Lesson video

Hello everyone.

How are you? I hope you're feeling really good.

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson, which I'm feeling really great about.

Our lesson is all about presentation of work.

That's the title of our lesson, Presentation of Work, and it comes from the unit of Work, Curating and Exhibition.

Hope that sounds interesting to you, so if you're ready with some energy, focus and enthusiasm, we'll begin our lesson.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can present my artwork so it is clear, purposeful, and communicates effectively to audiences.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

Presentation and annotations.

What do these words mean? Presentation is the way work is arranged and displayed to communicate ideas.

Annotations, written notes that explain, justify, or reflect on artistic decisions.

These are key words, presentation and annotations.

Let's look out for them.

Let's listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called Presentation of Work, and it has three learning cycles, importance of presentation for assessment, layout and organization of sketchbook and work and annotations and labels.

Let's begin with importance of presentation for assessment.

Why is the presentation of your work important? Use these two sketchbook pages to help you reflect, pause here while you do this.

Thanks for reflecting on this.

In galleries, curators carefully choose how to frame, space, and sequence artworks so the audience understands the story or theme.

Let's have a check for understanding true or false.

In galleries, curators carefully choose how to frame, space, and sequence artworks.

Pause here and decide, is this true or false? Well done if you selected true, and I would like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this.

They do this so the audience understands the story or theme.

Let's hear from Alex and Aisha.

"I finished loads of work for my sketchbook, but I'm not sure it matters how I stick it in." And Aisha, "It does matter.

In art, the way we present our work is part of the message." "You mean like making it look neat?" "More than neat, it's about clarity.

If I just throw things in randomly, the examiner won't be able to follow my ideas.

It weakens the impact." In your GCSE, the examiner is your audience.

If your sketchbook is messy or confusing, they may not see the full journey of your ideas.

Presentation is part of the message.

It shapes how the audience read, view, or experience work.

Clarity, impact and thoughtful presentation makes the meaning of the work easier to understand.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Presentation is part of the message.

Which of these next statements do you agree with? A, it shapes how the audience read, view or make the work.

B, it has no impact on how the audience read, view or experience work.

C, it shapes how the audience read, view or experience work.

D, it dictates how the audience read, view or experience work.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed, presentation is part of the message and it shapes how the audience read, view or experience work.

Whether in a sketchbook, a portfolio, or an exhibition, presentation shows care and purpose.

For GCSE, clear presentation helps examiners see the story of your work from first ideas to final outcome.

And now it's time for your first task.

I'd like you to open your sketchbook at any page and review the presentation.

You could imagine you are an examiner looking at it for the first time.

On a sticky note answer, what would the examiner notice first? What might they miss because of the way the page is presented? So pause here while you have a go at your first task, open your sketchbook at any page and review the presentation.

Imagining you're an examiner looking at it for the first time.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task of opening a sketchbook at any page and reviewing the presentation? There are many possible outcomes.

Let's see from Aisha.

"The examiner would probably notice the big collage I stuck in the middle of the page because it's bright and colorful.

They might miss the smaller pencil sketches in the corner because they overlap with the collage and don't stand out.

I didn't really leave space or explain them with annotations." Some really helpful reflection there from Aisha.

Pause here and share with someone what suggestions would you give to Aisha about what she could do with this page of her sketchbook? Thanks for sharing.

And now it's time for our next learning cycle layout and organization of sketchbook and work.

Here's Alex, "Imagine reading a story where all the chapters are in the wrong order and the sentences are jumbled up." And Aisha, "Yes, even if the story itself is amazing, it would be hard to follow.

Our work is like a storybook.

If it's laid out clearly, the examiner can follow the journey from beginning to end." Whether your portfolio of work is in a sketchbook or mounted sheets or in a digital format, the same principle applies.

It should be clear and coherent.

No matter the format, your work should read like a connected journey of ideas, not a random collection.

Your work isn't just judged on what you make, but also on how you organize and present it.

A well laid out portfolio shows you thought carefully about your creative journey and helps others see the story of your ideas.

Pause here and share with somebody your impressions of this portfolio page.

Thanks for sharing.

Presentation doesn't get marks on its own, but it makes a big difference to how your work is understood.

Clear layout and annotation help show development, influences, and decisions.

If your work is cluttered or confusing, important parts of your journey can be hidden.

What does each sticky note add to your understanding of the piece? Pause here while you read these, look at the piece and then share with someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing.

Perhaps you commented on the what nature of the first sticky note, the why nature of the second and the how to improve of the third.

Presentation is also about making your work easy to look through.

Titles, labels, and logical order make sure the viewer can move confidently through your portfolio.

If someone can't follow your work easily, they may miss key stages of your development.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of this portfolio page.

Thanks for sharing.

How would titles and labels improve the presentation of this double page spread? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Right now, the examiner might not know what each image is showing or why it's important.

A title at the top would tell the examiner what this page is about and short labels next to each piece would explain how they link to the theme.

That would make the page easier to follow and show that the artist made purposeful decisions.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to take pieces of your own work and lay it out or make notes according to the story you wanted to tell.

You could consider first experiment, development, refinement, and outcome.

So pause here while you have a go at this part of your task, laying out pieces of your work according to the story you wanted to tell.

Enjoy this task and I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task? Taking pieces of your own work and laying it out or making notes according to the story you wanted to tell.

