art coursework ideas

• 50+ Creative Art Project Ideas For College Students

By: Author The GenTwenty Team

Posted on Last updated: December 13, 2023

Categories College

Art class in college is a time to expand your palette and try new techniques! Here are well over 50 creative art project ideas.

Embarking on  art projects  is not just a way to fill the time between college lectures and exams; it’s a crucial element of personal and educational growth for  college students . Creativity thrives when minds are given the freedom to explore, and art projects offer a unique avenue for this exploration.

As part of art education, art teachers love making projects as part of their lesson plans, whether for college or high school students. It’s a fun way for art students to show what they have learned and express themselves.

Engaging in various  creative projects , whether a passion project or a calling, can enhance an individual’s ability to think laterally, solve problems imaginatively, and express complex ideas visually. These artistic endeavors are not limited to the tangible benefits of improved  artistic skills  but extend to bolstering academic performance and personal well-being.

As the canvas of college life stretches out, students are encouraged to paint their paths with broad strokes, dabbling in a medley of  art ideas  from traditional  painting techniques  to digital expressions in  graphic design . Every student has the opportunity to craft a unique  art portfolio , develop a rich tapestry of skills, and weave their narrative through  creative expression .

In this blog post, we will cover a plethora creative art project ideas for college students to try. Make note of what speaks to you!

50 Creative Art Project Ideas For College Students

Here are 50 creative art project ideas suitable for college-level students:

• Create a self-portrait using abstract shapes, colors, and textures to represent different aspects of your personality. Use white paper and oil pastels or acrylic paint or do something more creative and use only materials from the natural world on black paper. The options are endless.
• Gather random objects and create a sculpture by assembling them in a unique and interesting way.
• Create a collage using photographs, combining and layering images to tell a visual story.
• Utilize 3D printing technology to produce a sculpture or object that explores form and structure.
• Design an installation that engages viewers and encourages them to interact with the artwork.
• Experiment with digital painting using software like Adobe Photoshop or Procreate. Create a virtual bulletin board for a collaborative art project.
• Transform old books into works of art by cutting, folding, and adding your own illustrations.
• Build a sculpture that incorporates movement or responds to external stimuli.
• Create a stop-motion animation using objects, drawings, or clay figures.
• Combine traditional artwork with augmented reality elements using AR apps.
• Construct an art installation using recycled materials to highlight sustainability.
• Experiment with body painting and use the human form as a canvas for photography.
• Design a mosaic using tiles, glass, or other materials to create a visually stunning piece. Take a field trip to local spots and gather materials.
• Explore alternative printmaking techniques like monoprinting, cyanotype, or linocut.
• Use projection mapping to transform the surfaces of objects or buildings with dynamic visuals.
• Create a large-scale installation using ceramic pieces to explore form and texture.
• Craft a sculpture using natural materials like branches, leaves, and stones.
• Experiment with creating a sculpture by making a cast of a part of the human body.
• Keep an art journal documenting your creative process, thoughts, and visual ideas.
• Design an artwork using typography as the primary visual element.
• Develop a virtual reality art experience that immerses viewers in a digital environment. This is a creative way to blend technology and art.
• Create an art installation that involves auditory elements and explores the relationship between sound and visual art.
• Build a detailed miniature world inside a box or container.
• Create poetry by selecting and rearranging words from existing texts, newspapers, or books.
• Stage a live art performance, incorporating elements of theater, dance, or music.
• Experiment with graffiti art techniques, either on canvas or an approved outdoor space.
• Use wire to create intricate sculptures that play with form and negative space.
• Develop a series of fashion illustrations that showcase your unique style.
• Explore the art of glassblowing to create intricate glass sculptures or vessels.
• Combine various materials like fabric, paper, and found objects to create a mixed media collage.
• Experiment with long-exposure photography and light sources to create dynamic and abstract images.
• Create an installation using textiles and fabric to explore texture, color, and form.
• Develop a project that focuses on conveying a conceptual idea through various mediums.
• Take your sketchbook to the streets and create drawings or paintings of urban scenes.
• Collect sounds from your environment and compose a piece of music or an audio installation.
• Create a performance art piece and document it through video. Video project require another set of skills as well but video is highly profitable skill in today’s world.
• Build a shadow box that tells a story or explores a theme using three-dimensional objects.
• Develop a series of landscape paintings exploring different techniques and styles.
• Use augmented reality apps to enhance street art and create interactive experiences.
• Use your body’s movement to create drawings or paintings, capturing the essence of motion.
• Create maps that illustrate personal experiences, emotions, or imaginary worlds.
• Produce an experimental short film that incorporates unconventional storytelling techniques.
• Experiment with fabric dyeing techniques, such as tie-dye or shibori, and create printed patterns.
• Weld or manipulate metal to create sculptures that explore form, balance, and structure. You could even make cookie cutters and then make cookies from what you’ve created for your college art project.
• Design and illustrate your own book, exploring both the narrative and visual aspects.
• Develop a photography series that explores a specific concept or theme.
• Create temporary art installations in natural settings using materials found on-site.
• Design and print your own textiles, exploring pattern and color.
• Create artworks that explore personal or societal views on body image and self-perception.
• Develop an art project with therapeutic goals , addressing personal or social issues through creative expression.

These art project ideas are diverse and can be adapted based on your interests, preferred mediums, and artistic style. Feel free to combine or modify these ideas to create unique and meaningful art projects for your college-level coursework.

Unlocking Your Creativity

College serves as an expansive canvas for young artists, offering an environment brimming with new experiences, diverse perspectives, and stimulating challenges that are tailor-made to fuel the creative fires.

It is in this unique academic setting that  college students  can harness their life experiences and academic learning as sources of inspiration to funnel into their art.

To tap into this wellspring of creativity, students are encouraged to maintain an open mind, engage in campus activities outside their comfort zone, and utilize their coursework as a muse for their artistic endeavors. Trying new mediums and techniques, such as  digital art ,  sculpture , or  printmaking , not only broadens their artistic repertoire, but also cultivates adaptability and innovation in their creative expression.

Embracing the variety of art supplies and  art workshops  available on campus can further expand their horizons and augment their artistic skills, pushing the boundaries of their usual creative processes. By immersing themselves in college’s vast pool of opportunities, students open the doors to discovering fresh  art ideas  and new ways of  creative expression , setting the stage for a rich and vibrant artistic path.

Budget-Friendly Art Ideas

Embarking on creative endeavors in college need not drain your finances. A thrifty approach to art can involve  recycled materials , such as repurposed cardboard, discarded magazines, and reclaimed fabrics, to not only save on costs but also add unique textures to your projects.

Scouring  thrift stores and yard sales  can unearth affordable art supplies and unexpected materials. Additionally, many art stores offer  student discounts , allowing you to access quality resources without the hefty price tag. Be on the lookout for community  art swaps or exchanges  where you can trade materials with peers.

Embracing a DIY ethos can also inspire you to create your own supplies, for instance, mixing your own paint colors or crafting sketchbooks from recycled paper. The university’s art department may have resources like  free workshops  or a reuse center, offering an economical gateway to expand your artistic repertoire.

Here Are Some Art Projects for Beginners:

• DIY Canvas Painting:  Experiment with simple paint techniques like sponging or finger painting to create abstract designs on canvas. This is a relaxing way to start with painting while learning color theory and composition.
• Papier-Mâché Sculpture:  Create sculptures using recycled newspaper and glue. It’s an accessible project for beginners and helps understand three-dimensional forms.
• Basic Printmaking:  Use everyday objects such as leaves or cut potatoes to practice printmaking. This teaches pattern-making and the basics of ink application.
• Recycled Art:  Reuse materials to build an eco-friendly art piece. It’s a great way to learn about sustainability in art and can involve anything from plastic bottles to old clothing.
• Photography Project:  Start with a smartphone or a basic camera and capture themes like ‘A Day in the Life’ or ‘Urban Landscapes’. It helps beginners understand framing and lighting.
• Sketching and Drawing:  Begin with pencil sketches focusing on still life or outdoor scenes to hone observation and hand-eye coordination.
• Basic Digital Art:  Utilize free digital drawing tools to create artwork on a computer or tablet. It’s an important skill set for modern art practices and encourages understanding of digital mediums.
• Mural Painting:  Collaborate on a group mural project utilizing simple shapes and colors to contribute to a larger piece. This helps with planning and executing larger scale works.

Here are Examples of More Advanced Art Project Challenges:

• Large-Scale Mural Painting:  Tackle the grandeur of public art by engaging in a mural project that requires planning, collaboration, and a mastery of painting techniques.
• Interactive Sculpture:  Challenge both technical and conceptual skills by creating sculptures that require viewer participation or integrate mechanical elements.
• Advanced Printmaking Series:  Delve into the complexities of printmaking with a series of related prints that explore advanced techniques such as intaglio or lithography.
• Complex Mixed Media Installations:  Push the envelope with an installation that combines various media and engages with the exhibition space in immersive ways.
• Conceptual Photography Project:  Develop a photography project with a strong thematic focus, requiring in-depth research and a sophisticated approach to visual storytelling.

Another Idea: Collaborative Pieces and Group Projects

Working together on a collaborative art piece  can significantly enhance the experience of creating and learning for college students. Such projects not only merge diverse perspectives and artistic skills but also foster a spirit of community and cooperation.

