Art and Design · Year 8 · Urban Decay and Industrial Texture · Autumn Term

Mark-Making for Texture

Experimenting with various drawing tools and techniques to simulate different textures like rust, peeling paint, and cracked concrete.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS3: Art and Design - Drawing Techniques
• KS3: Art and Design - Visual Texture

About This Topic

Collograph printing is a versatile relief process that allows Year 8 students to explore industrial shapes and repetitive patterns using recycled materials. By building up a printing plate with 'found' textures like corrugated card, string, and sandpaper, students learn about depth, relief, and the mechanics of the printing press. This topic meets KS3 standards for developing proficiency in printmaking and understanding the potential of repetitive imagery.

Repetition is a powerful tool in art, often used to mirror the mass production of the industrial age. This topic allows students to create multiple versions of an image, experimenting with colour and layering in a way that single drawings do not allow. This topic comes alive when students can physically manipulate the materials on their plates, feeling the height and texture before they ever apply ink.

Key Questions

1. Analyze how different mark-making techniques can evoke specific tactile qualities.
2. Compare the visual effects of cross-hatching, stippling, and scumbling in rendering texture.
3. Design a series of marks that effectively communicate the feeling of a rough, weathered surface.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how specific mark-making tools and techniques create the visual illusion of different textures.
• Compare the effectiveness of stippling, cross-hatching, and scumbling in rendering the tactile qualities of rust and peeling paint.
• Design a controlled series of marks to communicate the visual characteristics of cracked concrete.
• Evaluate the success of their own and peers' mark-making in simulating urban decay textures.

Before You Start

Introduction to Drawing Tools and Materials

Why: Students need familiarity with basic drawing instruments like pencils, pens, and charcoal before experimenting with their application for texture.

Basic Shading Techniques

Why: Understanding how to create light and shadow is foundational for building up the illusion of form and texture through mark-making.

Key Vocabulary

Mark-making	The process of applying marks to a surface using various tools and methods. It focuses on the action of making marks and the resulting visual qualities.
Visual Texture	The way a surface appears to feel, as depicted through visual elements in a drawing or artwork. It imitates tactile texture.
Stippling	Creating tonal or shading effects by using small dots. The density and proximity of the dots suggest different values and textures.
Cross-hatching	Using intersecting sets of parallel lines to create tone and texture. The direction and density of the lines indicate form and surface quality.
Scumbling	Using scribbled, circular, or random marks to build up tone and texture. This technique can suggest rough or uneven surfaces.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

The plate needs to be very thick to print well.

What to Teach Instead

Students often build plates that are too high, which can damage the press or tear the paper. Through hands-on experimentation, they learn that subtle differences in height (the thickness of a postcard) are often more effective for capturing detail.

Common Misconception

Every print in a series must look exactly the same.

What to Teach Instead

Students can get frustrated by 'mistakes'. Using active learning to explore 'monoprinting' techniques on top of their collographs helps them see that variation and 'happy accidents' can enhance the industrial aesthetic.

Active Learning Ideas

Inquiry Circle: The Plate Build

In small groups, students are given a 'mystery bag' of industrial waste (washers, mesh, card). They must collaborate to build a printing plate that features at least three different levels of relief, testing the height with their fingers.

50 min·Small Groups

Stations Rotation: The Inking Lab

Students rotate through three inking stations: one for 'intaglio' (wiping ink into the grooves), one for 'relief' (rolling ink on the surface), and one for 'ghost printing' (using the leftover ink from a previous print).

60 min·Small Groups

Gallery Walk: The Edition Review

Students display their series of prints. The class walks around and uses 'critique cards' to identify which print has the best 'industrial' atmosphere and why, focusing on the use of texture and repetition.

25 min·Whole Class

Real-World Connections

• Urban explorers and photographers often document the textures of decaying buildings, using mark-making principles to capture the gritty reality of abandoned spaces.
• Concept artists for video games and films meticulously render weathered surfaces like rusted metal and cracked pavement to create immersive and believable environments.
• Architectural illustrators use detailed line work and shading techniques, similar to mark-making for texture, to represent the materials and conditions of existing or proposed structures.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Provide students with three small squares of paper. Ask them to dedicate each square to demonstrating rust, peeling paint, and cracked concrete using only one mark-making technique (stippling, cross-hatching, or scumbling). Check for clear attempts to simulate the specified textures.

Discussion Prompt

Display student work side-by-side, showing different approaches to rendering the same texture. Ask: 'Which artwork most effectively communicates the feeling of rough, weathered concrete? What specific marks did the artist use that make it successful?'

Exit Ticket

On an index card, have students write down two different mark-making techniques they used today and describe one specific texture they attempted to represent with each technique.

Frequently Asked Questions

What glue is best for making collograph plates?

PVA glue is standard, but it must be allowed to dry completely (usually overnight) before sealing. For quicker results, double-sided tape or a hot glue gun (with supervision) can be used for adding textures.

How can active learning help students understand the printing process?

Active learning strategies like the 'Inking Lab' allow students to see the physical science of ink. By trying different ways to apply ink to the same plate, they learn through direct observation how pressure and viscosity affect the final image, which is much more effective than watching a demonstration.

Do I need a printing press for collographs?

While a press gives the best results, you can print by hand using a 'baren' or the back of a large metal spoon. This 'low-tech' approach is actually great for students to feel the pressure needed to transfer ink from the plate to the paper.

Why use recycled materials for this unit?

Using 'waste' materials like old packaging directly connects to the theme of Urban Decay. It teaches students that art can be made from anything and encourages them to look at everyday objects with a designer's eye for texture.