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Year 8

Abstract art: dry materials in response to stimuli

I can work into my abstract artwork using dry materials to create a variety of marks and textures.

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New
New
Year 8

Abstract art: dry materials in response to stimuli

I can work into my abstract artwork using dry materials to create a variety of marks and textures.

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 often use dry materials to create definition in their work when responding to a stimuli.
  2. When working intuitively, we can work in an abstract way to reflect mood or energy, rather than realistic images.
  3. Using intuitive mark-making, artists let their materials and feelings guide the artwork

Keywords

  • Intuitive - creating without a set plan, making choices based on feeling, instinct, or the mood of the moment.

  • Define - to make something clearer or more detailed, often by adding lines, shapes, or contrast to show its form.

  • Dry materials - art materials that do not need water or liquid to work. They are used for drawing, shading and mark-making directly onto a surface.

Common misconception

You should only add layers to a painting with paint.

Dry materials can be used in a variety of ways to add detail and shading to an art work. Dry materials can be layered over the top of wet materials once dried. Examples include pastel over watercolour or pen over dried ink washes.


To help you plan your year 8 art and design lesson on: Abstract art: dry materials in response to stimuli, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage students to be open-minded as they experiment with the different materials. Creating an example bank of materials and techniques is a useful tool to help students to plan and develop later artwork.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Watercolour or ink, brushes, paper, colouring pencils, charcoal and oil pastels

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.
Which of the following is an example of a dry material in art?
watercolour
Correct answer: charcoal
ink
acrylic
Q2.
Put these steps in the correct order for blending with oil pastels:
1 - Choose your first colour and apply it to the paper
2 - Layer a second colour on top
3 - Blend the colours using your finger, a blending tool, or paper towel
4 - Gently smooth the transition between colours
5 - Apply more pastel if needed to build depth
Q3.
Which dry material would be useful for creating a quick sketch?
Correct Answer: pencil, pen, charcoal, pastel
Q4.
How can you use dry materials on a dried painted surface? Select all that apply.
Correct answer: By drawing over dry paint for added texture
By mixing dry materials with water
By scratching through the paint with scissors
By blending dry materials into wet paint
Correct answer: By layering over pastel or charcoal to add detail
Q5.
Match each dry material to the sentence that best describes how it is used:
Correct Answer:Charcoal,Used for bold, smudgy marks and expressive drawing

Used for bold, smudgy marks and expressive drawing

Correct Answer:Fineliner,Creates clean, detailed and controlled lines

Creates clean, detailed and controlled lines

Correct Answer:Chalk,Soft and dusty; good for blending on textured paper

Soft and dusty; good for blending on textured paper

Correct Answer:Graphite pencil,Great for sketching and shading with control

Great for sketching and shading with control

Q6.
Is a fineliner considered a dry material in art?
Correct answer: Yes, it’s used without water and makes clear lines
No, because it uses ink to create lines
Only if it’s used with pencil lines
No, because it can’t be blended to create lines

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following best describes abstract art using dry materials?
Drawing objects exactly as they appear using pencil and ruler
Using watercolours to create realistic landscapes
Correct answer: Creating expressive marks with charcoal and pastel to show mood
Painting portraits with acrylic paint and fine brushes
Sketching technical diagrams with ink pens
Q2.
Is it important to match your technique to the stimulus when using dry materials in abstract art?
No, any technique works with any stimulus
Correct answer: Yes, it helps express the mood or feeling of the stimulus
Only if you're copying a photo
No, because abstract art doesn’t need any planning
Yes, but only if you're using wet materials
Q3.
Put these steps in the correct order to prepare your surface effectively:
1 - Make a wash with watercolour using your paintbrush
2 - Use tissue to absorb pools of colour
3 - Drop contrasting ink over the wash inspired by elements in your stimuli.
4 - Continue adding different colours of ink onto your wash
Q4.
How might you use a rubber to draw into a graphite background?
Correct Answer: erasing to create highlights, lifting graphite to make marks, drawing with the eraser, using the rubber to make marks
Q5.
How do you create scumbling marks using a fineliner?
By drawing long, smooth diagonal lines
By using small, repeated dots to build tone and texture
Correct answer: By overlapping looping marks
By pressing and dragging the pen across the page
By overlapping straight lines
Q6.
What does the word “intuitive” mean in art?
Correct Answer: Creating art based on feeling, Not planning everything, Responding quickly, Letting the process guide you

Additional material

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