For instance, a  mural painting  involving multiple student artists can transform a bland campus wall into a vibrant tapestry of collective expression. Similarly,  sculpture installations  made from recycled materials encourage students to discuss environmental themes and develop problem-solving skills as a team.

Another inspiring group project could be the creation of a large-scale  mixed media piece , where each participant contributes a segment that reflects personal narratives or cultural backgrounds, ultimately weaving a story that is bigger than its parts.

By participating in such endeavors, students learn the vital role of teamwork and shared creativity in accomplishing artistic visions and projects.

Displaying Your Artwork

Once you’ve poured your heart into a piece, finding the right platform to share it can be just as rewarding. An excellent starting point is a  digital portfolio , where you can curate and display your work professionally. Websites like Behance or your personal site can serve as a great showcase for potential employers or art schools.

Students should also take advantage of  college exhibitions , which not only provide a legitimate space for your artwork but also offer a chance to receive feedback and network. Additionally, social media platforms have become indispensable for artists today, offering a broad audience and engagement opportunities.

Don’t overlook local coffee shops, libraries, or community centers either; they often have space dedicated to local artists. Remember, the act of presenting your art to the public is crucial – it’s a bold statement of your creativity and a significant step in your artistic journey.

Digital Art and Tech Integration

The intersection of art and technology opens up a new realm of possibilities for college students eager to expand their creative toolkit. Digital art tools and software, such as Adobe Photoshop for photo manipulation, Illustrator for vector graphics, and Procreate for digital painting on tablets, provide students with the means to push the boundaries of traditional art forms.

Blender can be used for 3D modeling and animation, while Unity offers an introduction to the world of game design and art. Encouraging the integration of technology in art not only enhances the creative process but also prepares student artists for a digital-centric professional landscape.

By blending traditional painting techniques with graphic design, or incorporating digital elements into sculpture and printmaking, students can create mixed media masterpieces that are unique and innovative. Embracing the digital dimension in art projects allows for endless experimentation and growth in both artistic skills and technological proficiency.

Reflections Through the Canvas

Art projects during college not only serve as a form of creative expression but also play a significant role in personal and professional growth. As you embark on various art endeavors, taking the time to reflect on your artistic journey can be incredibly rewarding.

Documenting your progress through journals, blogs, or visual portfolios allows you to witness your evolution as an artist. This practice isn’t just about preserving memories; it’s a proactive approach to developing your artistic skills and creating a body of work that can be instrumental in your portfolio development.

Such a portfolio can open doors to future opportunities and serve as a testament to your dedication and talent. So, continue to push boundaries, experiment with new techniques, and most importantly, keep creating. Remember, every piece you create is a step towards mastering your craft and cementing your unique artistic voice.

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COURSEWORK GUIDES

You have art coursework and need to research artworks for it. Where do you start? How do you find relevant inspiration? How have other artists approached the themes?Our thematic coursework guides provide ideas and inspiration to get you started. Try our 'Have A Go!' section at the bottom of our guides for activities to keep you motivated!

2023 Coursework Guides

Past coursework guides, we recommend, closeness and simplicity to nature coursework guide.

From the gardens and paradise to land art, discover the artworks in our collection that explore the themes of closeness and proximity to nature

Complex and simple movement coursework guide

From machines to humans, discover the artworks in our collection that explore the themes of simple and complex movement

Simple processes, complex outcomes coursework guide

From optical illusions and repeating forms to instructions, discover the artworks in our collection that explore the theme of simple processes, complex outcomes

Details and the uncanny coursework guide

From photoreal to dreams, discover the artworks in our collection that explore the themes of details and the uncanny

Layers Coursework Guide

From stacking and painting to collage and hidden layers, discover the artworks in our collection that explores the techniques of layering

Objects Coursework Guide

From the uncanny and personal to advertisement and politics, discover the artworks in our collection that explores the themes of object

Senses Coursework Guide

From touch and taste to sight and smell, discover the artworks in our collection that explores the themes of the senses

Reflection Coursework Guide

From mirror and glass to water and fractals, discover the artworks in our collection that explores the themes and techniques of reflection

Weather Coursework Guide

From sun worshipers, cloud gazers and storm chasers to artists who use the weather to explore broader themes and ideas

Materials Coursework Guide

From 'usual' to unlikely art materials: explore textures, qualities, techniques and symbolism of things artists use to make their work

Still Life Coursework Guide

Not just fruit and flowers, explore still lifes from realistic to abstract and familiar to unexpected

Dynamism and Movement Coursework Guide

Explore how artists use marks and colour to suggest motion or make kinetic, performance and video art to explore movement

Landmarks Coursework Guide

From art about landmarks to art that is itself a landmark: get some inspiration on the theme of landmarks

Diary Coursework Guide

From sketchbooks to video diaries and the everyday to big life events, explore how artists use diaries to record the world around them

Mark Making Coursework Guide

Explore the different ways artists use marks and expressive qualities

Outline Coursework Guide

Discover surprising ways artists use outlines in art from graphic to graffiti or abstract and animated

Clothing Coursework Guide

Explore art and fashion, from clothes and identity to shapes, patterns and textures of clothing inspired by art

Masks Coursework Guide

Explore how artists have used masks in their work, to protect, disguise, hide and amuse

Trees Coursework Guide

From atmosphere and symbolism to textures and abstract shapes, explore how trees have inspired artists

Memory Coursework Guide

Explore memories of the past, memories of people and fading memories to see how artists recall and reminisce in art

Food Coursework Guide

Can a humble bag of chips or slice of pizza become a masterpiece? Explore some tasty art about food

Colour Coursework Guide

Explore how different artists have used colour in their work and sketches

Form Coursework Guide

What exactly is form? And how can you explore it in your sketchbook?

Play Coursework Guide

What does play mean for you? Is it sports, or music? Perhaps it’s drifting into a personal imaginary world, or maybe it’s social – board games, card games, or just meeting others

Underwater Coursework Guide

About 70 percent of the Earth is covered in water. It’s probably the least-explored part of our planet - we’ve explored more of space than the oceans. But maybe because of that, for artists, water has been a theme, a subject and even a medium to work with

Line Coursework Guide

See how artists use the power of a line and try some ideas in your sketchbook

Tone Coursework Guide

Learn how you can use tone in your sketchbook

Transmission Coursework Guide

Discover works in which artists explore the complex ways humans spread thoughts and ideas

Isolation Coursework Guide

Recently we have all had to deal with long and short periods of isolation. How have artists explored the ideas of isolation in their work, and what can you learn from those experiences?

Mother and Child Coursework Guide

Discover tender images of new mums and babies and artists' in-depth explorations of mother and child relationships

Journeys Coursework Guide

From physical journeys and migration to journeys of self-discovery, get ideas and inspiration about journeys in art

Relationship Coursework Guide

Exploring relationships in art, as a connection or association between people, things or ideas

Letters and Words Coursework Guide

Discover how artists use letters and words in their art

Force Coursework Guide

From forces of nature and forceful feelings to force as a method, explore how artists have used force in art

Ritual Coursework Guide

What is a ritual? Discover how ritual has been used as a theme in art

Self-Image Coursework Guide

Explore how artists have represented themselves, and others, using portraiture

Transformation Coursework Guide

Explore how artists have transformed objects and ideas through their work

Details Coursework Guide

Explore the theme of details through works in our collection

Human Figure Coursework Guide

Explore people drawn, painted or sculpted from life and art that explores abstract ideas about being human

News and Event Coursework Guide

Look at artists responses to news, from headline-grabbing events and social or political issues, to stories of the extraordinary everyday

Light and Dark Coursework Guide

Look at artworks made from light and shadow to the symbolic use of light and dark to make powerful statements

Interwoven Coursework Guide

Explore art that interweaves materials, ideas, experiences and histories

Perspective Coursework Guide

From vanishing points to points of view, explore perspective in art

Spaces Coursework Guide

Busy crowded streets, eerie empty rooms, explore spaces in art

Habitats Coursework Guide

From art about home life to art that highlights the impact of climate change and pollution on natural habitats

Texture Coursework Guide

Explore textures in art from woven textures and textured fabrics and materials to gestural marks and patterns

Toys Coursework Research

From pop art to gender politics, see toys in a new light and get some inspiration for your coursework

Myths and Legends Coursework Guide

Be inspired by myths and legends – or create your own!

Changed Identity Coursework Guide

From changing their own identities to changing the identity of objects, how have artists explored the theme of changed identity?

Space Coursework Guide

From the space race to heavenly bodies, find some coursework inspiration

Plastics Coursework Guide

Explore plastic in art for some research inspiration

Old and New Coursework Guide

Uncover ways of thinking of Old and New in art

Circus Coursework Guide

Uncover ways of exploring the theme of Circus for coursework inspiration

Rhythm Coursework Guide

Explore artworks with rhythm for some coursework inspiration

Geometric Coursework Guide

Maths meets art to inspire your coursework

Moments in Time Coursework Guide

See how artists respond to moments in time to inspire your coursework

Crowded Coursework Guide

Pack in tightly for some inspiration for your coursework

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Art Themes to Explore in GCSE & iGCSE

If you are looking for art themes to explore in GCSE or iGCSE lessons, the huge list below is a great starting point.  Thank you to art teacher Annie Chapman who started this list and to other teachers for making suggestions which I’ve added.  I also have an ‘ Artists Listed by Theme ‘ page, which lists lots of artists under a huge range of themes. Some words link to art teaching resources on this website.

