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The whole exhibition this year is on portraiture. We have suggested 5 different ways to approach portraiture.

Get Inspired by the paintings below!

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Please try the Warm-up activities before you start a drawing activity. The results of these could even be your submission!

We have included 3 optional lesson plans to give you some ideas, and a drawing techniques Ppt and worksheet. Please use, adapt or ignore them as you wish!!

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John Byrne, Self-Portrait with Checked Waistcoat, oil on canvas, circa 1990s, 609.6 x 457.2mm. © Estate of John Byrne, DACS 2025. All Rights Reserved. Renfrewshire Museums Collection.

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Inspired by 'Self-Portrait with Checked Waistcoat' John Byrne.

This is a self-portrait created by observing yourself in a mirror or from a photograph. It’s a direct and honest way to explore how you see yourself. You can focus on your expression, clothing, or even your mood at the time.

This kind of portrait is about looking closely and capturing what you see. It doesn’t have to be perfect or flattering—it’s about being present and truthful in your observation.

You could sit in front of a mirror and draw or paint what you see. Try different expressions or angles. You can do lots of sketches before you decide on your final artwork.

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Simple spot the difference game to help think about composition. Remember a selection of objects can represent a person, and be a portrait!

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Always have a pencil in your pocket!

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Background information and discussion prompts. Print or open on a separate screen to read while looking at the painting.

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Explore Self-portrait with checked waistcoat by John Byrne

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The Studio. John Byrne (1940–2023)Oil on plywood. 1975. H 121 x W 195 cm. © Estate of John Byrne, DACS 2025. All Rights Reserved. Renfrewshire Museums Collection.

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2. Self- portrait - My space and/or My things

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2. Self- portrait - My space and/or My things

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Inspired by 'The Studio' by John Byrne.

A portrait can be a painting of objects or a space that tell the story of a person -like 'The Studio' by John Byrne.

This is a self-portrait.

Even though Byrne is not in the painting, he is represented by his objects, like his bag, palette, brushes and easel. You can see his cup of tea. John was always drinking tea and didn't mind if it went cold.

You could make a self-portrait by creating an image of objects that tell the story of you.

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Lots of fun! No materials needed!

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Background information and discussion prompts. Print or open on a separate screen to read while looking at the painting.

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Alexander Wilson and Friends. John Byrne (1940–2023)Oil on canvas. H 68 x W 54 cm. © Estate of John Byrne, DACS 2025. All Rights Reserved. Renfrewshire Museums Collection.

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Inspired by 'Alexander Wilson and Friends' by John Byrne.

This is a portrait of Alexander Wilson who became a world famous ornithologist. He came from Paisley. John Byrne was inspired by his story and wanted to make a painting of him. This painting is from Byrne's imagination and does not look like Wilson. However it represents him and is still a portrait of him. He has surrounded him with birds because that was Wilson's passion. Again the birds are not exact representations, but that's okay. This is a decorative piece from the artist's imagination.

You could create a portrait of someone who you admire. Draw them in a style you like rather than trying too hard to make it look like them, and surround them with images of things that are connected to them.

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Background information and discussion prompts. Print or open on a separate screen to read while looking at the painting.

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Explore Alexander Wilson and Friends by John Byrne

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The Artist Steven Campbell. John Byrne (1940–2023)Oil on canvas. H 179 x W 150 cm. © Estate of John Byrne, DACS 2025. All Rights Reserved. Renfrewshire Museums Collection.

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Inspired by 'The artist Steven Campbell' by John Byrne.

This is a portrait of the artist Steven Campbell by John Byrne.

The artists both took part in a project where they were paired up and asked to paint each other. They both found it quite daunting and challenging. The idea of painting another artist and being painted and looked at came up in their conversations. They met and made sketches and drew each other. Both tried to make paintings a few time before they felt happy with their final works. This is a straightforward painting which shows Campbell as he was dressed and sitting in front of Byrne when they met.

You could pair up with someone else and draw or paint each others portrait. You can do lots of sketches before you fix on how you want your final artwork to look.

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Background information and discussion prompts. Print or open on a separate screen to read while looking at the painting.

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Explore  The Artist Steven Campbell by John Byrne

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Expect some excitement!

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Expect some laughs!

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Draw every day!

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A fun challenge!

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Use your imagination!

