iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 3h

I've had a great week up at Monkspath Juniors working with the Yr 3 and 4 kids to create these 3D portraits. The school had chosen Shakespeare, Malala Yousafzai, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and the 'NASA' scientists (Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Christine Darden) 😁 #edusky #UKEd

A 3D portrait of William Shakespeare created by the Yr 3 and 4 pupils from Monkspath Junior School.

A 3D portrait of Malala Yousafzai created by the Yr 3 and 4 pupils from Monkspath Junior School.

A 3D portrait of Isambard Kingdom Brunel created by the Yr 3 and 4 pupils from Monkspath Junior School.

A 3D portrait of NASA scientists Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Christine Darden, created by the Yr 3 and 4 pupils from Monkspath Junior School.

2103

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Today, I took a trip to the beautiful Stogursey Primary School to help the KS1 kids to build a giant Ichthyosaur for the forthcoming parade. There are now pieces of Dinosaur strewn across the KS1 classroom. Imagine the excitement and times it by ten. www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #UKEd #artworkshop

Photos of pieces of a large-scale Dinosaur model created by the KS1 kids from Stogursey Primary School. The pictures show the jaws, flippers, and tail of an Ichthyosaur, there was also an enormous body!

1161

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I've spent three days at Sherborne Abbey Primary helping the children to create a large display for their library. We made a book with famous characters leaping out of it. 😁😮 About 300 kids have taken part, from Yr 1 to Yr 6. How cute is this! 😁 www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #UKEd #artworkshop

The artwork made by the children from Sherborne Abbey Primary. A large model of an open book with famous book characters leaping out of the pages.

A close-up of a 'wild thing' from 'Where the wild things are'.

6342

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Well I've had a lovely morning catching up with some old friends. 😮 Those who know me well will understand just how exciting this was! Thanks to The Arc in Winchester for sharing with us the artwork of legendary film-maker & animator Ray Harryhausen. #RayHarryhausen #Animation #Jasonandtheargonauts

Talos model from 'Jason and the Argonauts'

Minotaur model from 'Sinbad and the eye of the tiger'

One of the skeleton warriors from the film 'Jason & the Argonauts'

3201

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Well, it’s been a busy few days up at Bridge Learning Campus in Bristol. The kids from Year 4/5/6 have created three large 3D posters promoting teamwork and cooperation. 🙂👍 www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #UKEd

One of three large-scale pieces created by the Yr 4/5/6 kids from Bridge Learning Campus in Bristol. This is ‘Respect’.

One of three large-scale pieces created by the Yr 4/5/6 kids from Bridge Learning Campus in Bristol. This is ‘Support’.

One of three large-scale pieces created by the Yr 4/5/6 kids from Bridge Learning Campus in Bristol. This is ‘Inclusion’.

3194

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Hotel living this week has its benefits. 🙂 At home I always find ‘other things to do’ but this week I’ve made time for some sketching based on my holiday photos. www.darrellwakelam.com

A sketch based on a Roman statue from the Naples Archaeological Museum.

1120

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

So, today was the first face-to-face project of my 36th academic year of art workshops 😁 I've been helping the KS2 kids at North Cadbury Primary to create this piece inspired by their 'Evacuees' project. www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #UKEd #sculpture #artworkshop #artistinresidence

Artwork created today with the KS2 children from North Cadbury Primary School in Somerset. Inspired by their current 'evacuees' project the children worked as a team to build this scene, showing two young children on a railway platform. The young boy gets up from sitting on his suitcase and bends to pick up a note or letter, his older sister walks the other way reaching for his hand and holding her doll tightly in the other. Below them, the railway tracks look like repeated army gravestones.

1201

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I'm adding my close-up here, tried to post the full length original but once again it's being 'censored'. You can obviously search it elsewhere. 🙄

200

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

It's a close-up. I took it because I loved the hair details. It's 'Lucretia, by Parmigianino . . . in the complete painting she's taking her own life. 😮

000

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Naples 2026. For me, if you want to understand the soul of a place, you can do little wrong in immersing yourself in its artwork. "Addio Napoli, hai conservato un pezzetto del mio cuore."

A collection of photos of the art I saw on my trip to Naples last week.