Aboriginal and native art

Abandoned places

Advertising/Consumption and consumerism, Rich world vs Poor world

Ageing, old and new, decay and change

Art & Words

Beauty.The beauty myth, Self-image

Beautiful vs Ugly

Book illustration and text

Casting Shadows

Colour and mood

Carnival and Celebration

Culture Patterns, objects, traditions:  eg: Africa, Asia. Japan

Collections

Dream/ Surrealism

Design eg. clothes/ shoes /campaign poster

Depression/Fragility

Fear and Nightmares Environment

Faces and features

From natural to abstraction

Fragile things

Flowers and plants

Game Design

Graffiti/murals/Protest messages

Insects/butterflies in nature

In The News

Impressionism /light in painting

Illustrate a story

Landscapes of the mind, loneliness, loss

Magnification and macro

Mirrors/reflection

Money /inequality

Metamorphosis/change

Myths and Legends/Magic

Natural Forms

Out of Place

Ordinary vs extraordinary

Pattern eg. patterns in nature/repeat patterns/rotational patterns

Planets/Save the planet/Space

Pop Art and Comics

Rich world-vs-poor world

Reflections

Realism/Surrealism

Refugees/War

Stories and storytelling

Seven Deadly Sins

Self-portrait

Secrets/a secret place

Time and Space

Time-lapse/freeze frame/movement

Transformation

Tropical vegetation/Jungles

Trash and/or treasure

Through a Window

Ugly/beautiful

Under water

Vegetables and Fruit

Washed-up, things found on a beach

World within a world

Women in Art

Zoom-in/Close-up

This website is for art teachers.  I’m pleased that art students also enjoy it, but I am not able to respond to individual students who want help with ideas for their GCSE projects.

Please comment below if you have more art themes to explore in GCSE & iGCSE lessons and I will add them.

There is also a fantastic list of artists listed by theme on The Arty Teacher.  Click the link below to find out more.

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The Arty Teacher

Sarah Crowther is The Arty Teacher. She is a high school art teacher in the North West of England. She strives to share her enthusiasm for art by providing art teachers around the globe with high-quality resources and by sharing her expertise through this blog.

91 responses to “Art Themes to Explore in GCSE & iGCSE”

so um, my theme is “Connection”, but honestly i dont really have a solid story. when i search up artworks of connection, its mostly just artworks consisting of hands, sometimes abstract stuff, and well humans. dont get me wrong, i am in awe when i see those artworks, and i can totally see the connection that’s being displayed there. but i think my art style is more of like of “Hassane art” or “Efrain Malo’s pencil sketches”. (you can search those up, basically more leaning towards simple and not abstract.)

but, is there a way where i could display connection without humans? like connection with certain objects, or places. im not really sure how to display connection in those kinds of things, since if id try to draw it, it would just be a random object/place, you know what i mean? and plus, i have to gather a bunch of different primary resources for the project, and in my opinion i dont think drawing humans all the time would be that sustainable. all the different precise proportions would make me overwhelmedd!!!

you can ask me more questions if you want to, i really dont mind. but pleasee tell me if you have some kind of stories or ideas that i can link, or i guess “connect” between my theme and my artworks. thats basically it, thank you!!

There are many things you could look at that represent connections that don’t involve humans. For example: religious or politcal connections tie people together, beliefs connect, physical connections such as bridges, planes connect countries and people, stitches connect pieces of material, stars are connected in constellations, animals are connected by genus, trees are connects by their roots in the soil, there are lots of connections in math.

Can you help me brainstorm a new architecture art gcse theme. My original theme was called ‘deconstruct’ based on the deconstructivist movement of architecture which valued creativity and experimentation and emphasized breaking down the fundamentals of architecture. However, i am in the middle of my mini-finals and have gotten out of topic. One of my projects featured uneven and scattered buildings; the other was inspired by mandarin calligraphy.

I want a theme which can easily be built upon for future mini-finals but also unique and insightful. Thanks.

I love deconstructivist architecture – I can see why this has made a good project in the past. I’m also a fan of brutalist archecture, with it’s angular, minimalist, concrete style. Is that something you could explore? It was often built for social housing, so there could be meaningful conversations there. It is also connected with ‘Art Brut’, so there are lots of possibilites for research and individual responses.

Hello Arty Teacher! Thank you for your suggestions. I’m taking over IGCSE art next year and the students I am teaching are quite literal and struggle with using their imagination. I really want to teach them to step outside of their comfort zone and be creative. However, I’m worried I’ll confused them too much. Do you think the project title “once upon a time.” Is a good starter project to introduce igcse? After this, I was thinking about doing altered nature or identity for their actual component 1 coursework.

Hi Chloe, Thanks for your question. ‘Once upon a time’ makes everyone think of childrens stories. I think you would have to have ways to interpret it much more broadly and creatively than that. If you did, and those ideas made your students think laterally and creatively, or taught them to do so, then it sounds like a good idea. I love identity as a theme for students of that age. It’s easy to find many artists who have explored it in a huge variety of ways. I also love natural forms – so many possibilites. I hope you have discoverd my ‘Artists Listed by Theme’ page here: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/

hi, thanks for your big heart, I’m grateful for your blog. I’d love to know if broken is a good theme for my igcse and if yes how can I build it up.

Hi Kako, Yes, I think ‘Broken’ is an excellent theme. I’d start by producing a mind that explores all the different sorts of broken. Broken objects, windows, mirrors; broken emotions, broken hearts, mental health. There has been a ‘fragments’ question on the GCSE paper before, so there are sure to be boards on Pinterest to inspire you. I’d explore a few ideas at the start of your sketchbook and then either combine some or narrow it down to your favourite idea to push further.

hi i wanted to ask if leaves are a good theme and how can i start with it?

Hi Lisa, I think leaves are a great starting point where you could really get involved in a variety of ‘recording’ e.g. drawing with different media on different surfaces, painting, photography, digital drawing. I’m not sure I’d describe ‘leaves’ as a theme, it’s more a subject matter. Perhaps drawing leaves could take you in the direction of themes such as aging or decay? Could you photograph the leaves as they wither and then do more recording?

Hi, I hope there is a theme for Rebirth, can that be included in the work?

You can choose anything for your theme as long as you feel you can fulfil the assessment objectives. Rebirth sounds interesting. Start by creating a mindmap, noting down all the things you think of when you think of rebirth. Hopefully this will give you lots of ideas for things you can research/draw/photograph.

Hi, my teacher told us to develop our ideas and make some painting over the holidays. I was wondering whether “mythology and art” was a good topic to explore, or is it too broad? I would love any help or suggestions for similar topics!

Mythology is an excellent theme. It’s good to start broad and then narrow your research down as your work progresses. Hopefull there will be something within mythology that you find particularly interesting.

Hi Arty teacher, i am learning the first year of igcse, i am wonder that would you consider cyberpunk a theme? there’re a lots of topic that I want to do but I was hesitate to choose. I want to choose something that stick with hobby and enjoyable. what would you recommend ? Here is some of my choice: fantasy, game design, cyberpunk, decay and change, memory. can you recommend some of the artist that I could research for these theme. thank you so much🫶🏻.

Hi Arty Teacher, could “song lyrics” be part of a theme?

Hi Gilbert, Absolutely, song lyrics are a great starting point to stimulate art. I’d suggest ‘Art & Words’ as a theme as this was actually on a GCSE exam paper in the past. You could then look at song lyrics. I have a list of artists under the theme of art and words on the following page: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/

Hi im doing my first sketchbook for my igcse course.Im really struggling on finding a subject.At first i thought of teenages. And thought to talk about depression , social media and etc.But i have noticed that many people choose this subject so i dont really want to do it now.I have in my mind now social media impacts.Or even artificial intelligence.I believe its something unsual and not really talked about in art topics.Although im struggling on what photoshoot and some artists references.Could you please give me some ideas

Hi Yolanda, It’s good to choose a topic that no one else is doing. This shouldn’t be too hard: just look at the list above! It sounds like you like issues rather than something that is purely asethetic. At the following link are artists who have created artwork about interesting topics like the environment, social issues, isolation, death, emotions, identity and more. It might inspire you: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/ What ever you choose, make your life easier by connecting it to something that is easy to photograph in an interesting way. e.g. If it is about death you could photograph churches and graveyards, if it is about social media photograph someone all alone and people in a group having a great time.

Hello, Is childhoon a good topic for igcse art and what subtopics can we explore for this theme and the reference artists?

Yes, childhood is an excellent theme. As for a subtopic, perhaps you could look at your own childhood to help you. What was significant? Toys? Place? People? Make it personal and think of something really good to photograph to make your life easier. The section on nostalgia on this page may help: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/

Hi, I am grade 10 student and i am struggling to find a suitable topic. I have tried 3 to 4 topics and created many art works for them but I end up not liking them or feel like the topic is boring.What should I do also the topics i find interesting are hard to take pictures for.I mostly stay at home so can’t get pictures easily.Is there any topic i can explore which is interesting and easy to take pictures for?

