Words in portraits
I can understand the power of typography in art, and how it can be used to tell our stories and form the design of a portrait.
Words in portraits
I can understand the power of typography in art, and how it can be used to tell our stories and form the design of a portrait.
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.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Artists use text in their work as a powerful tool to convey thoughts and feelings
- Typography can be added onto an art work, or be an artwork in its own right
- We can use typography to inform our art work and discuss our identity
Keywords
Typography - is the purposeful arrangement of type to enhance readability, communication and visual impact
Meaning - the message or idea that is communicated by something, whether it's words, images, or actions
Conceptual - art that is based on an idea or message, not just how it looks
Common misconception
Words don’t matter that much — it’s the drawing that tells the story.
Words can express things a face alone might not show — like beliefs, experiences, or emotions. The style of the text also adds meaning.
To help you plan your year 9 art and design lesson on: Words in portraits, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 art and design lesson on: Words in portraits, 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 3 art and design lessons from the Identity: exploring portraiture unit, dive into the full secondary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
A portrait or mirror for drawing from observation, pencils, fine liners, watercolours, brushes, glue sticks, scissors, collage materials, paper, printed fonts, quotes, and artist references.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Speaking or acting out about a cause.
The message or idea that is communicated by something.
The way someone shows their thoughts, feelings, or ideas.
A powerful phrase or statement from someone.