Art & Design teaching resources which will hopefully give you a bit more time in your teaching day. I always try and make meaningful links with the work of a variety of artists and makers from different eras. Check out my website for freebies and more resources... www.felt-tip-pen.com
Art & Design teaching resources which will hopefully give you a bit more time in your teaching day. I always try and make meaningful links with the work of a variety of artists and makers from different eras. Check out my website for freebies and more resources... www.felt-tip-pen.com
This mind-map on the theme of POWER provides links to over 50 artists from varied times and places. Organised with sub-themes, this resource is a great way of supporting students individual investigations and introducing them to diverse approaches to the theme.
You can print as an A3 poster or an A4 handout, or use the pdf document on screen so that the artists names hyperlink to relevant websites to develop research further.
A folding leaflet for students giving information on choosing Art & Design for GCSE. The sections emphasise the importance of a dedicted approach to the subject whilst highlighting the unique and fun nature of the subject.
A great resource to have on hand for options evenings or to have a the ready to hand to interested students or parents.
Print the A4 pages and photocopy back to back, then fold into a professional looking leaflet.
Looking for a great way to start off your GCSE art project?
These seven mind-maps cover the themes: Portrait, Entwined, Fragments, Boundaries Borders and Edges, Transport, Places and Spaces, Celebration.
A fantastic resource to support student exploration; combining artists and ideas with imagery to provoke initial investigations.
You can print and display or handout the sheets, or share the document with students on the computer and they can click on the artist names/images to link directly to examples of relevant work on the internet. Saves time all round!!
The sheets cover a range of artists and designers from different time periods, working in different media…
All of the woks in this self-portrait introduction lesson come from an exhibition held at Kettles Yard in Cambridge called Face Off - and none of the artworks feature the artists faces. This makes for really interesting class discussions about the nature of portraiture and also what can be used to make an artwork. The lesson has been used successfully with KS3 and KS4 students and always generated interesting ideas from the the students. To get the class thinking about their own identity, I print off the slide handout sheet from powerpoint and photocopy this for the students, then I give them 2 or 3 minutes on each slide to complete their own mini-self-portrait in response to each image (e.g. draw your own favourite shoes or sign your name...). An enjoyable lesson which sets a class up well for a self-portraiture project. There is a homework task at the end if you choose to use it.
Want to improve the quality of your students artist research?
This PDF poster aims to guide students guidance and inspiration to produce excellent artist research pages. Primary targets are KS4, but can be used equally with KS3 and KS5. Two versions are included: A3 and A4 printables - stick them up as display for constant reference or photocopy for sketchbooks or focused research lesson.
Soon enough they’ll be in the habit of producing great research!
This is a four-page resource on Anna Atkins. You can photocopy back to back and laminate for repeated use. I have included three tasks and evaluation questions. Also, source images of shells and plants for students to work from if they do not have objects for primary observation.
Can be used as a cover lesson during a relevant project (photograms, natural forms, shape…). Also as an extension activity, or as a whole class task. Students are asked to read the information about the artist then answer questions, then show their visual understanding by making first a tonal shell drawing, then a cut paper leaf or plant. The evaluation questions ask them to compare.
A great lesson for introducing a pioneering woman artist and scientist whose work is inspiring for young people.
A handout printable at A4 or A3 with a checklist for GCSE art students to self assess their project. The second page (you can print these back to back) includes the assessment objective headings and the description of a grade 8 to further support self-assessment.
Students are asked to consider strengths and weaknesses and to come up with three initial targets.
Ideal for mid-point or interim assessment tool, and a document students can revisit to monitor their own progress. Excellent for encouraging independence and support students to take responsibility for their own development.
The resource works well with this vocabulary handout and this guide to annotation.
New for 2023: LOCK theme mind map is available here *
A printable worksheet to support students in improving artist research. This resource prompts all the areas of research and provides questions to sparks ideas.
Page one is a worksheet which can be filled in with information about the chosen artist being researched.
Page two provides additional support in the form of 20 analysis questions plus advice about writing meaningfully about artworks.
A great resource for improving the quality of artist research pages!
Use as a draft to gather information and then transfer into sketchbooks or mounted pages in a creative way.
This two-page PDF gives students guidance and inspiration to produce excellent artist research pages. Primary targets are KS4, but can be used equally with KS3 and KS5.
Printable at A3 and A4 size - stick them up as display for constant reference or photocopy for sketchbooks or focused research lesson.
Looking for a great way to start off your GCSE art project?
These seven mind-maps cover the themes: Portrait, Curved and Straight, Fragments, Integrate, Image and Word, Places and Spaces, Celebration.
A fantastic resource to support student exploration; combining artists and ideas with imagery to provoke initial investigations.
You can print and display or handout the sheets, or share the document with students on the computer and they can click on the artist names/images to link directly to examples of relevant work on the internet. Saves time all round!!