Hi, If you have already tried 3 or 4 topics and created many artworks, you really need to pick a theme and stick to it. Choose a topic where it is easy to take inspiring photographs. Why pick something hard? Fantastic photos can be an inspiring starting point. There are so many good starting points in the blog post above. You need to think about what you are interested in and what you enjoy. Sometimes finding an inspiring artist can be a good starting point if you can’t find a topic that excites you. Only you know what you find interesting!

I want to do islamic architecture as a topic but I don’t know if it can be used as a topic, can you tell me if it can be used and what type of different panels I could make with this theme? , I have a feeling that it might be too broad and not very precise?

I think Islamic architecture is an excellent starting point. Start by researching it broadly and create work based on your findings. Then really think about what it is that you find appealing about it and narrow it down to that. Is it the colours, the patterns, the gold leaf, the domes? It is the religious aspect? A particular geographic area? Explore it further.

hi the arty teacher, i am a year 11 student taking igsce art and our theme is identity, however we need to choose a “sub-theme” sort of to explore along with that in regards to identity. would it be alright to explore something like ghosts or media (as in film, devices, internet, etc) ?

Yes, but it would be good if you could say why Ghosts is identity or what aspect of media you see as identity. Also, find some artists who explore identity through these sub-themes.

i understand what you mean, thank you! would something like the theme of confusion/belonging (not sure what’ll work better) in identity using ghost symbolism be better then?

I think you are exploring some interesting ideas. Why and how would a ghost symbolise confusion or belonging?

Hello Arty Teacher, I am an A-level student and I’m doing Art & Design. The theme given to us is “Observe, Seek and Challenge” but I am struggling to find any ideas, and I also don’t know many artists who have done paintings related to this theme. Would you please suggest any ideas that I can use and talk about so I can create an individual response to this theme? Thank you very much!

Hi Lili, I have a useful page on this website of artists listed by theme which is great for researching: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/ “Observe, Seek and Challenge” is nice and broad. All artists observe. Seek, is interesting. What is the artist seeking? ie trying to find, desiring? I think artists seek ways to communicate, seek inspiration, seek to explore their own identity and that of others, seek to explore natural and manmade environments. Artists challenge us with their ideas all the time. They raise our awareness about climate change, social issues, race, gender, fears, prejudices, and stereotypes, ethical dilemmas and mental health challenges.

I think I’d pick a challenge first, find some artists, see what they are seeking to say and how.

Hi, the theme I’m exploring for my final GCSE piece is the power of love but I’m struggling to find inspiration and an artist. Any suggestions? Thanks

If you are struggling to find inspiration, it may not be a good theme for you. Try choosing a question from the paper that gives you lots of ideas. The word ‘ideas’ appears in 3 out of the 4 assessment objectives and you should be the one who is having the ideas. Lots of artists have been inspired by love. Jim Dine painted hearts. You could use them as a symbol of love. Make sure to include in your annotation why Dine used them. He was responding to a close friends mental breakdown. You can read more here: https://cranbrookartmuseum.org/artwork/jim-dine-the-heart-at-sea-in-a-non-secular-way/#:~:text=Dine%20felt%20the%20paintings%20were,Dine's%20is%20a%20compassionate%20one . The Pre-Raphalites painted about nature and religion but also literature and poetry, particularly text that dealt with love and death. Many of their painting depict beaufiul women. Rob Ryan creates paper cut outs. Many of them are romantic. If you google ‘paintings about love’ or ‘artists who depict love’ lots of things come up. I hope these suggestions help.

The aqa exam paper released and I want to do portraiture theme would faces and features be a good theme?

Hi Ayesha, I don’t think faces and features are a theme, they are simply part of portraiture. Themes could be: family, loniless and isoltion, cultural and ethnic identity, Intamcy and connection, time and aging, spirituality and faith.

Hi! I was wondering which to do between war and the Japanese imperialism and how it still seems to affect future generations or the role of beauty in horror. I have many many points for both but the first is much more personal but it seems to be quite controversial. What would you recommend i do?

These all sound like good themes. I would go with the most personal one. Controversial can be exciting when you explore it through art.

The edexcel exam paper has been released early for 2024 and the theme is power. I’m thinking of doing the power in oppression /war/genocide but I’m unsure of how to take a photoshoot/portray these ideas. I do have other ideas like discrimination (islamophobia, racism) , medicine, drug addiction , etc. I’m just not sure what to do that will be easy and fun?

What pops into your head when you think of oppression, war and genocide? I think of old rusty chains, blood stained cloth, dirty old hands, tattered flags, gas masks. These are all things that would make a powerful photoshoot. Could your drama department help? Do they have any war-appropriate costumes? Do you have a museum near by with artifacts? (War museum in London or Salford) Start with a broad photoshoot showing lots of ideas and then after you have worked from these photos, do a second more specific photoshoot to ‘develop your ideas’.

Hi there, this site is really helpful well I wanted to ask that can I go with the topic Indian gods

I think Indian Gods would be an excellent topic. You could look at how lots of different artists have drawn/painted them and then perhaps focus on an artist that you particularly like.

Thanks so much for your assistance Sarah. Please can Game design be considered as a theme?

Hi Liz, Great idea; I have added it. Thanks for the suggestion.

Hello I am called Robert from kenya any new themes for IGCSE exams for November and June exams 2023/24?

Hi Robert, No one will know the themes that will be on the exam papers until they are published.

my son is doing GCSE coursework but wanted to do it on African culture but he has to choose famous artists to tie in with that theme any help please

Hi Billie, You can look at a culture instead of an artist. GCSE specification states that you need to look at ‘contextual sources’. These could be artists, cultures, films, animation, or anything that inspires creativity. If I had a student who wanted to look at African culture, i would want them to narrow it down to a tribe or country within Africa. He could do a page in his sketchbook on ‘African Art’ to start with, but then look at Maasai Clothing or Senufo Masks. If his art teacher insists upon an artist, and hey, they are running the course, there are some great choices here: https://blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/10-african-artists-you-absolutely-must-know/

Fantastic resources, I appreciate you making them available to us. The extensive list below is a wonderful place to start if you’re seeking for art-related topics to cover in GCSE or iGCSE classes. This incredible collection was compiled by Annie Chapman, a teacher of art. A few of these words are clickable links to useful pages for art teachers. Keep writing, I really enjoy reading your posts. Come across Joshuacreekarts.com and hope you can visit this too to get more information.

Hi! Thanks for your positive comment. I’m delighted you like the list. I’m happy to keep adding to it, so if you have any ideas, do let me know. I do mention Annie at the top of the post! I’ll check out your website.

Greetings, may you please advise what aspects are considered irrelevant and ‘out of topic’ when choosing a starting point?

Hi Klavier, I think you can pick any theme as long as you can see how you can fulfil the assessment objectives for your course. Choose a starting point that really excites you as you will be working on that theme for a long time. Pick something where you are inspired to record in a variety of ways. (Photography, drawing etc) Most of all, be creative and make a personal response!

I am an IGCSE teacher from Ghana. I have 5 learners and I am currently preparing them for the exams. However, I am a bit lost with the kind of themes to make available to them to choose or help them choose. Kindly, share some possible themes with me. It will really be helpful.

Hi Elizabeth, Thank you for your comment. You could choose any of the themes in this post but I always think it is a good idea to choose a theme that makes it easy for students to photograph something and to easily find artists. For examples ‘Natural Forms’ is a good theme as learners could choose from a huge range of items that would photograph well. There are also lots of artists that cover this theme. You may find these links useful: Artists listed by theme: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/ Natural Forms Artists: https://theartyteacher.com/downloads/list-of-natural-forms-artists/ List of Natural Forms: https://theartyteacher.com/downloads/list-of-natural-forms/ You may also find these complete units of work useful: https://theartyteacher.com/category/arty-students/

This is so helpful and very relief. Thank you.

Hi Elizabeth, I’m so pleased you found it helpful 🙂

hello art teacher, is it true that we can choose to draw whatever we want in igcse art? or is there a subject for igcse art every year?

Hi, Different art teachers run their GCSE courses in different ways. They may give you a theme to start with at the start of the first year. If you are a self-motivated, confident learner they may well let you plot your own course but it is up to your teacher to guide you and do what is best for the whole class. When you get the exam paper in the second year, there is a broad range of starting points and often you can fit in what you would like to do into one of the questions (but not always!). I hope this helps.

Hi, this blog post is really helpful to me. But is art a good subject to take for pursuing engineering or design?

If you are thinking of persuing engineering or design, I would think that art would be the perfect subject to study. Think of polymath Leonardo da vinci, he found that recording his observations and ideas through drawing was essential. Many of his drawings were engineering designs! Many design courses would expect your to have studied art.

is art a good career choice? im 15 and haven’t actually decided a career choice, I used to just draw any image that I liked, but recently I have started learning art, practicing anatomy for example I have got a sketchbook that I actively use and, I also have another one which I am working on a comic in. i love drawing, but is it a good career choice? and if so, what opportunities are there abroad that I can look into *for the future*.

