Digital painting techniques: brushstrokes and beyond
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can apply digital brush techniques, including opacity, flow, layering and texture, to create expressive and realistic digital paintings.
Key learning points
- Digital brushes can mimic traditional media whilst offering flexibility and control.
- Opacity and flow settings control subtlety and intensity of brushstrokes.
- Brush customisation can be used to express a personal artistic style.
- Layering and blending allows digital artists to gradually build up elements and create smooth transitions between them.
Keywords
Opacity - the transparency level of a digital brush or layer
Flow - the rate at which paint is applied when a brushstroke is made
Layering - building up visual effects by stacking elements in separate digital layers
Blending - the technique of merging colours or tones smoothly
Common misconception
Using digital brushes automatically makes artwork look realistic.
Realism depends on how brush settings, layering and blending are applied - not the tool itself. Technique and practice are crucial.
Teacher tip
Encourage pupils to experiment with brush settings rather than aiming for a “perfect” outcome - confidence with tools develops through play, not just replication.
Equipment
Computers/tablets with digital painting software. Stylus.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does the opacity setting control in a digital brush?
Q2.What happens if the flow of a digital brush is set very low?
Q3.True or false? Layering in digital painting allows artists to separate elements and makes editing easier.
Q4.Which tool helps create smooth transitions between colours in digital painting?
Q5.Which of these effects can texture brushes create in digital art?
Q6.True or false? Digital brushes can never achieve effects similar to traditional brushes.
To help you plan your 11 art and design lesson on: Digital painting techniques: brushstrokes and beyond, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 art and design lesson on: Digital painting techniques: brushstrokes and beyond, 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 4 art and design lessons from the Photography unit, dive into the full secondary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.