Skip to content
Teachers
Go to pupils
Choose exam board for KS4 Biology
Choose exam board for KS4 Chemistry
Choose exam board for KS4 Combined science
Choose exam board for KS4 Computer Science (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 English
Choose exam board for KS4 French
Choose exam board for KS4 Geography
Choose exam board for KS4 German
Choose exam board for KS4 History
Choose tier for KS4 Maths
Choose exam board for KS4 Music
Choose exam board for KS4 Physical education (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 Physics
Choose exam board for KS4 Religious education (GCSE)
Choose exam board for KS4 Spanish

Guidance

About us

      New
      New

      Draw and observe insects in detail

      I can observe and draw insects.

      View unit
      Lesson 1 of 6
      New
      New
      • Year 3

      Draw and observe insects in detail

      I can observe and draw insects.

      Lesson details

      Key learning points

      1. Sketching from observation helps you capture the form of an insect by noticing its details and shapes.
      2. Planning your composition allows you to think about where to place your insect and what it might be next to.
      3. Using tone (light and dark areas) and colour helps make your drawing look more realistic.

      Keywords

      • Observational drawing - carefully looking at something real and drawing what you see

      • Tone - how light or dark something is

      • Sketch/sketching - making quick and simple drawings to show ideas or the things we see

      • Form - to take or make something take a particular shape

      • Composition - is the combination of a selection of elements arranged and organised

      Common misconception

      Pupils may think the insect needs to be in the centre of the page for a balanced composition.

      Remind children that composition can be balanced even if the insect is placed off-centre. Balance is about how all elements (insect, plants, background) work together, not just where the main subject is.

      For the drawing exercises, let children use whiteboards. This keeps the activity quick, low-pressure and helps challenge the idea that every drawing needs to be perfect or polished.
      Teacher tip

      Equipment

      paper, pencil or charcoal, other drawing tools such as coloured markers or pastels (optional) eraser

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

      Skip lesson video

      Loading...

      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      Download quiz pdf

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Which tool is best for sketching an insect?

      paintbrush
      ruler
      Correct answer: pencil
      Marker pen

      Q2.
      What does observational drawing mean?

      Drawing something from your imagination
      Copying a cartoon from a book
      Correct answer: Looking carefully at a real object and drawing what you see
      Tracing over a photo

      Q3.
      What do we call the marks we make when we draw with a pencil?

      Correct Answer: lines

      Q4.
      What can help you draw an insect more accurately?

      Rushing through your sketch
      Drawing without stopping
      Using only your imagination
      Correct answer: Looking back and forth between your insect and your paper

      Q5.
      What is the best way to show the texture of an insect’s body?

      Colouring it all one colour
      Tracing it neatly
      Erasing part of the drawing
      Correct answer: Using lines, dots, and shading

      Q6.
      What is one important thing to look for when observing an insect before drawing it?

      Correct answer: The shapes of its body parts, like wings and legs
      What it sounds like
      What it eats
      How fast it can fly

      Assessment exit quiz

      Download quiz pdf

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      What does it mean to do an observational drawing of an insect?

      Draw an insect from your imagination
      Copy someone else’s drawing
      Correct answer: Draw an insect by carefully looking at a real one or a picture
      Trace an insect

      Q2.
      What word describes a light or dark area in a drawing that helps show how bright or shadowy something is?

      Correct Answer: tone, tones

      Q3.
      What is a continuous line drawing?

      Correct answer: A drawing where you don’t lift your pencil from the page.
      A drawing where you trace over your work many times.
      A drawing made by colouring inside the lines.
      A drawing made by using only straight lines.

      Q4.
      What does it mean to use your non-dominant hand when drawing?

      Drawing with both hands at the same time
      Correct answer: Drawing with the hand you don’t usually use
      Drawing with a pencil in your mouth
      Drawing without using your hands

      Q5.
      Put these steps in the correct order for creating an observational drawing:

      1 - Sketch the form loosely
      2 - Add details
      3 - Continue to look back and forth from the object to your paper

      Q6.
      Match the key word to its meaning:

      Correct Answer:Sketch,A quick, light drawing to plan or practise
      Correct Answer:Form,The shape and structure of an object
      Correct Answer:Composition,The way shapes and lines are arranged on the page

      Lesson appears in

      UnitArt and design / Insects: drawing and printmaking

      Art and design

      Show unit