Hi Huzaifa, If you love being creative, studying art at a higher level can lead to all sorts of interesting jobs. It might help you to look at all of these art related careers here: https://theartyteacher.com/art-careers-written-for-kids/

Hiii, is it ok to do a fictional character as a theme?

Hi Jordan, Yes, that would be an interesting theme. I would strongly advise you to find an artist who has created artwork about the fictional character you choose. Or an animator or has created artwork, or a theatrical set designer who has made sets or costumes about the character. This would make your life easier!

Hi! i’m a gcse art student and i was just wondering if something about old fashioned clothes or something like armour would be a theme. i currently don’t have an art teacher :/ do we have to do the same theme as everyone in our class

Hi, Thanks for your message. Yes, both ‘old fashioned clothes’ and ‘armour’ would be excellent themes. Choose a theme where it is easy to photograph something. You don’t have to do the same as everyone in your class, you can all do your own theme. I would start by photographing either old fashioned clothes or armour, and then draw from your photos in a range of different media. Think about working on different surfaces and different sizes. You then need to find an artist that links with your theme in some way. Create a beautiful artist research page. Good luck!

Would surrealism be a theme ?

Hi Vishva, Surrealism is a movement rather than a theme. I’m trying to think if movements have ever come up on the exam papers and I can’t think that they have. I don’t see why you couldn’t research into Surrealism if that was something of interest. There are themes within Surrealism such as ‘Dream Like Scenes’, ‘Illogical juxtapositions’, or ‘Distorted figures and biomorphic shapes’.

Hi, my son his in his 1st year of art gcse. He is a good little drawer but that’s it really, not particularly good at painting or using different textiles. we are a little confused as to the structure of the course…. I do need to speak to his teacher but so hard getting to do this! portfolio/theme idea he has thiught of is western/ cowboy….came from his love of an xbox game. We’ve had a little look at the ladscape artists for that era and he has favourite characters from the game that he can sketch etc just not sure how to make it into a portfolio….any help would be grateful. thanks.

Hi Mari, Hopefully his art teacher has shared the GCSE assessment objectives with him. You can see them on the following page: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/art-and-design/gcse/art-and-design-8201-8206/scheme-of-assessment If you scroll down to ‘Assessment criteria grid’, in bold you will see the 4 assessment objectives. The first reads ‘Develop ideas through investigations, demonstrating critical understanding of sources.’ ‘Sources’ can be artists, designers, film-makers, books, anything creative really, including the designers and artists who made the xbox game. I would suggest he created a research page all about the game, the publisher of the game, the artists. You can find all sorts of stuff online about the art in games. For example here I found some fan art on the Rockstar Games website: https://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/51ka2k2819a1ak/fan-art-spindel-art-s-portraits-of-the-van-der-linde-gang After this research page, he could photograph someone dressed up as a cowboy. Make sure he considers background, lighting, focus. Present these photos in the portfolio. Draw from these photos. Draw in different media e.g. pencil, ballpoint pen, fine liners, markers, chalks, charcoal (what ever he feels comfortable with). Draw on different surfaces: white paper, brown packing paper? Cowboys drink coffee: coffee stain some paper and draw on that. Hopefully once he’s done this his art teacher will be able to tell him what to do next!

Hi, I am a teacher at a school in England. We have had our new brief for our y11 exam and the theme is ‘MAKE MUSIC DAY’. We are stuck for ideas on what the students could research into as well as artist who relate. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Chloe, I hope you’ve discovered my ‘Artists Listed by Theme’ page. There are some artists listed under the theme ‘Music’ that might be useful to your students. You can see it here: https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/ I hope your school has a music department. I would be straight up there to borrow instruments as some students might want to start with photography as instruments are so photogenic. Other ways students might begin: Photographing a friend listening to music. Ask if anyone plays an instrument and use their own experience as a starting point. This article was interesting: https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/24-times-fashion-designers-got-their-beat-from-music They could pick their favourite band and promote them as if they were playing at ‘Make Music Day’.

Hello Mrs! I’m a current IGCSE art and design student, our school doesn’t have a art teacher yet. I have no idea what to do, should I start with making a portfolio on my own first? thank you! A topic I want to do is “behind the eyes” it’s a topic surrounding mythical creatures and mythology. would this be appropriate? thank you so much!

Hi, That sounds like a very difficult situation. I’m surprised your school is letting you do an art course without an art teacher. Are you in your first year of the course? What have you completed since September? I would first try and find a couple of artist that create artworks about mythical creatures and/or mythology. Produce some research pages on them in your sketchbook. Then try and think of something real that you could draw (a primary source) that relates to your artists. (This will depend on the artist you have chosen, but it might be something like animal skulls if your school has them) You could also work from secondary sources, perhaps images of lizards? Or could you get a real octopus from a fish mongers and draw and photograph it? (I’ve had students do this!) You could then use your drawings to create mythical creatures of your own. Make sure you work in a variety of media and on a variety of surfaces. Hopefully this would be a start. Let me know how you get on.

Hi The Arty Teacher, I am teaching iGCSE Art and Design for the first time. Just wondering as to what you would consider as an ideal number of themes that can be introduced to a class over the course of two years. Is it several or is it a matter of concentrating on one theme only throughout the entire course? Much appreciated, thank you.

Different teachers structure the course in different ways. At my school, we do one theme in Year 10 with two main outcomes. In year 11 they do another theme (we run this a little bit like a mock). Then they do the externally set task from January.

Great job! ” The Arty Teacher” The resources and responses you provided are very helpful and so inspiring. I teach Igcse Art and design in keystages 3,4&5 in Africa. Thanks!!

Hi Cletus, I’m so pleased to read that you find my resources useful and inspiring – thank you 🙂

Interesting and informative. I am an igcse teacher.would like to see the blog

Hi Ina, Thanks for your comment. You can see more blog posts here: https://theartyteacher.com/blog/

Have just come across this blog…. hope to gain more!!

Hi Brenda, That’s great to hear. I hope you enjoy more of my posts!

Hi Arty Teacher,

I am an art teacher in Africa Nairobi Kenya teaching IGCSE Art & Design. Just wondering if you still do this blog. Any materials would be appreciated including advice on Photography.

Kind regards. James

Hi James, Yes, if you go to the home page of the blog you’ll see I post every week. If you look under the category ‘Techniques and Processes’ there are some articles about photography. https://theartyteacher.com/category/techniques-processes/

Good day what ideas could I work on for Stories or story telling

I think you might find the artists listed on the following page under ‘Narrative’ inspiring. https://theartyteacher.com/artists-themes/

Hi Annabelle, That sounds like an excellent theme to me. Don’t worry about it – enjoy it. You could go in so many directions and make it personal. Within that theme, you can look at one aspect of it and then flow into other areas of it. Here is a list of artists you might like to look at: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/8-lgbtqi-artists-you-should-know/iQLiswH6mVfoJQ

‘Inside Out’ is a great topic. You could do a person without drawing a person e.g. A house on the outside where the objects in the house represent the person, or a jewellery box where what is in it represents the person. Both these could be 2D or 3D. Or make a book (or a box) where the outside is the personality you show to the world and the inside is what you keep hidden. You could take a more literal approach: You could do fish and fish skeletons. If you didn’t want to do a portrait, you could still do feet or hands and draw them and also the bone structure or x-rays.

This is really helpful thank you so much for sharing these I’ve already gotten an idea of what I want ❤️

That’s great to hear. Thank you.

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25+ Ideas and Tips for GCSE Art Sketchbooks

In GCSE , General by Think Student Editor March 15, 2024 Leave a Comment

Students often struggle with heavy coursework in subjects like GCSE Art. For such a broad portfolio, it can be hard to manage with the limited time students have, and it can also be hard to find inspiration. Additionally, students often struggle linking the artists they choose to a final idea, which is also usually unclear to GCSE students at the start of their modules. Fear not! This article is focused on finding subjects of interest that can be incorporated into a portfolio that can make any student shine, as well as some tips on expanding your work to really get the examiner’s attention.

While GCSE Art may seem like an easy subject, it really is a lot of work to get a high grade. With that in mind, here are some ideas to help students, as a student who got a grade 9!

Flowers are something that’s recommended often by art teachers, but it isn’t without merit. Not only can this show off your knowledge of natural form, there’s also a lot of symbolism that can be drawn from it.

For example, you can use the Victorian flower language to develop your work: cultivating a unique message that shows the examiner that you’re aware of messages in art. You could also do flowers in stages of their life cycle to convey tone within the art – for example, decaying flowers can be used to show mourning or death.

Some examples of artists who do flowers include Georgia O’Keeffe and Claude Monet . You can find more information about Georgia O’Keeffe at the O’Keeffe Museum by clicking here .

While Monet focuses on a range of subjects, you can incorporate both his style of flowers and techniques into your art. If you would like to read more about Claude Monet, you can find more information at Claude Monet Gallery here .

If you like creating art of living beings that aren’t humans, animals are a creative way to express messages and deeper meanings. While there isn’t a codified set of meanings for animals, some animals are commonly associated with different emotions and settings .

Animal symbolism featured heavily in the Renaissance: ermines for purity, birds for sacrifice and resurrection, to name a couple. It’s useful to think of what you want the viewer to feel when planning out a piece of artwork . Do you want them to feel troubled, sad, happy, or angry?

