New
New
Year 10

The role of a sketchbook in developing your textile practice

I can explore how sketchbooks are used to develop ideas, take creative risks and express a personal textile voice.

New
New
Year 10

The role of a sketchbook in developing your textile practice

I can explore how sketchbooks are used to develop ideas, take creative risks and express a personal textile voice.

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

  1. A sketchbook is a space to think, plan, collect and test ideas.
  2. Sketchbooks show how your ideas grow through notes, samples and drawings.
  3. Experimental sketchbooks help you take creative risks and reflect.

Keywords

  • Sketchbook - a tool for artists to experiment, record ideas and develop their creative process

  • Layering - placing images, textures, or writing over one another to build depth

Common misconception

A successful sketchbook has to be neat and tidy.

A creative sketchbook values risk-taking, layering and visible thinking — not just clean layouts.


To help you plan your year 10 art and design lesson on: The role of a sketchbook in developing your textile practice, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage students to value process over perfection. Remind them that sketchbooks are thinking spaces, not final pieces. Celebrate risk-taking, layering and personal choices — even messy pages can reveal powerful ideas.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Paper, folding sheets, pencils, pens, fabric scraps, glue, scissors, thread, needles, ink, rubbings materials (e.g. coins, textures), elastic bands, tea or ink for staining.

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

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the name for the tool artists use to experiment, record ideas and develop their creative process?

Correct answer: sketchbook
mood book
easel
display board

Q2.
Match the creative activity to what it helps with:

Correct Answer:Artist research,Discovering styles and inspiration

Discovering styles and inspiration

Correct Answer:Mood boarding,Exploring themes visually

Exploring themes visually

Correct Answer:Material testing,Understanding how technique's look or feel

Understanding how technique's look or feel

Correct Answer:Drawing from life,Developing close observation skills

Developing close observation skills

Q3.
Why do artists connect their work to personal experiences?

So they don’t forget things
To get a better grade
Correct answer: It helps make their work more meaningful
It saves time thinking of a theme

Q4.
is the process of placing images, textures, or writing over one another to build depth.

Correct Answer: layering

Q5.
What does experimenting in art help you do?

Copy other artists exactly
Avoid making mistakes
Correct answer: Discover new techniques and ideas
Finish your work faster

Q6.
What is the main purpose of adding notes in a sketchbook?

To decorate the pages as you progress
Correct answer: To review your work as it progresses
To fill up space as you progress
To copy from artists for inspiration

Additional material

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