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…

A really useful introductory lesson to Art (for year 7s or other KS3 classes). With key information about equipment, expectations and then a simple drawing task to assess skills and set a tone for focus in Art lessons. During the 45 minute drawing task you are able to move around the classroom as students are working in silence (more or less!) and get to know the strengths and weaknesses of students. Although it creates a bit of work, I always like to write a comment for each student after this lesson, so they see that you take their efforts seriously. There is a little plenary where students annotate their own work. A simple, but very useful and enjoyable lesson!

This lesson was designed for a year 9 class to introduce the concept of Abstraction. There is an introduction with background and definition and then two artists looked at in more detail: Piet Mondrian and Beatriz Milhazes. There are opportunities for discussion of ideas throughout and students are asked key questions. The presentation finishes by setting a homework task where students research one of the artists and present a page in their sketchbooks. There is a template provided to guide students in producing high quality artist research and two student examples. (slides 29 to 34 can be printed as a '6 slide to a page handout' and photocopied for students to follow) There is a short quiz mid way through the presentation - and a slide at the end which can be printed as a differentiated version of the quiz for individual students. Also at the end is a page of links to helpful web resources which support the lesson. There is a link to a 5 minute video on Milhazes in the presentation which provided interesting context. I have found that this lesson is unusually wordy but that students respond very well to the concepts and seem to really enjoy looking at these artists in more detail - I have received some excellent homework from this lesson!

This mind-map on the theme of LOCK provides links to over 40 artists from varied times and places. Organised with sub-themes, this resource is a great way of supporting student’s 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. You may also be interested in this ‘week by week’ art exam handout. And this Art GCSE Project Checklist for student self-assessment.

This fun Christmas themed activity lesson covers repeat printing (cross-curricular link to Maths) and gives step by step instructions on how to create a sheet of wrapping paper by potato printing. The lesson is designed to keep things as simple as possible - mess is kept to a minimum by using one printing colour only. You can use newsprint or brown craft paper as a cheap wrapping paper base, or even tissue paper if you want but this can tear more easily. You could simplify things further for younger students by preparing the potato stamps in advance (if students work in pairs, you could cut 15 potato stamps before the lesson). Tip: a pack of cheap wet-wipes is always handy in these lessons to clear away quickly.

Ten A4 artist quotes for display. An unusual range of artists and quotes: Mondrian and Renoir to Ai Weiwei and Sonya Boyce. These are aimed and getting students motivated to work hard and understand the artistic process a bit better...

Christmas season one-off lesson where students create their own repeat pattern wallpaper using potato printing. This version has instructions using water-based paints (acrylic gives a good opaque colour, but you can use poster paint too) and paint brushes, rather than printing ink and rollers (there is another version of this resource in my shop with instructions for this kind of printing). A fun lesson with good cross-curricular links to design and technology and maths (repeat patterns, rotation). The lesson requires some largish paper to print the wrapping paper - you can use what you have for this... brown craft paper works well; newsprint is cheap and good; sugar paper tends to be a bit thick but has the added benefit of colour and can look good in a display; tissue paper also works but can tear more easily. Although this is a practical lesson, mess is kept to a minimum by using paper plates as palettes which can be thrown away after use. A good tip is to have some cheap wet wipes to help speed up the clean up at the end. If you want to simplify things (perhaps for younger students) you can prepare potato stamps in advance to avoid having students cutting them in the lesson.

A 12 lesson unit of work with a powerpoint for each lesson with additional worksheets and differentiated print outs. The project is aimed at KS3 students and includes some great cross-curricular elements (shapes and geometry, geography and music). Students learn about the fantastic art of the Ndebele people (from Southern Africa) and create their own individual modroc version including their own personal designs. Using acrylic paint, they decorate the houses in the characteristic Ndebele style (an excellent book with images of this art form: ). Students really enjoy the 3d making in this project, which covers a number of skills, as well as the bright colours that are characteristic of this style.