There are many possible outcomes and here we can see a wonderful example of this journey and this story of the human heart.

For the next part of your task, I would like you to now look at your layout critically and make edits to improve clarity.

You could reorder a piece so the journey makes more sense.

Group similar studies together to show connections.

Add space around a key piece so it stands out, resize or remount smaller, rougher work so it doesn't distract from your strongest ideas.

Change emphasis, move your most important outcome into a center or endpoint position.

So pause here while you have a go at this task of looking at your layout critically and making edits to improve clarity.

We'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that part of your task? Looking at your layout critically and making edits to improve clarity.

There are many possible outcomes and we can see some edits that have been made to this series of work.

Pause there and share with someone what do you think their journey has been for this artist? Thanks for sharing.

I'd like you to share your newly improved layout with someone and see if they have a sense of what your journey has been through your series of work, from your starting point to your final outcome.

Thanks for having a go at that.

And now we're onto our final learning cycle, annotations and labels.

What might you wonder about this piece if the annotations were not there? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's hear from Alex.

I always thought annotations were just about writing down what I did in the artwork, just describing it isn't enough.

Good annotations explain why I made those choices, what I was trying to achieve and how I could improve it.

It's more about showing my thinking and intentions, not just saying what's on the page.

That way the examiner can see my process, reflections, and how my work links back to the theme.

So really important to have the why, the what and the how to improve.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of these is a good example of annotation? A.

This painting explores natural forms. I used watercolor because the soft washes reflect the fragility of petals.

B.

This is a painting of a flower.

C.

It has red petals and a green stem.

Pause here while you decide which is a good example of annotation.

Well done if you chose answer A indeed.

This is a great example of annotation.

This can be a useful framework to refer to in order to keep annotations meaningful but are not the only things you might include.

What: Describe what the piece is.

Why: Explain intention or link to theme concept.

And how: Reflect on improvements or next steps.

Pause here and share with someone your impression of this page of artwork, research, and annotation.

Here's another example of some annotation.

Here's an example of a closeup from portfolio.

Sometimes annotation is useful to note a technique you used or a formula for making that worked well for you.

Labels are short factual pieces of text that sit next to an artwork often seen in exhibitions.

Unlike annotations, they only tell the audience or examiner basic information so the work can be understood in context without lots of explanation.

Let's hear from Aisha.

"Labels actually make a big difference.

They make your presentation clear and purposeful.

A good label shows the examiner you're thinking like a curator.

It makes your work look professional and helps the audience link it back to your theme or concept without getting confused.

Labels like giving the audience a guide so they understand the work straight away." This can be a useful framework to refer to in order to keep labels effective.

Title of the work or untitled if the artist chooses, e.

g.

, "How I became a tree." Artist's name e.

g.

, Delphine May.

Date of the work e.

g.

, 23/06/23.

Medium, what it's made of, e.

g.

, photo with edits, and short text.

This is optional to link to the theme will give a hint of meaning.

Let's have a check for understanding, which three of these might you see on a label? A: Date of the Work.

B: Artist's name.

C: Medium.

D: Improvements to make.

Pause here while you decide which of three of these you might see on a label.

Well done if you selected the first three.

You might see the date of work, the artist name, and the medium on a label.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to choose pieces of your work to annotate or refine annotation on.

For each piece, you could write two to three short sentences that cover the basics and add any other interesting insights.

So the what? What is the piece? Why: Why did you make it? How does it link to your theme or concept? And how, how could it be improved or developed further? Pause here while you have a go at this first part of your task, choosing pieces of your work to annotate.

It is good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that part of your task? Choosing pieces of your work to annotate.

There are many possible outcomes.

What: This is a maquette for a stage design.

On either side of the stage, I built three staggered column-like structures that loom over the performance space.

The colors I used are acid pinks and yellows.

Why: I designed this piece to explore the theme of power and intimidation.

The looming columns create a sense of unease and scale, while the acid colors add intensity and an almost artificial surreal atmosphere.

It links to my concept of how environments can influence emotion and behavior.

And how, refinement: To improve this design, I could test how different lighting would interact with the bright colors or add texture to the columns to make them feel more imposing.

I could also experiment with perspective in the model, so the looming effect feels even stronger for an audience.

Next, I'd like you to choose pieces of your work to label.

For each piece, you could use this template.

Title, give your work a name.

Medium, e.

g.

, pencil drawing, acrylic on canvas.

Date and theme link, maximum 20 words.

What it's about, how it connects to your concept.

So pause here while you have a go at this part of your task.

Good to be back with you.

How did you get on with choosing pieces of your work to label? There are many possible outcomes.

Here we have the title: Looming Columns.

Medium: Card, paint, mixed media maquette.

Date: 2025.

Theme link: Explores power and intimidation through towering structures and acid colors that unsettle the audience.

In our lesson presentation of work, we've covered the following.

Presentation is part of GCSE assessment and helps examiners see the journey of ideas.

Layout and organization should guide the viewer through work in a logical sequence.

Presentation of work should communicate a purposeful and coherent story.

Annotation should explain why you made artistic decisions, linking them to the theme or concept.

Labels give basic factual information to the audience.

Well done everyone for joining in with this lesson.

It was great to see you presenting your work and annotating, labeling, and crucially bringing in the what, the why, and the how to improve.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson.

I've really enjoyed teaching you and I'm looking forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.