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Year 4

Make an abstract composition

I can make artistic choices to create an abstract composition.

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New
New
Year 4

Make an abstract composition

I can make artistic choices to create an abstract composition.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Artists can combine different media to create a mixed media artwork.
  2. Looking back at past work can remind an artist of a process or technique they used and might want to try again.
  3. Artists can explain their artistic choices to help the viewer get a better understanding of their artwork.

Keywords

  • Mixed media - combining more than one material in an artwork

  • Process - the way an artist plans, creates, and finishes their artwork

  • Artistic choices - decisions an artist makes about things like materials, colours, shapes, and style to create their artwork

Common misconception

Artistic choices never change during the creative process.

Remind children that artists often make creative adjustments as they work, changing their ideas, materials, or processes based on how the artwork is developing.


To help you plan your year 4 art and design lesson on: Make an abstract composition, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage children to make autonomous choices and experiment with mixing media by providing a range of materials for pupils to choose from.
Teacher tip

Equipment

fabric scraps, collage paper, PVA glue, threads and string, paper in different colours, cardboard, scissors.

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

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Monoprinting creates a __________ of a surface.
Correct answer: copy or impression
photograph
sketch
movie
Q2.
What did artist Ernst Haeckel use in his prints?
Only plain colours
Real-life photographs
Correct answer: Different patterns and textures
Just one type of material
Q3.
How does an artist reflect and experiment with their artwork?
By only using one idea and not changing anything.
Correct answer: By trying different materials / techniques. Think about what works or doesn't.
By copying someone else’s artwork exactly.
By finishing their work quickly without thinking about it.
Q4.
True or False? A pattern is a design in which lines or shapes are not repeated.
True
Correct answer: False
Q5.
Select the last step when creating a monoprinted collage paper?
Use a roller to roll a small amount of ink into a printing tray.
Correct answer: Layer over a sheet of paper and apply pressure.
Put the textured materials on a sheet of paper, repeat with different materials.
Q6.
How do you make monoprinted papers? Order the steps:
1 - Use a roller to roll a small amount of ink into a printing tray.
2 - Roll the ink onto both sides of your textured material.
3 - Put the textured materials on a sheet of paper, repeat with different materials.
4 - Layer over a sheet of paper and apply pressure.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
True or False? An artistic choice refers to the decisions an artist makes about materials, colours, shapes, and style to create their artwork.
Correct answer: True
False
Q2.
Why might artists choose mixed media to create an abstract composition? Select all that apply.
Correct answer: It might help to show their ideas in different ways.
Correct answer: It can help to show contrast between different textures and patterns.
Correct answer: They are not restricted to the properties of a single material.
To copy real-life objects exactly.
Q3.
Which of the following techniques can be used in creating an artwork with paint?
Correct answer: Colour mixing, layering, and wet on wet techniques
Only drawing with pencils
Using only one colour throughout the artwork
Painting with just solid colours and no blending
Q4.
True or False? The process refers to the way an artist plans, creates, and finishes their artwork.
Correct answer: True
False
Q5.
Mixed media is combining more than one __________ in an artwork.
shape
colour
Correct answer: material
artist
Q6.
A collage is a piece of artwork made by sticking ...
Correct answer: different materials together.
different flowers together.
different stones together.