The sheets cover a range of artists and designers from different time periods, working in different media…
This is a workshop lesson with starter and plenary activities for students to explore textures in natural forms, looking at the work of Peter Randall Page and with links to Kate Malone and Ernst Haeckel.
The session was designed for a GCSE class in preparation for an exam project but could be used for KS3 or KS5.
Great for developing skills and getting students enthusiastic about working in clay.
4 pages to kick the exam off in the right way: set expectations and focus on students’ own responsibility for planning their project from the outset.
Pages on: timeline, assessment objectives and evaluation, which can be supplemented with your own sheets if desired, and photocopied into a booklet to handout.
Two versions are included: one for AQA A level assessment, one for Edexcel A level assessment.
You may also be interested in this quick reference student-speak Assessment Objectives bookmark for KS5.
Set the right tone from the start!
A two page resource (can be photocopied back to back and laminated for repeated use) on the German scientist and artist Ernst Haeckel.
Can be used as a cover lesson during a relevant project (science in art, natural forms, zooming-in, symmetry, abstraction…), an extension activity, or as a whole class task. Students are asked to read the information about the artist then answer questions, create a mind-map of their ideas of what Haeckel’s forms remind them of, then create their own response based on his ‘Art Forms in Nature’ prints.
Designed to be easy to deploy and requires no additional resources. A fantastic resource to have on hand and relevant to so many projects!
A four page resource (can be photocopied back to back and laminated for repeated use) on the artist and designer William Morris. The first two sheets are based on Morris’ work and the last two are botanical watercolours to be used as source material for students own designs.
Can be used as a cover lesson during a relevant project (natural forms, flora, textile or wallpaper designs, repeat pattern…), an extension activity, or as a whole class task. Students are asked to read the information about the artist then answer questions, then show their visual understanding through a Morris-inspired design of their own.
A fantastic resource to have on hand and relevant to so many projects!
A student friendly infographic to guide students through producing an exam or coursework project that meets the assessment objective criteria. A pdf file which can be printed as a bookmark or larger for display in the classroom.
A successful way to break down the GCSE assessment objectives for students and get them taking responsibility for making sure their project covers all aspects.
A colour wheel lesson which has the theory with examples and instructions for a practical task (creating a colour wheel with coloured pencil and oil pastels). This is a great straight forward lesson to cover the basics of colour theory with your art and design classes. A template for the colour wheel is included (students can trace this through into their books).
Monet is the contextual link and examples are given of how colour theory is applied in his work. A plenary looks at how packaging design uses complimentary colours too.
Photographs of an A grade GCSE Art & Design sketchbook put together in a Powerpoint presentation. Students find it useful as an exemplar and can be used to refer to specific pages at different moments in a project (e.g. mind mapping, planning, recording, evaluating…).
I chose this book as it is quite a clear example and not too long. It is not a perfect sketchbook, but shows an achievable standard and some interesting ideas.
Develop literacy in the Art room with a one-page handout to support students’ vocabulary.
80+ descriptive words for writing about their own work or the work of other artists on one engaging worksheet/poster.
Easy to follow, the sheet gives hints and tips to advise students on writing about art. Designed with GCSE and A level students in mind, but could also be used with more independent-minded KS3 students.
Printable at either A3 as a poster, or A4 as a handout.
This page can be printed at A3 size then folded down into a small booklet which gives page by page instructions for an exam project on the Beginning and/or End theme. The sheet is designed for students who struggle to work completely independently and need more guidance on how to structure their project.
The theme is narrowed to Seasons and then Spring and then takes natural forms such as flowers and seedpods as the focus. This enables students to produce high quality observational drawing and photography. Two artists researches are specified: Angie Lewin and Beatriz Milhazes with a choice of the third (suggestions are given: William Morris, Margaret Mee, Catherine Bertola and Karl Blossfeldt).
Students are instructed to work in a range of media and then need to develop their own outcome from their investigations. If they have followed the steps they will end up with a coherent project, covering all of the assessment objectives.
I have found that students like the balance of independence and structure that the book gives them and helps avoid wasted time where they are looking at random ideas without a strong thread.
Instructions for folding the zine from the printed page are also given.
An A3 printable poster celebrating women artists for International Women’s Day 2017. Thought-provoking and inspiring quotes from seven women artists: Bridget Riley, Shirin Neshat, Vanessa Bell, Kara Walker, Frida Kahlo, Eva Hesse, Paula Modersohn-Becker.
I’ve also produced an IWD women artists word search: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/international-women-s-day-artist-word-search-11525006
And you can check out my artist research and analysis worksheet bundle on three women artists here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/women-artists-worksheets-11519299
Free poster to download and print at A3 or A4 size: ‘Your Final Piece’. A quick reference to encourage students to create work to conclude their project that is relevant, high quality and represents their best work.
Great to get you classroom ready for the exam season!
Other resources you might find useful to support students to understand expectations, produce high quality annotation and work independently:
Art vocabulary poster
Annotation Guide
Artist research planning template
What makes good artist research poster
Evaluation questions