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LOOK at the world around you!

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Resist drawing from photographs

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Have a look inside John's studio!

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Honouring natural exploration and expression through drawing in early years

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Drawing techniques -inspired by John Byrne

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Explore identity in this art lesson. Suggested adaptions for every level.

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Me on the outside, Me on the inside. Lesson Idea 1

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Represent yourself using objects. Suggested adaptions for every level.

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'A story of me – a portrait in objects'. Lesson Idea 2

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How can you represent someone else in a portrait?

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Someone I admire - Imagined portrait. Lesson Idea 3

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Waiting – Paisleycus Byrnicus Virus Invading Mr Gray. Steven Campbell. 2008. Oil on canvas. H 215 x W 179 cm. © With kind permission of the artist's estate. All Rights Reserved. Renfrewshire Museums Collection.

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5. Portrait of another – Observed and Imagined

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5. Portrait of another – Observed and Imagined

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Inspired by 'Waiting - Paisleycus Byrnicus Virus Invading Mr Gray.' by Steven Campbell.

This is a portrait of the artist John Byrne by Steven Campbell.

The artists both took part in a project where they were paired up and asked to paint each other. They both found it quite daunting and challenging. The idea of painting another artist and being painted and looked at came up in their conversations.

This is a complex painting by Campbell which shows how emotional he felt. We think the person on the easel is Campbell himself as he is being painted by Byrne. He has hidden Byrne within the Paisley Patterns to the left of the easel. Byrne is famously from Paisley.

You could pair up with someone else and draw or paint each others portrait. You can do lots of sketches before you fix on how you want your final artwork to look.

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Background information and discussion prompts. Print or open on a separate screen to read while looking at the painting.

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Explore Waiting-Paisleycus Byrnicus by  Steven Campbell

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Steven Campbell -  Inspired by Velasquez

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Steven Campbell -  Inspired by Velasquez

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Campbell, Velasquez, Picasso and Dorian Gray

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See the paintings on the Art UK website.

Art UK is a fabulous resource - have a look!!

You will find all of the oil paintings in Paisley Museum's collection and in all public collections in the UK. You can search by artist, title, location.....

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Digital Exhibition from March 2026.

Image, Identity and Imagination!

What do we show the world—and what do we keep inside?

Theme – Portraits. Get Inspired by John Byrne and Steven Campbell!

This exhibition invites young artists to explore the many ways we express who we are. Whether through portraits of people or objects that represent them, your artwork can reflect how you see yourself, how others see you, and how we all form ideas about one another. Are we more than what we appear to be? Do we judge ourselves and others by their image? Let your imagination guide you as you draw, paint, or create a portrait that tells a deeper story—of identity, emotion, and the power of being seen.

All mediums are welcome—painting, collage, sculpture, digital art, photography, and more. But we encourage everyone to begin their creative journey with drawing. Drawing helps us slow down, look more closely, and truly see what’s in front of us—and within us. It’s a powerful way to explore ideas, observe real life, and think beyond the surface. Whether you're sketching a face, an object, or a feeling, drawing can help you discover new ways of understanding yourself and others.

We have created some guided resources for drawing games that help you loosen up and develop your hand eye co-ordination. Artists use these exercises to warm-up before they start a drawing. We encourage you to do the same. They’ll sharpen your skills – and they’re fun!

Stuck for ideas on how to start? Have a look at the suggested lesson ideas. Please use, adapt or ignore!!

First have a look at the paintings from our collection and ‘Get Inspired!'.

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Steven Campbell was best known for his large figurative paintings and is among the most well-known Scottish artists of his time. Born in 1953 in Glasgow, Steven Steven graduated from the Painting D…

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Environmental art

Environmental art is a broad term encapsulating art that creates an immersive 'environment', often made for an urban or rural space, as opposed to a traditional gallery. The term was popularised in the late 1960s by artists pushing the boundaries of sculpture and is often closely linked with Land Art. The scope of environmental art is very broad and can be fragile and ephemeral, solid and permanent, large or small scale.

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Steven Campbell emerged as the leading figure of a group of Scottish figurative painters who began to exhibit their work in the early 1980s. After working as an engineer for seven years, in 1982 Campbell graduated from Glasgow School of Art. A Fulbright Scholarship took him to...

