Art and design
Art technique experimentation
Compare watercolour and pencil techniques through small experiments, a tonal scale and a simple sphere study. The sheet offers six watercolour specimens and prompts pupils to notice how the materials behave before painting a scene.
Follow the light direction when shading. The sphere is left unshaded for pupils to complete.
Read the complete materialRead the material
Compare watercolour and pencil techniques through small experiments, a tonal scale and a simple sphere study. The sheet offers six watercolour specimens and prompts pupils to notice how the materials behave before painting a scene.
Activity. Use the preview for diagrams and layout.
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NAME CLASS DATE LEARNING GOAL Test how watercolour and pencil behave, so I can choose the right technique. SUCCESS CRITERIA I can test and record six watercolour techniques. I can make a tonal scale and shade a sphere. I can choose a technique for an effect. Studio note: watercolour works best on thicker paper, so print it on card if you can. Paint one specimen in each frame with one or two colours you choose. Write short notes, for example “more water, one stroke” and “the colour went pale and patchy”. 1 FLAT WASH Even colour all over. WHAT I DID WHAT HAPPENED 2 GRADED WASH From strong to pale, by adding more water as you go. WHAT I DID WHAT HAPPENED 3 WET-IN-WET Paint onto wet paper, so colours spread and blend. WHAT I DID WHAT HAPPENED 4 WET-ON-DRY Paint onto dry paper for crisp edges. WHAT I DID WHAT HAPPENED 5 DRY BRUSH Use very little water for a scratchy texture. WHAT I DID WHAT HAPPENED 6 LIFTING OUT Remove paint with a clean damp brush or a tissue. WHAT I DID WHAT HAPPENED Art technique experimentation A RT A N D D E S I G N A G E S 11 TO 1 4 T E C H N I Q U E E X P E R I M E N T S Technique studio Test each technique, then record what you did and saw. 1 Watercolour specimens Studio 1 12 marks 2 Pencil 3 Choose 4 Teacher 1 Paint Page 1 of 3
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Leave box 1 as white paper. Press a little harder in each box, so box 7 is as dark as your pencil can go. Keep the steps even. WHAT I DID WHAT HAPPENED Copy the small sample, then fill the box, going from light to dark. Closer lines, more layers and more dots all look darker. 7 HATCHING Parallel lines. WHAT I DID WHAT HAPPENED 8 CROSS-HATCHING Crossed layers of lines. WHAT I DID WHAT HAPPENED 9 STIPPLING Dots. WHAT I DID WHAT HAPPENED 10 BLENDING Smooth graduation from dark to light. WHAT I DID WHAT HAPPENED Light source: top left. Dashed: cast shadow. a Highlight. Leave the part nearest the light as white paper. b Mid-tones. Shade darker as you move away from the light. c Shadow. The side away from the light is the darkest. d Cast shadow. Fill the dashed outline, darkest at the base. WHAT I DID WHAT HAPPENED Art technique experimentation A RT A N D D E S I G N T E C H N I Q U E S T U D I O P E N C I L S H A D I N G Pencil specimens: tone and marks 2 A tonal scale Studio 2 3 marks 1 Lightest 2 3 4 5 6 7 Darkest 3 Mark-making specimens Studio 3 8 marks 4 Shade a sphere Studio 4 4 marks 1 Paint 3 Choose 4 Teacher 2 Pencil Page 2 of 3
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Look back at your specimens. Choose the best technique for each effect, then give a reason from what happened. flat wash graded wash wet-in-wet wet-on-dry dry brush lifting out hatching cross-hatching stippling blending THE EFFECT I WANT TECHNIQUE WHY IT WORKS a A calm, even blue sky b A sky fading to pale near the land c Soft, blurry distant clouds d Sharp edges on a leaf e Rough tree bark in paint f A white cloud taken out of wet sky g A smooth shadow on an apple, in pencil h Grainy sand drawn in pen Paint or draw a small scene that uses two techniques together. TECHNIQUES I USED a Which technique was hardest to control? Why? b What will you do differently next time? GO FURTHER Invent your own pencil mark. Give it a name and test it on scrap paper. Art technique experimentation A RT A N D D E S I G N T E C H N I Q U E S T U D I O R E F L E C T I O N Which technique for which effect? 5 Which technique for which effect Catalogue 8 marks 6 Looking back Studio notes 6 marks TWO TECHNIQUES 1 Paint 2 Pencil 4 Teacher 3 Choose Page 3 of 3
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Art technique experimentation Teacher companion Art and Design | Pupils aged 11 to 14 Use with the exact 3-page original file. Keep pupil or staff activity pages separate from this teacher companion. When to use it Use the workbook when pupils are ready to compare how materials and mark-making choices affect an image. The sequence assumes access to watercolour, pencils and suitable paper; plan those materials and demonstrate safe, manageable use before pupils begin. Purpose Test watercolour and pencil techniques, describe the effects observed and choose techniques for particular visual purposes. Start here Read the studio note about paper, then choose one or two colours and prepare a specimen box for the first watercolour technique. A teaching sequence 1. Paint one specimen for each watercolour technique and record briefly what you did and what happened. Compare the effects rather than judging one as universally best. 2. Build the seven-step pencil tonal scale, then test hatching, cross-hatching, stippling and blending in their labelled boxes. 3. Shade the sphere using the stated top-left light source; identify the highlight, mid-tones, shadow and cast shadow. 