1120

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

On my way home today I went to the San Giorgio Maggiore church to see this. In 2022, while doing restoration work, a secret hidden painting was found behind an existing work. Aniello Falcone’s ‘St. George & the Dragon’ had been hidden for hundreds of years. 😮

The outer painting opens like a book . . .

revealing the earlier work behind it . . .

. . . St. George & the Dragon by Aniello Falcone.

4242

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

So, today I went in search of Caravaggio! ‘The seven works of mercy’ is in-situ, in the Pio Monte della Misericordia. You can also go up a level, to view it from above. ‘The flagellation of Christ’ is in the Capodimonte Museum, and it is breathtaking. 😮 Beautifully displayed.

‘The seven works of mercy’ by Caravaggio on display at the Pio Monte della Misericordia in Naples.

The painting viewed from the upper level.

‘The flagellation of Christ’ by Caravaggio, on display at the Capodimonte Museum in Naples.

The painting is displayed on its own and beautifully lit.

2171

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

One of my favourite unexpected things from this trip so far has been this. In the Ancient Egyptian collection in the basement of the Museo Archeologico in Naples there’s a mummified crocodile! 😮 Incredible. It’s thousands of years old and its teeth look better than mine. 😆

A mummified crocodile (showing the head) from the Museo Archeologico, Naples.

A mummified crocodile (body/detail) from the Museo Archeologico, Naples.

2142

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I loved this Chris, where you could see how the fresco painters had first incised the walls to get the design right before the final stages. Great to see this and understand the process.

110

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Absolutely spot on. I took this photo of black charcoal from the roof crumbling onto the mosaic tiles. How crazy is that! * note, this was over railings so you couldn’t walk there.

010

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Well, here’s my controversial take. . . I preferred Herculaneum to Pompeii! 😮 Beautiful preservation, a smaller and more compact site, and even easier to imagine it as it must have been. What a place! ❤️

Skeletons of those who failed to escape, waiting in the boar houses at Herculaneum.

7202

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

One of my favourite photos from here in Naples today. Just a regular little building tucked away in a courtyard. I imagine an elderly vampire seeing out their days here. 🙂

An old courtyard building tucked away in the heart of Naples.

1290

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The lesson I’ve learned in Pompeii, is there’s too much to see in one day. But I’ve covered some cubits, and seen all the rude bits, so I’m back for an ice cream buffet. 😆👍

A typical fresco from the House of the Vettii.

A view from inside the Stabian Baths in Pompeii.

5150

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

“Ciao miei bellissimi amici!” For once I’m not working, I’m shirking . . . in Naples! 😮😎 I’ve just broken the world record for how many photos you can take in one museum. 😅 #edusky

A photo of me visiting the incredible ‘Archaeological Museum’ in Naples.

4160

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Corrugated Card Seahorse. Sometimes, it’s simply a texture that inspires me. This seahorse looks realistic, but that’s you responding to the texture, so much so that no colour is required. 🙂 Info and images for this project are on the ‘news’ link at www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #sculpture #art

3439

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Years ago I did some Victorian toys, dolls, bears, hobby horse etc, I've done lots of models of planes, cars, boats etc. 🙂 Also carousels, fairground rides etc.

021

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Not sure why, but this illustration is taking me here. . .

100

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Here's a little Egyptian inspired one. 😮

Cardboard cat based on an Ancient Egyptian statue.

161

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I've spent a couple of hours a day for the last week editing photos, filing stuff and deleting what I don't need. I can now lay my hands on anything, at a moments notice. 😆 Ask me for a photo of artwork on any given theme you choose, and I'll prove it. 😮 www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #UKEd

A photo of a person literally surrounded by old books and paperwork.

11111

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I've been sorting through old photos and rediscovered this! During lockdown I got so bored that I wanted to prove I could cut out a perfect circle . . . blindfolded. 😆 Admit it, this is the content you came here for. 😮 www.darrellwakelam.com

6233

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I'm bowled over by the response to my last few messages on here, wow. So, 'hello' if you've only just found me. Sadly, I'm not usually that interesting or exciting, and so normal service will resume shortly, but thanks anyway. x 😆 www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #UKEd #art #sculpture #blueskyart

Me, holding a leopard's head made from cardboard tubes

0182

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I loved how so many posts about Dolly Parton were about the good, kind things she’d done. So, I’ve grabbed a stack of kids’ books I bought for projects and I’m gonna drop them at my local Primary School. It’s not much, but it's something. 🙂 Sharing if anyone wants to do the same. 👍 #edusky #UKEd

514228

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

😁 Sounds excellent, I too have along and varied history. I just never stopped. 😆

111

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

So, when we were all trapped at home back in 2020 I started doing some online workshops, all over the world. 😮 I've now done over 100, with all ages and abilities. If you're interested, reply here or drop me a message. 👍 www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #UKEd #art #artworkshop #artprocess

Photos of me sharing my work and explaining how to make 3D sculptures, taken from the many online workshops that I've done in the last 6 years.

