Information, Media and Telecommunications - BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATOR

Types of Botanical Artists: Compare & Contrast
What makes a good scientific [botanical] illustration? A Community of Inquiry

Critical Thinking Spot - Louisa Ann Meredith

Types of Botanical Artists: Compare & Contrast

Primary Middle 

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Numeracy

Cooperative Learning Activity

1. The TV show, Gardening Australia has a segment called "My Garden Path". Here are three (four) botanical artists (below) that were featured on the show that you are going to compare and contast using a Venn diagram. You are to select two botanical artists to compare!

Here is a Venn Diagram.

You are to put information into the blue circle that is relevant just to artist 1
In the yellow circle you are to put information about artist 2

In the green area, you are to put information that is common to both!

2. Form pairs.

Decide which two artists you are going to compare and contrast out of the three artists presented below - Adriana Picker, Lynne Stone or Wah & Man Cheung (these two artists work together - they are twins!). This is your choice about which two to compare and contrast.

Decide which student is going to study which artist first.

Watch the video of your artist and note down

a. What they do

b. How they do it

c. What flowers are their special interest

d. What you liked about the artist

e. Why the artist was interesting

3.

a. YouTube: My Garden Path - Gardening Australia: 27 July 2021 - Botanical Illustrator: Adriana Picker
https://youtu.be/bToGHugy_LQ

or at
https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/my-garden-path---adriana-picker/13381612

b. YouTube: My Garden Path - Gardening Australia:  26 February 2021 - Botanical Artist: Lynne Stone
https://youtu.be/T0emgEVGIbk

c. YouTube: My Garden Path - Gardening Australia: 8 September 2020 - Digital Botanical Artists: Wah & Man Cheung
https://youtu.be/AZxD-lE85LQ

4. Swap artists and note down again what was required in 2.

5. When you are finished with both artists, you are to share with each other. Was there anything that your partner had that you think you should put in your list?

6. Together, fill in the third green area of the Venn diagram. This is the area that is common to both artists. Find as many things as possible to note down in this green section.

7. Join with another pair and discuss what you have found out.

8. Choose one artist to write a letter to. Tell them what you learnt and two things that you admire about their work.

What makes a good scientific [botanical] illustration? A Community of Inquiry

Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking
Australian Curriculum General Capability: Personal and social capability
Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Philosophy

Cooperative Learning Activity

Teacher

You will need to study the Community of Inquiry rules here before you commence this activity with your Art or Biology class.

Students

1. In groups of 3 - 4 students, read the following articles or pages [from this website] :

a. The Conversation 8 February 2013

b. Jenny Phillips - Cameo on Information Page

c. Margaret Flockton - Botanical Illustrator - Life on the Job - the rules for drawing

2. Initially, look at the Question Quadrant [below] and as a group write two questions for each quadrant.

3. All groups within the class, will put their two Inquiry Questions onto a whiteboard. The teacher will then collate the questions that are the same and work out which is the commonest question.

4. The class will then undertake a Community of Inquiry.

Primary Middle  Secondary Teacher

You are to research a "Hidden Woman of Australian History" - Louisa Ann Meredith - and create a Voki about Louisa's life and her contribution to botanical art.

The Conversation 7 January 2025