A four page printable worksheet resource on Paul Klee. Can be used as a cover lesson during a relevant project (Abstraction, Expressionism, colour, landscape…), an extension activity, or as a whole class task. Students are asked to read the information about the artist then answer questions then create their own abstracted landscape from the source images. Also included are source images of Klee’s work, black and white landscape photographs to work from and a Paul Klee word search. Designed to be easy to deploy and requires no specialist materials or knowledge. A fantastic resource to have on hand and relevant to many projects!

A two page PDF resource (can be photocopied back to back and laminated for repeated use) on the artist Gustav Klimt. Can be used as a sub lesson during a relevant project (colour, pattern, abstraction, portraiture, Modern Art …), an extension activity, independent study, 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 the identification of motifs in the work. They then create their own practical response to Klimt’s art. The lesson requires minimal materials and can be carried out in a non-specialist classroom. A great introduction to an important 20th century artist whose work is inspiring and engaging for young people.

A fun art ‘formal elements’ word search PDF file with 17 key terms to find including colour line shape tone form texture space design balance contrast harmony pattern size repetition These print well at A5 (two to an A4 sheet) so are an economical, fun way to embed student learning on literacy, extending vocabulary on any scheme of work. Also a quote from Charles Eames on design. Great for a lesson starter, plenary, cover, literacy, homework, extension or use a word search to maintain focus during tidy up time!

A three page printable worksheet resource on Wassily Kandinsky. Can be used as a cover lesson during a relevant project (Abstraction, Expressionism, colour, landscape…), an extension activity, or as a whole class task. Students are asked to read the information about the artist then answer questions then create their own abstracted landscape from the source images. Also included are 4 landscape images printed very lightly that students can work on top of, if a differentiated activity is required. Designed to be easy to deploy and requires no specialist materials or knowledge. A fantastic resource to have on hand and relevant to many projects!

A fun art ‘colour theory’ word search PDF file with 13 key terms to find including complimentary harmonious pigment secondary primary tertiary These print well at A5 (two to an A4 sheet) so are an economical, fun way to embed student learning on literacy, extending vocabulary on any scheme of work. Also a quote from John Ruskin on colour. Great for a lesson starter, plenary, cover, literacy, homework, extension or use a word search to maintain focus during tidy up time!

A two page PDF resource (can be photocopied back to back and laminated for repeated use) on the artist Vincent Van Gogh. Can be used as a cover lesson during a relevant project (drawing, still life, portraiture, shoes…), an extension activity, independent study, 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 creating their own shoe drawing. There are also links to other artists (Lisa Milroy and Tracey Emin) to develop ideas and further investigation. The lesson requires minimal materials (paper and pencils) and can be carried out in a non-specialist classroom. A great introduction to an important artist whose work is inspiring and engaging for young people.

A fun Impressionism word search PDF file with 12 key terms to find including Landscape Colour Light France En plein air Paint Nature Everyday Sketchy Atmosphere Vibrant These print well at A5 (two to an A4 sheet) so are an economical, fun way to embed student learning on literacy, extending vocabulary on any scheme of work. Also a quote from Impressionist Berthe Morisot. Great for a lesson starter, plenary, cover, literacy, homework, extension or use a word search to maintain focus during tidy up time!

A fun art ‘colour’ word search PDF with more unusual names of colours to find - azure, chartreuse, coral, crimson etc.). These print well at A5 (two to an A4 sheet) so are an economical, fun way to embed student learning on literacy, extending vocabulary on any colour-related scheme of work. Quotes from Joseph Albers, Sonia Delaunay and Georges Braque also encourage critical thinking on colour.

Designed as an A3 printable, this literacy mat has all the vocabulary and tips to get students’ writing about art confidently. Aimed at KS3 and KS4, there is guidance about producing high quality writing as well as art-specific vocabulary. Also works at A4 size, and can be laminated back-to-back. Visually engaging and highly effective for supporting students!

Want to improve your Art students’ annotation skills?! A one page handout to support students in producing high quality annotation in their Art and Design work. Guidance for writing about their own work, as well as the work of other artists. Easy to follow, the sheet gives hints and tips to advise students on annotation so they get it right. The sheet has been 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.

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 useful poster to point students in the right direction with web research. The PDF file is interactive - you click on the text to link to websites. Or you can print and display next to departmental computers.