creatures

As well as gods and goddesses, many mythical creatures appeared in Ancient Greek and Roman fables. Here are some common beasts found in mosaics, pottery, statues and frescoes around Rome:

Pegasus- a pure white winged horse

Ketos - monsters lurking in the deep sea waters

Griffins - creatures with the body, tail and legs of a lion and the head and wings of a eagle

Minotaurs - have the head and tail of a bull with the body of a human

Cerebrus - three-headed dog that guards the underworld

Make your own

The Greeks and Romans had many deities, but they probably didn’t have one for noodles or hover boards. If you could create a god or goddess for something, what would that be?

Canova’s statue of Concordia is holding things that helps us identify her. She has a staff, a dish and a tiara.

When making your deity you need to consider their most remarkable traits. How will you help people recognise your god or goddess? Think of clothing they could be wearing or objects they could have in their hands and on their heads.

Can you guess what this guy is the god of? Hint: He’d be good friends with the God of Fish.

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Talking Pictures: Gods & Goddesses was devised by Annie Forrester

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Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

About the artwork

This is a painting by Mary Swanzy. It is called Samoan Scene and was painted on her travels to Samoa in 1924. Today it would take you days to get to Samoa by plane. Back in the 1920’s it was an enormously long voyage by boat. Swanzy travelled to Canada, then reached Hawaii where she stayed with a relative for a few months before sailing the 2,600 miles to Samoa.

Swanzy has captured the island’s tropical environment and soft, warm light in her paintings of Samoa. In this artwork we see Samoan people enjoying time in crystalline blue waters, framed by tall leafy plants.

Samoa facts

Mālō! ‘O ā mai ‘oe?

Can you guess what this Samoan phrase means in English? If you guessed “Hello! How are you?” then you are correct! This is an informal way of greeting someone in Samoan.

Samoa gained independence from New Zealand in 1962 and as Samoa’s nearest neighbour, New Zealand is home to a lot of Samoan people too. In fact, Samoan is the third most spoken language in New Zealand behind English and Māori.

About 194,320 people live in Samoa, which is just over the population of Cork!

Samoa wildlife

Samoa is surrounded by spectacular coral reefs, which are home to a wide variety of colourful creatures. See if you can unscramble the letters below to find out some of the local wildlife:

lyfnig xfo

urtlte

ogldishf

orpoispe

anld nalis

jupmnig disper

Egg animals

Have you unscrambled all the animals? Did you get goldfish as one of your answers? That’s absolutely right! There are wild goldfish in Samoa. Can you imagine going to a lake and seeing lots of little goldfish swimming around?

We can make some wild goldfish of our own to keep us company around the house.

You will need:

An egg box

Scissors

Paper

Paint

Loo roll or orange tissue paper

Firstly we need to break apart the egg box so you have 6 little goldfish bodies. Then we will get some orange paint and paint however many goldfish you want. If you don’t have orange paint you can mix your own using yellow and red:

You can leave these aside to dry. While they are drying, get your toilet roll or tissue paper. If you are using toilet roll, you will need two sheets per fish. If you are using tissue paper you can cut two squares about the same size as a sheet of toilet roll per fish.

The orange tissue paper will be fine as it is. If you are using toilet roll sheets, we will need to paint them with the same paint we used for the bodies. Be gentle when doing this as it can tear easily.

Leave to dry.

Once your fish are dry we can paint on the eyes and mouth. Paint a white circle on each side of the body for the eyes. Then a pink ‘o’ shape for the mouth. If you don’t have pink paint, mix red and white. Once the paint is dry you can put the black pulse of the fish in. You can use a pen if you don’t have black paint.

Now we need to fold our paper for the fins and tail of the goldfish. For the fins we use one of our sheets cut in half, so we have two small lengths of paper. Then fold like an accordion. Use one whole sheet for the tail and fold over in the same way.

Now our fish eyes should be dry, so we can make a cut in each side for the fins and one in the back for the tail.

Slide your fins and tail through the slits. Make sure they are nice and tight. If you want to you can glue them here to make sure they are extra secure. Then make the finishing touches on your fish’s face.

Et voila! IF you want to keep an eye on them you can thread through the top of your goldfish and hang them in your room.

Now we have some goldfish just like the ones you’d find in a Samoan lake. I wonder did Mary Swanzy see goldfish on her travels?

Tōfā soifua!