This can be a good choice for those who are fond of their pets, or those who like animals in general. Some people might even go for a touch of surrealism and give human bodies animal heads or vice versa!

An example of an artist who paints animals is Marcia Baldwin, a fine artist who paints colourful oil paintings of animals and nature . To read more about her work, check out this page from her website!

If you’d like to lean into futurism and technology more, then robots might be the way for you. Personally, I found that robots allowed room to show examiners technical skill and detail, such as reflective surfaces, mechanical parts, and reimagined body parts.

Another interesting thing was taking organic forms and making them into metal structures – for example, I drew metal and robotic hearts and lungs to explore anatomy while keeping it on theme. By expanding on a topic, you can give yourself a lot more to work with when it’s time for your final piece . Additionally, there’s a lot of symbolism to be found with robots; themes like control, being similar to humans, and detachment. It’s definitely a theme that stands out.

The artist I chose to study for robots was Hajime Sorayama, an artist who uses airbrushes to make extremely detailed images of robots . Another good example is Makoto Kobayashi, an illustrator who focuses his work on mecha robots – more information can be found on Sabukaru Online here .

4. Childhood toys

A great way to show the passage of time and have interesting subjects is by focusing on toys and other childhood memories. Not only does this subject convey a lot of symbolism, it can also be very versatile to fit with different themes.

For example, with ‘Reflections’ it can mirror someone’s childhood or aspirations (lost or not) – and the condition of the toy can create a more emotive piece. With ‘Lock’, for example, you could also show toys being locked away as time goes on.

The artist I selected to study was Margaret Morrison, a realist and surrealist painter who explores the wonders of childhood through brightly coloured toys . Her smooth use of techniques also makes her work a valuable reference to study – check it out at Woodward Gallery by clicking here .

5. Sweets and food

Food and sweets are often underappreciated during GCSE Art as many students discredit them as ‘easy to draw’; on the contrary, it takes a lot of skill for food to be captured on paper. Food drawings can show the examiner technical and observational skill – just keep in mind to develop your art over a series of drawings of food, rather than just one!

Different foods can also contain a lot of symbolism: in different religions, cultures, and countries. For example, tangerines during the Chinese New Year represent good luck and abundance. Eating can also be representative of many things: jealousy and love being just a couple.

An artist who does still life of various foods and sweets is Sarah Graham – more information on her and other artists who cover food can be found here on The Art Teacher website.

6. Sculptures

There are many interesting statues that students can recreate on paper – one that might not be terribly common. If you’re interested in working in 3D mediums, sculptures are a great way to show the examiner a range of techniques that aren’t just limited to a page.

By focusing on various sculptures, you can incorporate various subject matters as sculptures cover a wide range of styles. If you’re into abstract art, there are plenty of interesting sculptures to cover.

3D mediums like clay, wood, or even metal can be used to develop your coursework and show a broader range of skill . If you’re interested in a Classical style of sculpture, you could check out Michelangelo’s sculptures like the Pieta and David.

Alternatively, you can check out some contemporary sculptors at Contemporary Art Issue here .

7. Woodwork

This ties into sculptures, but woodcarving is a great, ‘softer’ medium than stone and can show the examiner that you can utilise a range of mediums to achieve a result. If carving a whole statue isn’t your thing, you can try woodblock carving – either to stamp paper with or keep as a piece of art in itself.

An example of a cubist sculptor who works in wood is Ossip Zadkine, with an example of his work being Prometheus in 1930. More information about him and other wood sculptors can be found here at the Artsper blog.

8. Buildings and cityscapes

If you’re interested in architecture, looking at buildings and cityscapes can be a great way to explore that. Not only is there a range of building styles – Gothic, contemporary, modern, etc. – but focusing on buildings is a great way to show reflections of the time period.

Additionally, showing technical skill in things like perspective drawings and models is a great way to explore and develop your coursework further . An example of an artist is Catherine Yass, a photographer who creates colourful photographs focusing on the inside of buildings.

More information on her can be found here on the Cristea Roberts website.

9. Household objects

A great way to explore your surroundings and skills in observation is to focus on household objects in order to convey a personal connection to your art . By using objects personal to you and your household, it might be easier later on to decide on a final piece that’s personal to you.

Sketching and creating art of household objects can increase your proficiency in observation but also the different arrangements of objects can help your eye for composition . Additionally, everyone’s household objects are wholly different; this is a chance to show what represents you

An artist who does clay sculptures of pantry products is Mechelle Bounpraseuth – information on her can be found here on The Art Teacher. Another artist who does various products in a colourful and highly textured style is Raymond Logan – more is found here on his website.

10. Portraits

Looking at portraits and studying humans is a great way to show your understanding of art for natural form. Portraits are a great way to develop technical skill but also to develop a personal style. Examiners value portraits a lot as it can very distinctly show progress.

You can really explore with portraits as you can display a range of emotions, but also positions and forms that you can develop for pages and pages on end . For example, I explored various forms by looking at various reference websites and did double pages on them to bulk up my books.

An example of a photorealistic artist who does his portraits in biro is Oscar Ukonu – more information about him and other portrait artists can be found here on The Art Teacher website.

11. Insects

Insects are chock-full with symbols and allow students to capture natural forms while also boasting a wide variety of species and colours . As a subject matter, insects are definitely an interesting option that students can use to showcase a range of skills and technical knowledge.

When choosing subjects, it’s important to be able to expand on the topic . Insects come in all forms, so there’s definitely room to expand on any work! For some examples of further ideas, you could try studying just the wings of bees, or exploring the shine of a beetle’s carapace!

An artist who creates fascinating metal sculptures of insects is Mike Libby – more about him can be found on his personal website, linked here .

12. Reflective surfaces

Reflective surfaces are a great way to explore emotion and lighting – this applies to things like mirrors, lakes, glass, and more . While it looks cool, it can also allow you to develop important skills like being able to include depth in drawings.

Mirrors are a good way of expanding on ideas of deeper meanings – such as retrospection, or someone’s inner self. One of the key word themes for a past exam unit was “Reflections”, and while it’s not always literal, mirrors are a good place to start.

An surrealist artist who focuses on reflective surfaces and interesting reflections is M. C. Escher – you can read about him here on the National Gallery of Art website.

13. Nature and landscapes

If you like the outdoors, natures and landscapes is a good way to explore natural form and scenery . Looking at nature is extremely broad as it encompasses a wide range of terrains: cliffs, trees, leaves, lakes, etc. There’s certainly a lot of room for developing ideas!

Run wild! Looking at nature can help develop composition skills and also observational skills . As the subject varies a lot, you can look at different animals, natural monuments, and anything else that piques your interest.

Birds carry a lot of symbolism that can easily be used in your artwork. Not only can you develop your sketchbook with studies of wings or feathers in various medias, but you can also specifically look at certain birds that represent various things.

For example, doves represent peace and reconciliation, while crows bear ill omens in some traditions. One of the artists you could look at is Mark Powell, someone who not only does stunning images of birds in biro, but also portraits – check out his work at The Art Teacher here !

15. Skeletons and anatomy

Skeletons and anatomy can be a great way to show examiners that you understand form and the technical aspects of humans . For example, one of the artists I did for my art unit looked at hands – I developed my understanding by painting the skeletal components, then the muscular ones.

Looking at skeletons and anatomy and linking it to your artist (even if it isn’t someone who does look at skeletons) can help deepen your understanding for anatomy and how motion in humans works.

Some famous artists who looked at anatomy include Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo!

16. Storyboards

If you like telling stories visually through art while conveying messages more directly, why not try storyboards? Storyboards are what they sound like – drawings that map out a story . If you’re working with animals, humans or even objects, you can definitely tell a tale with them!

Storyboards are a great way to translate mediums into other uses . For example, when I did puppets and marionettes in Year 10, I included a story about a marionette’s journey to gain its freedom in the outside world.

Additionally, if your story has a cyclical structure (meaning it begins and ends in the same way), you can translate it onto a strip of paper that loops into a circle . This creates an infinite story!

17. Surrealism

If you like surprising people with your art and making them question it, why not try surrealism? Surrealism can be used to perplex people, while simultaneously being engaging for the viewer!

For example, when I was painting a traditional English breakfast, I decided to create a character made completely out of it: fried egg eyes, bacon hair, a mushroom nose etc. Placing elements meaningfully with the intent on creating questions is definitely something examiners notice!

Some examples of artists who use surrealism to convey various ideas are Rene Magritte (who can be found here at the Museum of Modern Art) and Salvador Dali (found here at the Museum of Modern Art).

18. Sewing and fashion

If you’re into clothes, looking at fashion is a great way to explore time periods and ideas through fabric. Not only does this show the examiner exploration of different mediums if you decide to actually do some sewing, but if you’re also drawing it shows technical skill through fabric folds and design!

Fashion helps reflect culture and ideas of different times. It can easily be developed by looking at similar fashion, or even trying your hand at designing your own! Additionally, you could expand on your work by doing studies on fabric folds and different weave and pattern types!

19. Light and candles

Lighting is definitely an interesting subject to study – it covers photography and many other disciplines you can easily explore . Lighting is very important in art as it plays a big role in things like composition and depth, therefore it’s a valuable thing to focus on.

