Drawing: create a character for a story
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can design a character that uses symbols and colours to show meaning for my own story.
Key learning points
- Character design combines imagination with visual clues for the audience.
- Characters can use symbols (colours, shapes, objects) to show personality or meaning.
- Artists plan and sketch ideas before creating final designs.
- Colour and shape choices help tell a story or express mood.
Keywords
Mood - the feeling or atmosphere an artwork creates
Character design - the process of creating the look and personality of a character
Sketch - making quick and simple drawings to show ideas or the things we see
Common misconception
Characters just need to look good, they don’t need to mean anything.
Great character design includes meaning with symbols and design choices conveying personality and mood.
Teacher tip
Encourage pupils to explain their design choices out loud. This helps them think about symbolism and meaning, and makes sure their art tells the story they want it to.
Equipment
Pencils, coloured pencils, pens (marker and fineliners), eraser.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What do symbols like skulls, wilting flowers, and hourglasses in Vanitas paintings show?
Q2.Match these words to their meanings:
A picture or object that stands for something else
How we understand or explain something
The ideas and customs of a group of people
Q3.Match the type of artwork to the use of symbolism:
To show beliefs and stories about gods
To share messages and ideas about power
To express cultural identity and history
Q4.Put these ideas in order to understand symbolism in art:
Q5.What word means a picture or object that stands for something else?
Q6.What word means the customs, beliefs and ideas of a group of people?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does 'mood' in character design mean?
Q2.Why do artists use colour in character design?
Q3.Match these words to their meanings:
How someone feels or the feeling a picture gives
A quick drawing to plan ideas
The process of creating the look and personality of a character
Q4.Match these colours to moods they often show in art:
Calm or sad
Anger or love
Nature or peace
Q5.Put these steps in the correct order for designing a character:
Q6.Put these steps to creating a character design sketch in order:
To help you plan your 6 art and design lesson on: Drawing: create a character for a story, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 art and design lesson on: Drawing: create a character for a story, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 art and design lessons from the Meaning and symbolism in art: drawing and painting unit, dive into the full primary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.