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Year 3

Insect printmaking: Chine collé

I can create an insect Chine collé.

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Share activities with pupils
New
New
Year 3

Insect printmaking: Chine collé

I can create an insect Chine collé.

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. Chine collé is a printmaking technique that layers thin paper onto a print.
  2. Artists can use Chine collé to add layers of colour and texture to their prints.
  3. Experimenting with layering and contrasting colours can enhance a print.

Keywords

  • Chine collé - a printmaking technique that layers thin paper onto a print

  • Layer / layering - materials placed on top of one another

  • Print / printing - a way of making a copy of something

Common misconception

Pupils may think that Chine collé is just gluing paper onto a print after it is finished.

Explain that the thin paper is applied before printing, so it bonds as part of the printmaking process.


To help you plan your year 3 art and design lesson on: Insect printmaking: Chine collé, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Children will need their insect foam plate. When applying glue to the tissue paper, demonstrate that a small amount is needed to avoid wrinkling or smudging. Give pupils time to practise the technique. Artist Pam Wright is referenced in the lesson so it may be useful to prepare images of her work.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Roller (brayer), printing tray or flat surface, printing ink, tissue paper, insect foam plate, pva glue, glue dabber and coloured card.

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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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
How can you keep your straight repeat pattern neat and evenly spaced?
Draw each motif freely without looking
Use bright markers to cover mistakes
Correct answer: Use a ruler, light guidelines and line up each print carefully
Print in random places to fill the page
Q2.
What is a rotated repeat in printmaking?
Printing the same design in a straight line
Correct answer: Turning your print in different directions before printing again
Printing only in the corners of the page
Using different colours for each print
Q3.
What is a mirrored repeat in printmaking?
Correct answer: Flipping your printing plate each time (up/down or side to side)
Printing the same design in a spiral
Using a mirror to copy your design
Changing your design each time you print
Q4.
What is a straight repeat in printmaking?
Placing your prints in random spots
Flipping your design each time
Printing in a zigzag pattern
Correct answer: Lining up each print neatly in rows or columns
Q5.
Who is Yinka Shonibare?
A chef who makes colourful cakes
A football player who paints animals
Correct answer: A British-Nigerian artist who uses bright colours and patterns
A builder who works with wood and metal
Q6.
Match each type of colour to the feeling it can create in an artwork:
Correct Answer:Hot colours,Can make an artwork feel warm, lively, or energetic

Can make an artwork feel warm, lively, or energetic

Correct Answer:Cold colours,Can make an artwork seem calm, peaceful, or distant

Can make an artwork seem calm, peaceful, or distant

Correct Answer:Contrast,Using both hot and cold colours in an artwork can create contrast.

Using both hot and cold colours in an artwork can create contrast.

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is Chine collé?
Drawing an insect with coloured pencils
Painting on fabric
Correct answer: Sticking thin paper onto a background while printing
Printing with a sponge
Q2.
What word means placing one thing over another in printing?
Correct Answer: layer, Layering
Q3.
Why do artists use Chine collé in their insect prints?
To make the paper thicker
Correct answer: To add colourful and textured backgrounds
To make the ink dry faster
To carve the paper
Q4.
Which of these is a good reason to use layering in your artwork?
To cover up the design
To make fewer mistakes
Correct answer: To add colour, texture, or pattern
To make the paper heavier
Q5.
Put the steps for making a Chine collé insect print in the correct order.
1 - Apply glue or paste to thin paper
2 - Place thin paper onto the background paper
3 - Print your insect design on top of the thin paper
Q6.
Match each word to its meaning:
Correct Answer:Chine collé,Sticking thin coloured paper to your print

Sticking thin coloured paper to your print

Correct Answer:Layering,Putting things on top of each other

Putting things on top of each other

Correct Answer:Printing,To press an image from one surface onto another

To press an image from one surface onto another