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Lesson 5 of 9
  • Year 10

Experiment with collage

I can create a layered collage with contrasting textures, shapes, and colours, while incorporating black and white photography to enhance depth and composition.

Lesson 5 of 9
New
New
  • Year 10

Experiment with collage

I can create a layered collage with contrasting textures, shapes, and colours, while incorporating black and white photography to enhance depth and composition.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Experiment with overlapping materials to create depth. Layers can add complexity and intrigue to the artwork
  2. Use contrasting colours, textures, and shapes to create visual interest and draw the viewer’s eye
  3. Consider visual weight, symmetrical or asymmetrical balance when arranging elements to achieve a harmonious composition

Keywords

  • Visual weight - the perceived "heaviness" of an element in the artwork, which is influenced by its size, colour, or placement

  • Asymmetry - a layout where elements are not mirrored but still balanced through visual interest

  • Composition - the arrangement of elements in an artwork

Common misconception

The main subject photo should completely dominate the composition.

The photograph should interact with the background, not overpower it. The transparency of acetate or digital opacity allows the viewer to still appreciate the layers beneath. The photograph should complement the painted background, not mask it.


To help you plan your year 10 art and design lesson on: Experiment with collage, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Greater contextual information on the artists work can be found in the additional materials. You may wish to alter the imagery to better fit your project themes.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Paints, paintbrushes, collage papers, scissors, glue, acetate or tracing paper sheets, printed black & white photographs or digital access to take photos. Optional: access to digital editing software.

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.
Match the term to its correct definition.

Correct Answer:visual weight ,perceived heaviness of an element

perceived heaviness of an element

Correct Answer:balance,distribution of visual weight for stability

distribution of visual weight for stability

Correct Answer:composition,arrangement of elements in an artwork

arrangement of elements in an artwork

Correct Answer:depth,illusion of space or distance in a flat image

illusion of space or distance in a flat image

Q2.
Which of the following is an example of a complementary colour pair?

black and white
blue and green
red and orange
Correct answer: yellow and purple

Q3.
A well-arranged helps guide the viewer’s eye around the artwork.

Correct Answer: composition, layout

Q4.
Which are most likely to given an object the appearance of more visual weight?

blurry lines and faded edges
Correct answer: bright colour and large size
pale colour and small size
symmetry and dull tones

Q5.
In a collage, overlapping elements can help create a sense of ...

Correct Answer: depth, space, dimension

Q6.
What is the main purpose of using contrast in a collage?

to keep everything the same
to hide different textures
to limit the use of colour
Correct answer: to make elements stand out

Additional material

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