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Talking Pictures: Sail to Samoa was devised by Annie Forrester

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Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

About the artwork

This pencil sketch is by an Irish artist called Mainie Jellett from Dublin. Jellett received painting lessons from the age of 11. She is mostly known for her ‘non-representational’ art as she uses shapes of block colour in her paintings. Many of her abstract compositions can be found in the Crawford Gallery.

Tulips

This sketch is a very simple drawing of some tulips. Can you see any tulips in your garden? If not, your local park might have some. They can be found in red, pink, yellow or white. They are quite common in Ireland now, but can you think of a country where they are extremely popular?

The tulip craze started in the Netherlands with Tulip Mania. In the 1600s the Dutch fell head over heels for tulips, which had been recently introduced to Europe. In the Netherlands, some single tulip bulbs could be sold for 10 times the annual salary of a skilled craftsperson. Huge areas of land were given to growing these brightly coloured flowers. By 1636, the tulip was the fourth biggest Dutch export after gin, herrings and cheese. The market shortly collapsed and the value of tulips decreased but they are now the national flower of the Netherlands.

Native flowers

Each country has its own native plants and animals. These are the things that grow and thrive on the natural environment of that country.

Tulips originate from the Tian Shan mountains, a range bordering China and Kyrgyzstan. Tian Shan translates as Mountains of Heaven. Can you imagine the tulip flowers spread across the mountainside? I bet their vivid colour stands out against the snowy tops.

Tulips are popular in Ireland, but they do not grow here in the wild. Can you think of any flowers that you see on your way to school in the hedgerows or the grass? The most common of these are likely native to Ireland.

Have a guess at the names of these native Irish flowers. If you are having difficulty, ask someone who likes to garden and they might help you out!

Making flowers

Now that we are a bit more informed about tulips, let’s make some of our own. These are very easy to make! You will need an old egg carton, paints and a wooden chopstick or wooden skewer.

First, take the egg carton apart so you have six possible tulips. Next, paint the tulips in whatever vibrant colours you want.

Once the paint is dry, skewer the cardboard so your tulip has a stalk. Then you're finished! You have a dazzling tulip of your own.

These tulips make great companions for other plants, in your home or in the garden!

Share them with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the #crawfordartgalleryhomelife.

Talking Pictures: Tulips was devised by Annie Forrester

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Talking Pictures for Children 

Talking Pictures is an online resource for children and their adults based on artwork from the Crawford Art Gallery Collection. We will share creative prompts for happy talk and play every Wednesday.

About the artwork

This piece of pottery was created by Irish artist John ffrench. It is a ceramic piece, which means it is made from clay and permanently hardened with heat. Ffrench is popular for using colour and playful shapes in his ceramics.

Yellow stripes and blobs

This shape is unusual - what type of object do you think this is? Is it a vessel, used to carry liquid or flowers? Or do you think it is a candlestick holder? Is it a pair of upside-down trousers with plodding feet raised into the air?

Something about this shape makes it feel very alive, a snail-like creature with vibrant markings.

Or maybe it’s a custard covered Santa Claus stuck in the chimney?

Christmas critters

Ffrench’s objects all seem to have a life of their own, they are little creatures sitting on their shelves. Taking inspiration from Ffrench’s designs we will be making some Christmas creatures and having fun with pens and paper.

Not everyone celebrates Christmas, as it is traditionally a Christian festivity. Some Christians don’t celebrate it either, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses. But we can all appreciate Christmas Critters.

What you will need is: paper, pens/pencils/crayons/markers in lots of colours.

First we will start with a drawing of a humble reindeer. Simple and straightforward, right? Not so fast. We will be using two hands to draw this reindeer. Your right hand will be drawing the right half and your left hand will be drawing the left side. Use a different colour in each hand and make sure both hands are moving the whole time.

Let’s get started! Here is a reindeer for you to reference:

And an example of a finished rein-do-dah:

Now that we’re comfortable with it, let’s draw the following critters in the same way.

A wonky wonderful time

Now you have a wide selection of Christmas critters in the spirit of Ffrench’s gloriously wonky creations. Let’s take it a step further and make some bonkers bockety cards to give to your friends and family.

Get a piece of card and fold it in half. On the front we will be redrawing one of our earlier critters. Redrawing or copying previous drawings gives your work a new personality each time. Have a look:

Once you have your critter redrawn we can start filling them in. We can do this with pens, markers, pencils…whatever you have handy!

Here’s a finished critter card:

Now comes the hard part - who will you gift your critter card to?

Share them with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the #crawfordartgalleryhomelife.

Talking Pictures: ffrench was devised by Annie Forrester

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