@The Arts Unit Creative Classes

Investigating landscapes

Investigate clues that make up a great landscape artwork!

Student visual arts resource developed by The Arts Unit

Years 5 and 6 visual arts

What will I learn?

You will:

  • investigate landscape subject matter to make artworks reflecting on foreground, midground and background

  • create artworks for particular purposes.

Before you begin

You will need:

  • a notebook (as used by detectives to write down clues in solving a crime) or make a detective's notebook out of sheets of paper

  • paper, pens and a lead pencil

  • paints (preferably acrylic) or coloured pencils or textas

  • magazines or old calendars with pictures of landscapes in them. You could print landscapes you have found online.

  • newspaper or plastic to keep your work space clean

  • a phone or camera to take photos.

  1. Investigate

Labelled landscape of green grass in the foreground, mountains in the mid ground and the blue sky with clouds in the background

Elements of a landscape artwork

A landscape artwork includes 3 elements:

  • foreground: the bottom third of the landscape

  • midground: the middle third of the landscape

  • background: the top third of the landscape.

Can you find at least 10 different objects that you can see in the 'Lachlan River, Our Childhood Dreams' landscape painting?

Draw and name them in your notebook.

How observant are you?

  • List 3 objects you can see in the foreground of the artwork

  • List 3 objects you can see in the midground of the artwork

  • List 3 objects you can see at the background of the artwork.

Lachlan River, Our Childhood Dreams

Elaine Russell Operation Art
"Lachlan River, Our Childhood dreams" artwork depicting a river, trees and the blue sky with children playing throughout the landscape

Chook in the Farmyard

Fiona ManthosOperation Art
Painted landscape including green grass, trees, paths, gardens, and blue sky with a chicken under the centre tree


Compare the 'Chook in the Farmyard' landscape painting with the 'Lachlan River, Our Childhood Dreams' landscape painting and look for clues.

  • How many objects can you see that are the same in both artworks?

  • How many objects can you see that are different in both artworks?

Draw and name them in your notebook.

2. Describe

Examine the scene in each of the landscape photos in the carousel.

Identify the location of each landscape in your notebook.

Find and make a collection of landscape images you can find using magazines, photographs, or on the internet.

Using your favourite landscape from either these images or one that you have found, study the image and make a list in your notebook of:

  • what you can see in the foreground of the image

  • what you can see in the midground the image

  • what you can see in the background of the image.

3. Create

It is time to solve the case and create your favourite landscape yourself!

Take a sheet of paper and place it in a landscape position on a flat surface, ready to draw.


Step 1. While looking at your landscape picture, follow the instructions below to create the outline for your landscape artwork.

Red magnifying glass containing text - 'You may like to see if someone with you would like to make an artwork too'
Foreground of a landscape with green grass only. Grass takes up bottom third of the page.

Draw on your paper the objects in your favourite landscape in the foreground.


Midground of a landscape with green grass and mountains. Mountains takes up middle third of the page above the grass.

Draw on your paper the objects in your favourite landscape in the midground.


Landscape with foreground of green grass, midground of mountains and the background of a blue sky with clouds. Sky takes up last and upper third of the page.

Draw on your paper the objects in your favourite landscape in the background.

Step 2. Add some details to what you have drawn by including more elements to your landscape.

Step 3. Using your paints (or textas or coloured pencils) colour your landscape by using bold bright colours.

Clues for success

  • When colouring, work from the background of your landscape forward to the foreground of your artwork as this makes it easier to join the sections of the composition by overlapping the paint.

  • Observe how Elaine outlines the clouds, mountains, bushes and trees to add highlights to these features in 'Lachlan River, Our Childhood Dreams' above. You could outline the features in black that are important in your landscape, or any colour you choose.

4. Share

Take a photo of your landscape artwork.

Case closed until you investigate another landscape!

Watercolour landscape of a river with trees on either side of the bank.
Painted landscape with flowers in the foreground, green grass and trees in the midground, with sun in the background centre with bird flying.
Child writing in notebook using pen, closeup of hands.

Extension activity

Write a paragraph describing the landscape in your artwork for another young detective to try and investigate what type of landscape it is.

Make sure you use lots of adjectives as clues as to what is included in your landscape.

Gold detective badge, saying 'Detective: Official badge, mystery investigator'.

Well done! The investigation of landscapes has been solved.

You have completed this @The Arts Unit Creative Class.

You might like to explore more of our @The Arts Unit Creative Classes:






Third-party content attributions

  • Lachlan River, Our Childhood Dreams, © Elaine Russell, reproduced and communicated with permission.

  • Chook in the Farmyard, © Fiona Manthos, reproduced and communicated with permission.