This can be explored through many ways – using candles, ordinary lamps or even just a flashlight to take photos of various forms . You can use those photos to draw from or paint from – different mediums for the same photo shows development as well!

Hands are a fascinating way of looking at organic forms and engaging in expressive art. You can easily reference your own hands for drawing – something that makes it easier to observe how different positions convey different moods.

There is also a lot of weight carried in someone’s hands – clasped could indicate anxiousness or worry, whereas open palms could represent shock or joy. When paired with other elements, like an object with personal meaning, a whole message can be conveyed through hands .

An artist who focused on hands later in his life was Henry Moore, a 20 th century artist who believed feelings of an artist were conveyed through their hands. More about him can be found on the Tate website here .

21. Emotions

This is a topic that is pretty simple to develop – looking at various emotions and how you can represent them in your art. It encompasses everything from expressions, colours, subject matters, and composition.

It can be worthwhile to look at as it can help establish an even deeper message in your final piece. It can also help develop understanding in colour theory, expressions, and other aspects of art.

23. Instruments

Instruments are a great way of adding liveliness and engaging in various culture and music. If you’re a musician, or even just a fan of how instruments look, then this might be an interesting subject for you.

With a wide range of instruments available around the world, there is plenty of material to observe and develop . Some instruments also play heavy roles in various cultures, which can be something you can lean on if you’re from a particular culture.

Certain instruments may also be personal to you! If you would like to see some various illustrations of instruments in art – and also the artist – you can check out the Google Arts and Culture page here to see different representations of music.

24. Family and friends

Often, people choose to draw their family and friends as they have a deep connection with the subject – it usually makes things easier when thinking of a final piece. Friends and family can be readily available to use as references if necessary.

Additionally, studying people you know and see in real life can improve your anatomy perception and increase your understanding of planes of both the face and body . Having a live model will certainly make understanding 3D bodies a lot easier!

25. Fantasy creatures

If you’re interested in mythology or fantasy creatures in general, it’s entirely possible to translate that as a topic in your book. You can use already-existing interpretations of creatures, or even fashion your own out of source material.

Not only is this a cool way to express yourself, but if you’re using traditional figures from mythology, then it’s a form of visual language conveying hidden messages. For example, an interpretation of Athena (maybe as an owl or olive tree) can be used to indicate wisdom.

If you would like to see some artists inspired by mythology, you can check out this article from the Tate Gallery to read more about them!

26. Ships and the sea

Looking at the vast sea and tools of navigation can be used to showcase the might of the ocean and humanity’s attempts to make a little bit of the unknown known. There’s plenty to explore – the fish, the beach, the depths, light in the water, and many others!

Some artists who paint the sea include Winslow Homer and Katsushika Hokusai, both of whom can be found on the Art Wolf website here !

27. Technique pages (various techniques)

Showing thought processes and progress is a vital part of GCSE Art. By not constraining yourself to a single medium and technique, the examiner can see a clear variety in your work that shows development .

Some examples of different mediums include watercolours, acrylics, pencils, biro, lino printing, oil painting, chalk, oil pastels, woodwork, clay sculpting, photography, ink drawings and monoprint.

A good way to showcase developments and bulk up your book is to make several double pages on different techniques . For example, I used about six pages to make lino prints in a range of colours, with various comments on the colours and how they affect the piece.

Another way to bulk up your book is to experiment with textured surfaces – I was a fan of using cardboard and sticking it in with paintings on them! You can use newsprint, sugar paper, card, and even fabric! Showing a large range of mediums shows examiners your dedication and proficient skills.

How to annotate

One of the most important things you can do in your sketchbooks is annotating. With every piece of art you create, you should write about your process .

This can tackle things like thoughts while creating, challenges you overcame, techniques and mediums used, as well as the intended effect on the viewer. For each exam board, annotating is part of the Area Objectives ; this means you get graded on your input in this area.

When choosing an artist, make sure to annotate at least one of their artworks: discussing various techniques and effects on viewers . There should be writing with each piece talking about each process – planning, during the process, and thoughts after.

You should also include artists when writing information about your own pieces – such as if they inspired you, what elements of yours and theirs are similar, whether there were any techniques of theirs you tried out.

If you would like to read more about planning and other tips on getting a 9 in GCSE Art, check out this article from Think Student on the topic!

Final piece tips

It’s perfectly normal to not have thought much about your final piece when first starting each GSCE module. What matters most during this time is cultivating various ideas that you could possibly use later on when planning it out.

You can’t use a subject in your final piece if you’ve never linked it to your main theme before. For example, if your focus was on sweets and food, you can’t decide to suddenly include butterflies in your piece without first linking the two.

With that in mind, if you know you want to go down a certain direction for your final piece, make sure you have a variety of sources to choose from . Choose your artists based on what you’re drawn to and want to incorporate eventually, and link as many topics with your artist as you can.

For example, from a single Van Gogh painting on angels, I explored that theme as much as possible even though it was only a single artwork. I translated the painting, studied wings, biblically accurate angels and explored ways of depicting them. Link all you do back to your artists!

What should you do if you’re struggling with ideas for a piece?

If you’re struggling to find any sort of idea of what you want to do, you could start by thinking about how the theme makes you feel. For example, our theme ‘Lock’ seemed gloomy, so that’s what I chose to make the examiner feel by creating a tragic story between my subjects.

Think of subjects you’ve been collecting in your sketchbook – are there any you could link together to create that feeling? If you feel like it’s missing anything, you could try link those things to your artist so you’ve got them in your sketchbook.

Maybe it still doesn’t feel like enough to you. If that’s the case, try creating a little story of things that are personal to you. Compile a list of objects you’d be interested in including, and make sure you’ve developed them in your book and linked them back to each artist.

If you’re still extremely stuck, you could look around online galleries and exhibitions for ideas – you can get inspiration for techniques, compositions, and subjects! You could also try talking to your art teacher, who can help with finding rough compositions and subject ideas!

The Art Teacher

Art Lesson Ideas, Plans, Free Resources, Project Plans, and Schemes of Work. An 'outstanding' art teacher in Greater Manchester. Teaching KS3 and KS4 art and design.

Grade 9 GCSE Art Examples

As it is so challenging for students to achieve a Grade 9 in GCSE Art & Design, I thought it would be useful to share some Grade 9 Art project examples. If you’re wondering how to get a Grade 9 in GCSE art, these projects might be able to help!

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*UPDATE!* I have added more full Grade 9 Art & Design projects to this presentation – there are now FIVE projects to have a look at. Enjoy!

I usually have students work on design sheets so these are photographs of all the design sheets and any final pieces the students made. I was so impressed with their work and with how much effort the students put in! Anyone who teaches (or has done GCSE art) will know it is REALLY difficult to get the top grades and takes a lot of hard work.

There are five Grade 9 full project examples on the presentation, including sheets of student’s secondary and primary research and artist research. As I tell my students, the focus should always be on the quality of their work rather than the quantity in order to achieve high grades in art. Although, of course, they need have enough work to meet all of the four assessment objectives (I currently teach for the AQA exam board.)

I have also included all of the student’s observational / working drawings, development work, experimentation, plans and final pieces. I have added close up images of the Grade 9 observational drawing work so you can use the presentation to show your own students if you wish.

I have chosen very different exam projects so you can see a full range of techniques and approaches to the different exam questions. The projects are a mix of coursework and the externally set exam by AQA.

I have added titles to each of the slides in ‘student speak’ so your students can clearly see examples of what each stage of a Grade 9 art project looks like. All of the annotations should be legible too!

Finally, I have included photographs of all of the final pieces completed in the 10 hour exam / controlled assessment. As well as the final pieces, I have included close up images so you can clearly see the details and quality of the work. In total, there are 85 slides with examples of Grade 9 GCSE art projects.

Since some of these art projects were for the externally set exam, the marks made up 40% of the total grade. All students achieved a Grade 9, but that is also including the 60% coursework component.

That means that not every single drawing or experiment in the presentation is a grade 9 . This is important as students can refine their work by recognising what has not gone well and move forward using only their best work! This is tricky to get across to students but hopefully using this presentation will help. I have used it with my own classes and found it useful.

If you would like a copy of the Grade 9 Art presentation for free, just leave a comment and I will share it with your email address! Thanks, I hope this is useful 🎨

Could you make a small donation to help keep this site free? It is getting more expensive to keep online – thanks!

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Hi, yes I am! I have just emailed it – I hope it helps your daughter out.

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Thanks for your message, I just shared it! Hope your students find it helpful.

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Thank you! I just shared it and will be updating the slides again soon.

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I am and I just shared it with you 🙂

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Making and teaching art. Based in Manchester. View all posts by art_teacher_mcr

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Everything You Need to Design the Perfect Intro to Art Course

Have you ever looked at the work of AP studio art students and thought, “WOW! How did they produce that ? ” The answer, surprising as it may be, is it all starts with the first class students take.

If you want outstanding advanced courses, your introductory course has to be outstanding as well.

Simply put, Introduction to Art is the most important class your art students will ever take.

Designing a solid Intro to Art course isn’t for the faint of heart. Students need to be both exposed to a wide variety of thoughts and materials and provided time to develop a basic skill set.