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John Byrne | National Galleries of Scotland

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Byrne was born in Paisley and studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1958 to 1963. He worked as an artist, playwright and theatre designer. Byrne used a…

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John Byrne RSA Exhibitions: British Art Fair, Stand 19, Saatchi Gallery, 25 - 28 Sep 2025; Spring, 26 Apr - 7 Jun 2025; Timorous Beasties x The Fine Art Society, 14 - 22 Mar 2025; Works on Paper, 1795 to the Present, 21 Feb - 5 Apr 2025; Vernal, 21…

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Choose a person or object to draw (or if you are teaching, you could assign students a subject if easier).

Alternatively, you could choose a sculpture from the Art UK website to draw. (By clicking through to the sculpture you can see multiple photos of the sculpture, viewed from different angles.)
Continuous line drawing

Set a timer for four minutes. Draw your chosen subject without taking your pencil off the page - this might mean creating extra lines to get from one bit of the drawing to another. You'll find your drawing has some interesting qualities.

Then try making a continuous line drawing without looking at the page. Keep your eyes fixed on the person or object that you are drawing and try not to look at what is happening on your page (don't cheat!) What is the result?
Development idea: continuous line abstract doodle!
Now that you are used to making a continuous line drawing, let's try something different.

Put your pen or pencil on your paper and take it for a walk - as if you are doodling. You could draw something from your imagination or just make an abstract pattern. But don't take your pen off the paper. You will see that your continuous line has created lots of shapes. Fill these in with different colours to make a colourful abstract artwork.
Loose control!

Draw with a pencil or biro in your less dominant hand (your left hand if you are right-handed, for example). This can be a challenge at first but be brave and give it a go. Time yourself for four minutes. Your drawing may look quite strange, but you might discover some interesting lines - and might learn to love it!

Tape a piece of charcoal or a felt-tip pen to a long stick (such as a metre ruler, a garden cane or even a wonky stick from a garden or park). Set a timer for 3 minutes and draw your subject standing at a distance from the paper. The length of the stick will make it hard for you to control what you are doing and you'll see some lively marks! Increase the time to 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 15 minutes. How do the drawings change?
Double trouble

Choose two coloured pencils and draw your subject with both hands at the same time. This can be quite a strange experience to start with but stick with it.

Now attach two coloured pencils together with tape and draw your subject. Then try drawing with 3 or more pencils strapped in a bundle!
Abstracting your subject

Simplify your subject into the different shapes you can see. Rearrange these shapes in different ways to make an abstract version of your subject. Which arrangement works best?

You might be familiar with artist L.S. Lowry's paintings of industrial streets (with tiny matchstick-like figures), but did you know he also produced simple drawings of empty landscapes? Many of these are devoid of details and have an abstract quality. Explore his drawings on Art UK for inspiration.
Different views...

Have a go at drawing your subject from different angles or viewpoints, making the drawings on top of each other. This will create an interesting abstract drawing that provides different views of the same subject.
...and moving models

Ask a friend, classmate or family member to strike a different pose every 10 seconds for a minute. Draw the poses. Focus on the main lines made by their body and limbs to create a sense of movement. You could place the drawings on top of each other for extra movement effect! Then have a go at longer poses (for 30 seconds, then a minute and five minutes). How do the drawings change? What did the super-quick poses and drawings teach you?

Now have a go at drawing a moving model. Ask a friend or family member to walk up and down the room in front of you (or to dance!) Use quick lines and marks to capture their movement. Don't worry if your drawing is messy and it doesn't look much like a figure - capturing the movement is the key point of this exercise!

Collaborative drawing for two people Collaborative group drawing

Work in pairs. One of the pair should choose an object (or a simple sculpture from Art UK's website if you prefer) without revealing what this is. They should then describe the object to their partner. They can describe its shape, texture and any either qualities, but try not to give away what it is!

Now try the same exercise again using a different subject. This time the drawer should wear a blindfold so not only can they not see the object they are drawing, but they also cannot see what the drawing they are creating on the paper looks like!

Compare the drawings to the original objects. Are there any similarities? How are they different?

Sensory drawing: sound

This fun drawing activity works best with four or more people. Tape a piece of paper to the back of each drawer and give each of the drawers a wax crayon or soft pencil.

Stand in a circle with each person facing the back of the person in front.