0146

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Art doesn't require expensive materials and equipment . . . the most important tool you have is your imagination. 🙂 www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #UKEd #art #sculpture #recycled

839283

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

There's no AI trickery here . . . just a split-pin figure, a paper plate, and my hands. www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #UKEd #sculpture #animation #ancientgreek

26814

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I've spent my life looking for patterns that are hidden in everyday things. Some seem obvious when you see them. 🙂 www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #UKEd #sculpture #EasterIsland #Moai #Artwork

An Easter Island head (or Moai) made from recycled cardboard tubes.

2253

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Believe it or not, I actually found one of these while digging a plant out of my garden. 😮😁

291

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

So, my final Summer workshop at Lyme Regis Museum was a busy one. Once again, we've had over 100 families join in and make themselves some fossil inspired artwork to take home. Here are just a few of their wax-resist ammonites. Look at the detail in some of these. 😮 www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky

Photos of some of the ammonite inspired artwork from my final Summer workshop at Lyme Regis Museum

2313

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

During Covid, I wrote a reply to someone online with the phrase "even when we can't get there, our ideas still can". The line stayed with me, it's even in the foreword of my book 'Art Shaped'. Ideas can travel much further than you ever will. 🙂 www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #UKEd #sculpture

Photos of me with one of my projects (a ship made from a paper plate) and a photo of a group of schoolchildren using the same idea.

1195

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I'm back at the Lyme Regis Museum on Thursday the 20th for my 4th and final art workshop of the Summer holidays 'The Ammonite Graveyard' 😮 If you are around come and join in with some wax-resist painting. Workshops are free with entry ticket. 🙂 www.darrellwakelam.com #edusky #UKEd #artworkshop

Photos from my last ammonite painting workshop at the museum

0125

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

After being accepted, I discovered that there had been 650 applicants, for just over 50 places, so approximately, a 1 in 13 chance. In the intervening 41 years I've never underestimated how lucky I was to walk into an interview room and find Dennis smiling up at me. 🙂 8

Dennis Minchin, my interviewer and first year lecturer (left)

0160

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Maybe he saw something else, I’ll never know, but he took a chance on me. Dennis ended up being my main lecturer in the first year at Bournville, and I hope I paid back his belief in me. He taught me a great deal and gradually made me feel like I deserved my place there. ⬇️ 7

My Art College student union pass from Bournville.

130

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Dennis was very keen to take on students who had ‘the basics’ and so, in retrospect, this went in my favour. At 16, I could draw almost as well as I can now, and so Dennis flicked through my flimsy sketchbooks and saw someone who had basic skills and a bit of imagination. ⬇️ 6

One of my interview drawings of an unmade bed.

120

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Most of the students came from the South side of Birmingham, I was from ‘the other side’, industrial, run down, lost. I struck lucky though, my interviewer was a lecturer call Dennis Minchin. A slim, wiry man with a sharp sense of humour and a famously no-nonsense approach. ⬇️ 5

A drawing copied from a Renaissance sketch from my interview sketchbook.

120

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I remember waiting in the corridor with four other prospective students. They had bags full of photo-albums, 3D work, bulging A2 portfolios . . . I had two A4 sketchbooks. I can remember that sinking feeling, that sudden realisation that you're unprepared, or lacking. ⬇️4

A drawing of a 'Walkman' from my interview sketchbook.

120

Darrell Wakelam @darrellwakelam.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I hadn’t considered this at all, but at the interview, many students were older than me. Some had already completed ‘A’ levels, and others were returning after gap-years. I also hadn’t bargained for the fact that many came from schools that had much stronger art departments. ⬇️ 3

Bournville Village green with the Art College in the background.

120