Convert pupils’ drawings of animals into geometric figures for carpets.

Use deep red to create the background and indigo and yellow for the geometric animals. How geometric can you make the animals and still keep them recognisable? One of the carpets in the exhibition has a beige background, with red hexagonal shapes that apparently represent elephants’

footprints.

KS 2

Design a tile, photograph it with a digital camera and multiply it using Photoshop. Notice how the multiplication emphasises unexpected aspects of your design.

KS 3-4

Paint two self-portraits: one using no light and shade, idealising yourself; and a realistic one, using light and shadow and exploring individual characteristics. Is there a great difference?

KS 5

Discuss the feeling you get from looking at a patterned wall, compared to a Jackson Pollock or other abstract expressionist painting. How does pattern make you feel when it surrounds you?

Resources. Islamic Art By Barbara Brend British Museum pound;16.99

Islamic Art By Robert Irwin Laurence King pound;8.75