One person in the circle is the designated drawer and chooses a subject to draw (or they may decide to create an abstract drawing of shapes, marks and lines).

The drawer should draw their drawing onto the paper on the back of the person in front. This person then draws what they feel on their back onto the back of the person in front of them and so on.

Compare the drawings at the end of the exercise. How have the drawings changed down the line?

Make an abstract drawing in response to music. Have a selection of drawing tools available such as pencils, charcoal, crayons and ink and brushes and some large sheets of paper. Select some music (this could be for example classical music, hip hop or jazz).

Start by listening to the music for two or three minutes with your eyes closed. Try thinking about it in relation to marks, lines and physical movements.

Now have a go at translating the sounds you hear and how the music makes you feel into marks on your paper.

Try playing a very different piece of music to draw to. How does your drawing change?

Sensory drawing: touch
If you are interested in how music can be used in art, have a look at the paintings of artist Denzil Forrester. He was inspired by the music he heard as a youth in nightclubs in the East End of London. He drew and sketched in the clubs and used his sketches to create paintings full of music and the movement of dancers.

Make a drawing inspired by your sense of touch.

The teacher (or someone not taking part in the activity) should place some objects in tote bags and secure the bags so that the objects cannot be seen. Try and include a range of objects with different shapes and textures.

Drawers should then feel the objects through the fabric of the bags. What forms and surfaces can you feel? Try translating these into lines, shapes and marks. (Even if you recognise the objects, try not to draw what you think they look like, focus on the forms and surfaces as this will make for a more interesting drawing!)

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Choose a person or object to draw (or if you are teaching, you could assign students a subject if easier). Alternatively, you could choose a sculpture from the Art UK website to draw. (By clicking through to the sculpture you can see multiple photos of the sculpture, viewed from different angles.)

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Discover artworks, explore venues and meet artists. Art UK is the online home for every public collection in the UK, featuring over 600,000 artworks by over 60,000 artists.

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2013 painted ceiling in the King's Theatre, Edinburgh

John Patrick Byrne (6 January 1940 - 30 November 2023) was a Scottish playwright, screenwriter, artist and designer. He wrote The Slab Boys Trilogy, plays which explore working-class life in Scotland, and the TV dramas Tutti Frutti and Your Cheatin' Heart. Byrne was also a painter, printmaker and scenic designer.

John Patrick Byrne was born into a family of Irish Catholic descent in Paisley, Renfrewshire, and he grew up in the Ferguslie Park housing scheme. His mother, Alice McShane, was married to Patrick Byrne when he was born. He was, however, conceived from an incestuous affair between his mother and her father, Patrick McShane. McShane presumably sexually abused his daughter Alice for years. He did not know the truth about his parentage until he was informed by his cousin in 2002. He was initially angered by the revelation, but eventually reconciled with the truth of his lineage: "I think he gave me that wonderful mixture of genes with his own daughter, the eldest of the family. I presume it's what they do in unlettered places and lettered places. It's traditional, and nobody speaks about it." His mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which Byrne attributed to the incestuous relationship. She was hospitalized several times throughout her life before dying in Dykebar Hospital at the age of 74.

Byrne was educated at St Mirin's Academy in Paisley, and then attended Glasgow School of Art, from which he graduated in 1963. Prior to art school, he worked as a "slab boy" at Stoddard's carpet factory in Elderslie near Paisley, where he mixed paint used in the manufacture of carpets. He later returned as a designer following his graduation from art school. His time there inspired his The Slab Boys Trilogy plays.

Much of Byrne's art was portraits, in a wide variety of styles ranging from fairly conventional oils to what are effectively caricatures. The full stylistic range was applied to his many self-portraits; the 2022 retrospective included 42 of these, and many are among his best known works. Other recurring themes include music; he painted several guitars for musician friends.

At the start of his career, in an attempt to break in to the London art world, he sent one of his works to the Portal Gallery, claiming it was by his father Patrick Byrne, simply signed "Patrick". A cover letter detailed his father's hard, lonely life, and claimed that there were another 50 works by him at his small house in Dunoon. The hoax was found out, but the exhibition attracted some attention - in particular from the Beatles, who approached him to design the cover of their self-titled 1968 album. They decided against using his work, but it was subsequently used for the 1980 compilation The Beatles Ballads. Up until his death, he frequently signed his works with the name Patrick, most notably, "The American Boy", completed in 1971.

