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Year 8

Exploring collage and composition through portraits

I can create a collage portrait by selecting and collaging imagery to achieve a balanced composition.

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New
New
Year 8

Exploring collage and composition through portraits

I can create a collage portrait by selecting and collaging imagery to achieve a balanced composition.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

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

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

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. A collage combines varied materials like photos, paper and textures to build layers and create visual depth
  2. Experimenting with composition by arranging and rearranging elements until the layout feels balanced
  3. Collage can be used to explore portraiture which discuss social histories

Keywords

  • Variety - the use of different elements to create visual interest and complexity in a work, it can can also be created by contrasting elements such as light versus dark

  • Balance - how the visual weight of each element is distributed to make the composition feel stable

  • Composition - the arrangement of, imagery, shapes, colours, textures, marks and lines in an artwork

Common misconception

Collage is just about sticking random images together.

Collage is about careful selection, layering and composition to create meaning, tell stories, represent identity and explore social themes.


To help you plan your year 8 art and design lesson on: Exploring collage and composition through portraits, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You may want to have students select imagery in advance of the lesson or bring in photos of themseleves.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Sources for collage, magazines, waller paper scraps, newspapers, books, your own photogrpahy, scissors, glue.

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.
What does 'composition' mean in art?
The number of colours in a piece
A technique for blending paint
The types of materials used in a collage
Correct answer: The way elements are arranged in an artwork
Q2.
A well-balanced composition makes sure no part of an artwork feels too or too empty.
Correct Answer: heavy, crowded, busy, dominant
Q3.
Match each term with its definition:
Correct Answer:variety,Using different elements to create interest

Using different elements to create interest

Correct Answer:balance,Making sure no part of the artwork overpowers another

Making sure no part of the artwork overpowers another

Correct Answer:composition,The arrangement of elements in an artwork

The arrangement of elements in an artwork

Q4.
Which of these is an example of creating balance in a collage?
Adding random elements without planning
Placing all large shapes on one side
Correct answer: Spreading colours and textures evenly
Using only one material
Q5.
Which are the correct words to fill the gaps: Too much variety in an artwork can make it feel while too little can make it feel ...
Correct answer: chaotic, boring
boring, chaotic
balanced, cluttered
empty, full
Q6.
How can high contrast be used in art?
To create a sense of calm and simplicity
Correct answer: To draw attention to specific areas of the artwork
To make the artwork blend together
To soften the composition

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Artists might choose to select imagery or materials, like photos, paper and textures, to build layers and create __________ in their collage.
colour contrast
Correct answer: visual depth
texture variety
simplicity
Q2.
In art, refers to using different elements like colour, or texture to create visual interest and prevent monotony.
Correct Answer: variety, diverse, difference, diversity
Q3.
Which of the following best describes a collage?
A form of digital illustration created solely on a computer
A sculpture made from carved stone
A single-layered painting using only one type of material
Correct answer: A technique that combines various materials, images or textures to create art
Q4.
What can artists use in a collage to convey meaning or create associations?
Random images with no context
Correct answer: Imagery that acts as a symbol or represents aspects of their identity
Only abstract shapes
Non-representational forms
Q5.
Match each statement below to either low visual weight or high visual weight.
Correct Answer:high visual weight,A large, bold black square near the centre

A large, bold black square near the centre

Correct Answer:low visual weight,A faint, thin line along the edge of the artwork

A faint, thin line along the edge of the artwork

Correct Answer:high visual weight,A heavily textured area with rough brushstrokes

A heavily textured area with rough brushstrokes

Correct Answer:low visual weight,A small, pale-colored circle in the background

A small, pale-colored circle in the background

Correct Answer:high visual weight,A highly detailed and busy area with many elements

A highly detailed and busy area with many elements

Correct Answer:low visual weight,A large empty space with minimal detail

A large empty space with minimal detail

Q6.
How can artists use images of objects, photos, and text in a collage to explore identity?
To create random patterns
Correct answer: To symbolise different aspects of their life, beliefs, and culture
To keep the collage minimal and clean
To make everything look the same

Additional material

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