HOW TO DESCRIBE A PICTURE
1. Look at the picture carefully and pay attention to the things you are able to say in English.
SKY
STARS
MOON
MOUNTAINS
TREE
VILLAGE
2. Start with some linkers.
At the top of the picture On the left/right of the picture... At the bottom of the picture... In the middle of the picture...
3. Use variety of vocabulary
COLOUR
LANDSCAPES
ADJECTIVE
BLUE YELLOW GREEN RED PINK ORANGE PURPLE BLACK WHITE BROWN LIGHT + COLOUR DARK + COLOUR
BIG SMALL WIDE NARROW FULL EMPTY LONG SHORT
BEACH CLIFF RIVER LAKE VILLAGE BRIDGE MOUNTAINS PLAIN ISLAND FOREST DESERT
4. Example
At the top of the picture there are some big yellow stars. The sky is dark blue.At the bottom of the picture there is a village and at the back we can see mountains. On the left there is a big black tree and on the right we can see the moon.
5. Comparing two landscapes.
Use comparatives and superlatives!
Picture A
Picture B
Picture A is more beautiful than picture B. The tree in picture A is higher than the tree in picture B. Clouds in picture B look heavier than clouds in picture A. Picture B is the most colorful picture.
HOW TO DESCRIBE A PAINTING
1 BASIC INFORMATION
How do we introduce a painting?
2 TYPE
It's a:
- (self) portrait
- still life
- landscape
- seascape
- real life scene
- human figure
- abstract painting
3 STYLE
It belongs to the:
- Impressionist
- Abstract
- Cubist
- Romantic
- Surrealist
- Baroque
- Renaissance
- Pop Art
… movement
4 TECHNIQUE
The technique is:
- fresco
- watercolours
- spray paint
- mixed media
- collage
- acrylics
- ink
- chalk
5 DESCRIPTION
Linkers
Nouns
Verbs
Sentences
4 ANALYSIS
- The painting makes you feel …
- I think the artist intention was …
- In my opinion the message of this painting is …
- The artist wanted to tell /express…
GROUP 1
This picture shows… There is / there are… I can see… In the foreground/ in the background On the right / on the left…
The children are wearing…. They are standing…/sitting…/ walking… I think it’s summer / winter...
GROUP 2
The place is ……
GROUP 3
The painting was inspired by….
GROUP 4
GROUP 5
Basic Information
This painting is called Self portrait with Felt Hat and it was painted by Van Gogh in 1888
HOW TO DESCRIBE A PICTURE
Laura Brunello
Created on March 20, 2026
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Transcript
HOW TO DESCRIBE A PICTURE
1. Look at the picture carefully and pay attention to the things you are able to say in English.
SKY
STARS
MOON
MOUNTAINS
TREE
VILLAGE
2. Start with some linkers.
At the top of the picture On the left/right of the picture... At the bottom of the picture... In the middle of the picture...
3. Use variety of vocabulary
COLOUR
LANDSCAPES
ADJECTIVE
BLUE YELLOW GREEN RED PINK ORANGE PURPLE BLACK WHITE BROWN LIGHT + COLOUR DARK + COLOUR
BIG SMALL WIDE NARROW FULL EMPTY LONG SHORT
BEACH CLIFF RIVER LAKE VILLAGE BRIDGE MOUNTAINS PLAIN ISLAND FOREST DESERT
4. Example
At the top of the picture there are some big yellow stars. The sky is dark blue.At the bottom of the picture there is a village and at the back we can see mountains. On the left there is a big black tree and on the right we can see the moon.
5. Comparing two landscapes.
Use comparatives and superlatives!
Picture A
Picture B
Picture A is more beautiful than picture B. The tree in picture A is higher than the tree in picture B. Clouds in picture B look heavier than clouds in picture A. Picture B is the most colorful picture.
HOW TO DESCRIBE A PAINTING
1 BASIC INFORMATION
How do we introduce a painting?
2 TYPE
It's a:
3 STYLE
It belongs to the:
4 TECHNIQUE
The technique is:
5 DESCRIPTION
Linkers
Nouns
Verbs
Sentences
4 ANALYSIS
GROUP 1
This picture shows… There is / there are… I can see… In the foreground/ in the background On the right / on the left… The children are wearing…. They are standing…/sitting…/ walking… I think it’s summer / winter...
GROUP 2
The place is ……
GROUP 3
The painting was inspired by….
GROUP 4
GROUP 5
Basic Information
This painting is called Self portrait with Felt Hat and it was painted by Van Gogh in 1888