Art and Design · Year 8

Active learning ideas

Mark-Making for Texture

Active learning works well for this topic because collograph printing requires students to physically manipulate materials and see immediate cause-and-effect relationships between texture and print quality. The tactile nature of building plates and operating the press helps students internalize abstract concepts like relief and pressure through direct experience.

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

• 25–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 50 min · Small Groups

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.

Analyze how different mark-making techniques can evoke specific tactile qualities.

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Investigation, circulate with a small ruler to gently remind students that plate thickness should match a postcard rather than a block of wood.

What to look for

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.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 60 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).

Compare the visual effects of cross-hatching, stippling, and scumbling in rendering texture.

What to look for

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?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Whole Class

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.

Design a series of marks that effectively communicate the feeling of a rough, weathered surface.

What to look for

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.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by letting students experiment with failure first, then guiding them to refine their approach. Research shows that when students see variation as part of the process, they take more creative risks. Avoid over-correcting early prints; instead, frame mistakes as opportunities to learn about texture and pressure. Model safe handling of the press to prevent damage and build confidence.

Successful learning looks like students who can confidently select and combine materials to create intentional textures, adjust plate height for safe printing, and discuss how their choices affect the final print. They should also begin to recognize subtle differences between textures and articulate their effects.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation, watch for students who build plates that are too high.

  Gently remind them to compare their plate thickness to a postcard. Offer a ruler to measure and adjust plate height before inking, explaining that subtle textures often print more clearly than bulky ones.

• During Station Rotation, watch for students who expect every print to match their first one exactly.

  Encourage them to experiment with monoprinting techniques, such as adding a second layer of ink or dragging a tool through wet ink, to embrace variation and enhance the industrial aesthetic.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Stations Rotation
• Gallery Walk