4. Match techniques to the listed effects, make a small scene using two techniques and reflect on a technique to practise next. Ask, “What changed in your process, and what effect did you see?” Compare it with the tested material and method. Checking guidance Look for observations that describe a technique and its effect, a tonal scale with a consistent progression and a technique choice supported by what the pupil tested. Ask: “What did you change in your process, and what effect did you see?” The activity encourages experimentation; one result does not prove a technique will behave identically on different paper or with different paint. Ask pupils to label the tested method and describe the observed effect before choosing a technique. Accept different outcomes when they explain the actual paper, paint or pencil process. Support Set out only a few materials at once and model how to note an observation in plain language, such as “more water, paler wash”. Let pupils practise a technique on scrap paper before filling the box. Offer a choice of effects to match if open selection is difficult. Take it further Ask pupils to design a small test comparing two techniques for the same effect, keeping other choices similar. They can record what changed, choose a preferred method and create a study that combines it with another technique. Things to keep in mind The sheet proposes watercolour and pencil processes, but paper, materials and technique affect what pupils observe. Use suitable paper for watercolour and help pupils describe the result they actually see. Art technique experimentation Teacher companion | Page 1
A teaching sequence
Test watercolour and pencil techniques, describe the effects observed and choose techniques for particular visual purposes.
Test watercolour specimens
Paint one specimen for each watercolour technique and record briefly what you did and what happened. Compare the effects rather than judging one as universally best.
What did you change in the water or brush, and what effect appeared?
Build tone with pencil marks
Build the seven-step pencil tonal scale, then test hatching, cross-hatching, stippling and blending in their labelled boxes.
How do closer lines, layers or dots affect the tone?
Follow the light direction when shading. The sphere is left unshaded for pupils to complete.
Read the complete materialShade from the light source
Shade the sphere using the stated top-left light source; identify the highlight, mid-tones, shadow and cast shadow.
Where should the highlight and cast shadow lie with light at the top left?
Choose a technique for an effect
Match techniques to the listed effects, make a small scene using two techniques and reflect on a technique to practise next. Compare the effects in the new scene with the tested specimens and methods.
Which tested specimen supports the technique you chose?
Before you teach
Look for the thinking behind an answer, choose the support your class needs and leave room for an independent response.
What to look for
Look for observations that describe a technique and its effect, a tonal scale with a consistent progression and a technique choice supported by what the pupil tested. Ask: “What did you change in your process, and what effect did you see?” The activity encourages experimentation; one result does not prove a technique will behave identically on different paper or with different paint. Ask pupils to label the tested method and describe the observed effect before choosing a technique. Accept different outcomes when they explain the actual paper, paint or pencil process.
Give a little support
Set out only a few materials at once and model how to note an observation in plain language, such as “more water, paler wash”. Let pupils practise a technique on scrap paper before filling the box. Offer a choice of effects to match if open selection is difficult.
Take the idea further
Ask pupils to design a small test comparing two techniques for the same effect, keeping other choices similar. They can record what changed, choose a preferred method and create a study that combines it with another technique.
Things to keep in mind
The sheet proposes watercolour and pencil processes, but paper, materials and technique affect what pupils observe. Use suitable paper for watercolour and help pupils describe the result they actually see.
Keep the idea. Make it yours.
Bring your topic, learning goal and class context to PLAI™, then review what you create.
Ideas to try with your class
Sample teaching perspectives on what to try, what to adapt and what to watch for.
Meet The Creators
Meet a creator whose teaching interests connect with this template.
After the Bell
The three pages take pupils from six watercolour specimens through pencil tone and mark-making to a technique-choice table. Each specimen has “what I did” and “what happened” spaces, linking the final choice to an observed result.
Clear Example
Wet-in-wet, wet-on-dry, dry brush and lifting out are tested alongside flat and graded washes; pencil tasks add hatching, cross-hatching, stippling and blending. The final effects list asks pupils to select techniques for a visual purpose.
Margin Note
The note to print on card reflects the watercolour work, and the sphere diagram identifies a top-left light source. Demonstrating one specimen and leaving white paper for the highlight can make the material demands clearer before independent practice.
Extra Page
Results depend on paper, materials and how each technique is applied, so the examples should not be treated as fixed outcomes. Use pupils’ own observation notes when discussing why a selected wash or mark suits an effect.