Learning Area Initiatives and Outcomes
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VISUAL ARTS : BEACONSFIELD PS

 

THE ASIAN ELEPHANT
by Year 3/4/5.
(Installed 22/12/2000)

Laura
 Quick ways to check the difference between an African elephant and an Asian elephant.
Look for:-
  • Two lumps at the top of the head.
  • Round humped back is its tallest part.
  • One 'finger' on its trunk.
  • Small ears that do not go beyond the shoulder.
  • 5 front and 4 back toenails.

When looking at an enormous variety of photos, drawings, carvings, models and bas reliefs, we used the following pointers to help us focus on just what an Asian Elephant looked like and how it 'fitted together'.
 

  • Placement and size of the ears.
  • Exactly where do the tusks come from?
  • Where does the tail attach to its backside?
  • Does the trunk reach down to the ground?
  • Is the elephant running, walking, standing?
  • Shape of the leg and foot. 
  • Bumps on the head and on the forehead.
  • Location and size of the eyes.
  • All have tusks but the female's can only be seen under the lip when she opens her mouth wide (known as tushes).
Our task was to create as real an elephant as possible according to our agreed criteria for an Asian Elephant.
Giselle and 
William
We started out with two pinch pots, stuffed each one with newspaper, then joined then together to make a hollow egg shape. We did the same for the head but much smaller. The hollow shapes had to have a hole in them so that the hot air could escape when it was being fired. Once we started shaping the head, it looked more like a frog than anything. But at the end as we added the ears and trunk they became real elephants.
 
Annabel
Shahar and Hamish

It took us 8 weeks to finish our elephants. One week alone was spent just 'adding muscles' to the legs so that they looked more real and not just stuck onto the bottom of the body. We had to wrap them in wet cloths and plastic to keep them moist. We had to be careful not to make the cloth too wet or its legs would buckle up during the week.
 

Our elephants all developed very different personalities. We loved them so much, it was a relief when they all survived the firing in one piece.

The Year 4 class worked on collagraphs of elephants

 
R
Felix
Jasmine
N

The Year 7 early Ganesh finishers, were so intrigued by the Year 4 collagraphs that they had a go as well with the scaps of card that were left over!
 

Alice
Katie

The Year 2 class did their own special drawings of Asian Elephants which, with the Year 6's help, were turned into stencils.
Sadly, the rest went home before we could photograph or scan them :(

Go Back to : The Art Gallery
Focus on India

More Elephants: 2006