He started work in the theatre in 1972, working on Billy Connolly's The Great Northern Welly Boot Show and then as a house designer for the 7:84 Scotland theatre company.

From 1964 until 1966 Byrne designed jackets for Penguin Books. Having had his work rejected by various galleries, Byrne had success following an exhibition of works at London's Portal Gallery in 1967. Painting under the pseudonym of "Patrick", Byrne claimed the dream-like paintings were created by his father, an alleged self-taught painter of images. Byrne's career as a professional painter started in 1968, when he left Stoddard's.

As well as designing the scenery for his own plays Byrne, in collaboration with director Robin Lefevre, also designed the settings for Snoo Wilson's The Number of the Beast (Bush 1982) and Clifford Odets' The Country Girl ( Apollo Theatre 1983).

Some of Byrne's best-known art works in their day were the album covers he created for friend Gerry Rafferty and his former bands the Humblebums and Stealers Wheel, among them the covers for City to City and .

Byrne had an unsuccessful exhibition of his artistic work in 1975 and subsequently kept his work from public view. He began exhibiting again in 1991, with several subsequent exhibitions. He became a member of the Royal Scottish Academy in 2007.

He illustrated Selected Stories by James Kelman, winner of the 1994 Booker Prize. Several of his paintings hang in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, including portraits of Robbie Coltrane, Billy Connolly, Tilda Swinton (the mother of two of his children), and a self-portrait.

He received a number of museum retrospective exhibitions, including "John Byrne at 60, The Unsolved Artist", 2000, Paisley, Renfrewshire, "Sitting Ducks", 2014, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, "Ceci n'est pas une rétrospective", 2022, Fine Art Society, Edinburgh, and "John Byrne: A Big Adventure", 2022, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow.

In the 1970s Byrne started writing his own work; Writer's Cramp was a success at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1977 before transferring to London.

The following year he wrote The Slab Boys, the first part of a trilogy of plays which premiered between 1978 and 1982 at the Traverse Theatre Club, Edinburgh. A fourth part was added in 2008. The main characters in the first part, The Slab Boys, generally the most popular, are working-class Glaswegian teenagers, and the play launched the careers of several young actors: Robbie Coltrane in Edinburgh, and in the 1983 Broadway production, Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn, Val Kilmer and Jackie Earle Haley.

His writing found much success in the 1987 BBC television series Tutti Frutti, starring Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson and Maurice Roeves, which chronicled the final days of a failing rock 'n' roll band. The series received much critical acclaim, including winning six BAFTA awards, the one for Graphic design naming Byrne himself.

He followed this in 1990 with Your Cheatin' Heart, a six-part series set in the Glasgow country music scene, starring John Gordon Sinclair, Ken Stott and Tilda Swinton.

Byrne created The John Byrne Awards.

Byrne was married to Alice Simpson, whom he met in art school, from 1964 until their divorce in 2014. They had a son and a daughter together. During the filming of Your Cheatin' Heart, Byrne began a relationship with Tilda Swinton. They lived together in London and later in Nairn, northern Scotland. Swinton gave birth to twins, a boy, Xavier and girl, Honor Swinton Byrne, in 1997. They separated in 2004. He began a relationship with the theatre lighting designer Jeanine Davies in 2006, marrying her in 2014.

Byrne died on 30 November 2023, at the age of 83.

Reviews

Ross, Raymond J. (1983), Directed Irony, which includes a review of The Slab Boys, in Hearn, Sheila G. (ed.), Cencrastus No. 11, New Year 1983, pp. 45 & 46, ISSN 0264-0856

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John Patrick Byrne (6 January 1940 - 30 November 2023) was a Scottish playwright, screenwriter, artist and designer. He wrote The Slab Boys Trilogy , plays which explore working-class life in Scotland, and the TV dramas Tutti Frutti and Your Cheatin' Heart . Byrne was also a painter, printmaker and scenic designer.

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Labels to print. One per artwork.

Please attach one to the back of each artwork. NO STAPLES.

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Artworks using glitter will not be considered.

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Entry form to print. One form per class.

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Links to CfE Expressive Arts (EXA) and Health and Wellbeing (HWB) Experiences and Outcomes.