National Gallery at Home: Apple Gathering

Follow these simple steps to create a picture inspired by Walter Frederick Osborne's painting Apple Gathering, Quimperlé (1883). 

Watch the video and then try it out yourself. You'll find all the materials and instructions listed below. Let's get started!

Watch the video

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Materials and instructions

You will need:

• A large sheet of paper
• A brown crayon or oil pastel
• Green and red paint
• That’s all! But, you can add other colours if you have them. 

Instructions:

1. Place your forearm on the sheet of paper, with your fingers spread wide.
2. Trace the outline of your arm and hand, leaving the fingers unfinished at the ends.
3. Add more 'branches' by moving your arm and hand to another position and tracing around them again.
4. Colour in the tree trunk using your brown crayon.
5. Use your fingertips to make the leaves with your green paint.
6. If you have them, you can add in other colours to add details and shadow. Then leave your paint to dry.
7. Once dry, use the paint to add some red apples to the tree. Leave it to dry again.
8. Why not add a self-portrait beside your apple tree? 
9. You can also add lots of decoration to the background - we chose to add a heart!

Share your artwork!

Would you like to see your artwork featured on the Gallery's website? Take a photo of your artwork and send it to us by email ([email protected]) or using this online form to upload your picture. We'll feature a selection of pictures in the Creative Challenge Gallery, so check back to see if yours is included!

Upload a picture of your artwork using this form

Inspired by ...

This activity is inspired by this painting by Irish artist Walter Frederick Osborne (1859-1903) called Apple Gathering, Quimperlé.

Osbornepainted this in 1883 when he was living in Brittany, in north west France. It shows a young girl using a long stick to shake apples from a tree. Behind her, a second person, bent low, picks the ripened fruit already scattered on the ground. Look closely at the painting: what season do you think it is?

Credits:

Thank you Ciara Lawlor (age 7) and Fiona Lawlor (model, age 4) for working together on this project!

About our Gallery at Home videos:

Inspired by works in our collection and exhibitions, our creative activities encourage families to work together to create their own artworks. They are specially produced videos for babies, older children and for those who require sensory input. You can find all the workshops in this series here. Enjoy!