Art and Design · Year 9

Active learning ideas

Collagraphy: Industrial Textures

Active learning works well for collagraphy because students must physically manipulate materials to understand how textures translate into prints. This hands-on approach builds spatial reasoning and sensory awareness, which are essential for visualizing industrial surfaces like rusted metal and cracked concrete.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS3: Art and Design - Printmaking
• KS3: Art and Design - Texture and Surface

• 25–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Experiential Learning
• 45 min · Pairs

Pairs: Urban Sketch and Plate Prototype

Pairs take a 10-minute walk to sketch local industrial textures like rust or concrete. Back in class, they build small prototype plates using scrap materials and print quick tests. Partners critique and refine one shared design for a final plate.

Explain how physical texture can be translated into a visual print.

Facilitation Tip

During the Pairs: Urban Sketch and Plate Prototype activity, ask students to trace key texture lines directly onto their cardboard plates before adding materials to maintain focus on industrial forms.

What to look for

Ask students to hold up their partially constructed collagraph plates. Pose the question: 'Point to one area on your plate that you think will print darkest and explain why, referencing its texture and height.'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Experiential Learning
• 50 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Material Texture Stations

Set up stations with materials like carborundum grit, twine, corrugated cardboard, and foam. Groups rotate every 10 minutes, experimenting with one material per station to add to their collagraph plate. End with group printing of combined plates.

Evaluate what makes an industrial or decaying object aesthetically interesting for printmaking.

Facilitation Tip

For the Small Groups: Material Texture Stations activity, provide a limited supply of each material per station so students must plan their plate designs carefully.

What to look for

Show students two collagraph prints of urban textures, one more successful than the other. Ask: 'Which print better captures the grit of industrial surfaces? What specific choices in plate construction and printing technique led to this result?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Experiential Learning
• 40 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Guided Printing Workshop

Demonstrate inking techniques and press methods on a shared plate. Students then print their individual plates in sequence, swapping papers for variety. Class discusses successful texture transfers as prints dry.

Design a collagraph plate that effectively captures the essence of an urban texture.

Facilitation Tip

In the Whole Class: Guided Printing Workshop, demonstrate ink application pressure with a brayer on a scrap plate first to show how subtle differences in pressure change print quality.

What to look for

Students exchange their finished collagraph prints. Provide a checklist: 'Does the print clearly show texture? Does it represent an industrial or decaying surface? Is there good contrast between light and dark areas?' Students provide one specific suggestion for improvement.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Experiential Learning
• 25 min · Individual

Individual: Print Reflection Portfolio

Students select their best print and annotate it: note intended texture, ink effects achieved, and adjustments for next iteration. Add photos of the plate and urban reference sketch.

Explain how physical texture can be translated into a visual print.

What to look for

Ask students to hold up their partially constructed collagraph plates. Pose the question: 'Point to one area on your plate that you think will print darkest and explain why, referencing its texture and height.'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model the process slowly and emphasize the connection between observation and construction. Avoid rushing through material selection, as this step determines print success. Research suggests that students benefit from repeated printing tests to refine their understanding of how texture height and ink viscosity interact.

Successful learning looks like students confidently selecting and layering materials to control ink distribution and visual texture. They should explain how plate construction affects print contrast, and adapt their techniques after peer feedback and printing tests.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Pairs: Urban Sketch and Plate Prototype, watch for students who assume textures will print exactly as they see them.

  Remind students to consider ink absorption and pressure by having them test a small area of their plate on scrap paper before committing to the full print.

• During Small Groups: Material Texture Stations, watch for students who think all materials will produce the same texture effect.

  Ask students to run a quick test print after layering each material, then compare results as a group to identify which materials hold sharp edges or absorb ink unevenly.

• During Whole Class: Guided Printing Workshop, watch for students who undervalue urban decay textures as artistic subjects.

  Have students share their reference photos and explain their chosen textures during a group discussion, focusing on contrasts and patterns they find visually compelling.

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Methods used in this brief

• Experiential Learning