New
New
Lesson 11 of 11
  • Year 10

Creating a surface, armature, background: preparing your personal response

I can select an appropriate surface which aligns with my concept

Lesson 11 of 11
New
New
  • Year 10

Creating a surface, armature, background: preparing your personal response

I can select an appropriate surface which aligns with my concept

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. Clarify the theme or concept you want to explore. This could be personal experiences, social issues or emotions.
  2. Gather inspiration from various sources, such as existing artworks, literature, nature, or personal experiences.
  3. Decide on the material for your surface, including canvas, wood, paper, or textiles, to align with your concept

Keywords

  • Concept - the underlying idea, message, or theme

  • Intention - the purpose behind your creative choices

  • Surface - the base or foundation you work on

Common misconception

Only paper and canvas are proper or professional surfaces for making art

Artists have long worked on a wide range of surfaces, including wood, metal, glass, fabric, cardboard, plastic, ceramics, and more. The surface is a creative choice, not a limitation.


To help you plan your year 10 art and design lesson on: Creating a surface, armature, background: preparing your personal response, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage pupils to test multiple surfaces early in the process, even in small sample form before committing to one. This helps them understand how surface impacts technique and expression, and gives them the confidence to make intentional, informed choices that align with their concept and theme.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Paint, paper, cardboard, fabric, (metal, wood and glass/plexiglass if possible), thread, needles, scissors, pens, oil pastels.

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - equipment

Supervision

Adult supervision required

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

Loading...

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the term given to trying out new ideas, materials or techniques?

completing
Correct answer: experimenting
finalising
refining
implementing

Q2.
What are the materials and tools used to create artwork called?

texture
medium
Correct answer: media
technique

Q3.
Photographs and drawings are a strong starting point for idea because they provide original material.

Correct Answer: development, developing, develop

Q4.
True or false? 'A collage can only be made from cut-up paper.'

true
Correct answer: false

Q5.
What is the position or angle from which the photographer takes the photo called?

Correct Answer: viewpoint, view point

Q6.
What is the main focus of a photograph called?

object
image
Correct answer: subject
scene

Additional material

Download additional material