Here are 5 vital things to include in your course:

• An overview of the elements and principles and how to use them.
• Time to explore media and materials.
• The opportunity to work in a visual journal to develop, grow, and work out ideas.
• A safe environment to explore risk-taking.
• Time to give and receive meaningful feedback.

It is daunting, but it is definitely possible!

Today, I’m sharing a plethora of suggested lessons, plans, and methods to help you develop an outstanding Introduction to Art course.

To begin, students must have an authentic understanding that the art elements are important because they are the building blocks of composition. All seven art elements matter and need to be explained and explored.

Students must also understand how they can organize their elements through the principles of design. Once they have a good understanding of the elements, they can begin to consciously think about movement, rhythm, balance, variety, contrast, unity, repetition, and emphasis. These lessons develop both their understanding and their skills and will take their work to the next level.

7 Lessons that Explore the Elements and Principles

Lesson 1: name design.

In this first project, students showcase who they are through symbols, colors, shapes, and design, all incorporated around their name. Students manipulate mixed media creatively to present a sense of their personality and showcase who they are.

Introduce the lesson by having students brainstorm a list of their interests, create thumbnail sketches, and begin thinking about various media they may want to use.

You might ask questions such as:

• What do they enjoy doing?
• What are their religious or political views?
• What are their hobbies?
• In what activities are they involved?

This project is an opportunity to truly reflect on who they are, and an opportunity for you to gauge where the class is regarding technical and creative ability.

Lesson 2: Contour Line Studies

Part 1: hand studies in glue and chalk.

Students begin to learn the importance of line–specifically contour line–in this two-part line lesson. You can start by discussing the definition and importance of contour lines, looking closely at the line that defines an object. Students learn and practice blind contour, partial blind contour, and contour line techniques.

Have your students begin by creating ten sketches of their hands in their sketchbooks, and then selecting one to recreate on a larger scale. They draw their hand in the contour on black paper with graphite. Students then add glue over their pencil lines, reiterating the contour lines through line quality. On day two, students look at the unique shapes created and fill the spaces with chalk pastel, leaving the glue line as the contour.

Want even more info about planning curriculum? Be sure to check out the AOE course Designing Your Art Curriculum . You’ll design your own comprehensive toolkit with all the necessary pieces to implement a curriculum that best fits your teaching, your students and their needs!

Part 2: Partner Portraits

Students can continue working on contour studies in their sketchbooks, including portraits. For this part of the project, students will draw sketches of the people sitting across from them, looking at the lines and shapes that make up the face.

Students draw a contour “partner portrait” on white drawing paper, incorporating negative space lines as well. Students go over their pencil lines with Sharpie pens (thick and thin), paying attention to the line quality needed to show variety.

Students color in their shapes using 50% crayon and 50% marker, making sure to keep the colors separated by the newly formed shapes.

Lesson 3: Creative Color Wheels

Everyone teaches the color wheel because– let’s face it–color is a vital element in nearly every artwork. However, I think it’s important to teach the color wheel creatively. In this project, students learn the color theory with a twist!

In my room, I introduce the lesson by discussing the importance of color in an artwork.

These are the color theory concepts I present to my students, although occasionally others come up through questions or discussions:

• Primary Colors
• Secondary Colors
• Tertiary Colors
• Neutral Colors
• Warm Colors
• Cool Colors
• Analogous Colors
• Complementary Colors
• Monochromatic Colors

Any materials students want to use to create their color wheel are fair game for this project. I have had students sew, make edible color wheels, models, make slushy drink color wheels, use mixed media, melted crayons, etc.… the possibilities are endless!  Final  artworks  are presented to the class, with students explaining what was created and how they mixed their colors.

Lesson 4: Monochromatic or Color Scheme Painting

After working with color in their creative color wheels, students can move on to using that knowledge in a painting of their own design. They can create a monochromatic work (using their knowledge of value), or another color scheme (using their knowledge of color from the last project!). This gives them the freedom to be creative and the ability to apply what they have learned so far.

Lesson 5: Pattern Designs

This project is a great introduction to the importance of design in 2D art. In this project, students use line, shape, line quality, and repetition to create interesting patterns and surprising designs.

Students can create their own pattern, and their final work, by following these steps:

• First, have students create six thumbnail sketches and rotate the designs by 50% and 25% turns, seeing what happens with the lines, shapes, and designs that appear.
• Select the design that works the best and use it for the final piece.
• Repeat the design multiple times until it fills the page in all directions.
• Experiment with color schemes and choose the one that fits the design the best.
• Add color using Art Stix or colored pencils, choosing either varying values or opaque color.

Lesson 6: Triptych

In this project, students incorporate their direct observational skills, value skills, and color theory skills into an observational drawing triptych.

You can begin this lesson with a discussion about the importance of direct observation in art. Each student will choose a still life object to draw three times. As they work, they’ll learn how to measure and pay attention to positive and negative space to find the right proportions using line and shape. Each work is similar, but students are still able to make a variety of artistic choices to make their work unique. Students create three drawings and finish them in three different ways.

Lesson 7: Grid Drawing

This lesson begins with a discussion of the importance of value in an artwork. After creating a seven-tone value scale, students learn to grid and draw an image using those values. I have found it is best to have students work slowly and preferably upside down, so they are not stressed by having to draw a specific object. I remind them they are merely drawing lines, shapes, and adding values, and if they get those right, their object will appear. This is a simple technique that sets everyone up for success.

Final Assessment: Summative Assessment Book Making Lesson

This bookmaking lesson is a culmination of the lessons learned throughout the semester. It’s a wonderful form of authentic assessment. Students have three weeks to work on these books, and the results are nothing short of phenomenal. See the full description of how to create these books.

Visual Journals, Studio Days, and Critiques

Lessons are not the only part of creating a successful Intro to Art course. Students also need to learn how to work on their own, how to explore their ideas and creativity, and most importantly, how to present and talk about their work! That is why, throughout the semester, we work in visual journals, take time out for studio days, and consistently run classroom critiques.

Visual Journals

Visual journals are prompt-based weekly sketchbook assignments that are graded each week. In my room, I also meet individually with students about their journals. This allows one-on-one time to see how the student is growing. Conversations about their direct observation drawing skills as well as their media manipulation and understanding of composition are all crucial for their artistic development.

Each assignment is based on an open-ended prompt. In addition, students must include three things: a direct observation drawing, collage or text, and a composition that successfully fills the space on the page.

Below is a list of prompts I like to use for weekly assignments:

• Who Am I?: Visually show me who you are! Remember to be creative!
• Observational Drawing: Look at something and draw it!
• Chair Drawing: Using contour line, high contrast, and positive/negative space draw a chair.
• Draw something of which you are proud.
• Draw a variety of kitchen items.
• Draw something using only contour lines creatively.
• Draw something in perspective.
• Invent an object.
• What’s in your closet?
• Draw something for which you are thankful.
• Draw a creative portrait.
• Free choice! Draw anything you want.

Studio Days

Students must have time to explore and manipulate various media, and the Intro to Art course is the perfect place for them to play ! Over the years, I have seen students learn so much from open studio days. They learn how to paint with markers and blend oil pastels . They learn how to explore the joys of watercolor and the frustrations of charcoal . Just giving them time to learn about and work with various media has a positive effect on their work. Students need time to explore because this is where learning happens!

Getting students comfortable enough to discuss their art and the art of their peers can be a challenge. There are many ways to do successful critiques , including one-on-one conferencing , daily reflections , and public presentations .

One strategy for Intro to Art students’ first critique is called “ 2 Glows and a Grow .” I like to have students set up their art on table easels while they are in process and take a quick walk around the room. Once they have observed everyone’s art, they have the opportunity to write two “Glows” (things that are working well) and a “Grow” (something that may need some work) on a sticky note. These sticky notes are then left on the art. I recommend each student write at least three. These notes provide everyone an opportunity to reflect and discuss the art being created in the room, and it reiterates important art vocabulary!

Over the years, I have seen Intro to Art students take all of this newfound knowledge and run with it. With prompt-based lessons and the freedom to explore, their art becomes a strong base in their portfolios from which to grow.

A strong Intro to Art course is truly the key to the success of courses that come after it. Each advanced course allows a bit more freedom allowing students to create some amazing work when they get to their AP Studio courses . So, consider what and how you teach your Intro to Art courses. You might be excited about the outcome!

If you would like to hear Debi discuss all of the ideas in this article in more depth, make sure you check out the Art Ed Radio podcast tomorrow! She will join host Tim Bogatz to talk about why Intro to Art is your most important course!

Do you think your Intro to Art course is the most important course you teach?

How do you teach your Intro to Art curriculum?

Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

Debi West is one of AOEU’s adjunct instructors and a former AOEU Writer and NBCT art educator. She loves sharing with others and enthusiastically stands behind her motto, “Together we ART better!”

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The Business of Freelance Hair and Makeup Artistry Online Short Course

Course description.

This inspiring online short course is designed to prepare students to become dynamic, independent and secure freelance professionals.

Through a combination of lectures, individual and group activities, visual presentations, research and homework tasks, students gain a clearer vision of their career goals and the steps needed to achieve them in a timely manner.

The course is made up of 3 sections:

• Career direction - thinking about where you want to be
• Career maintenance - how to sustain your work
• Career development - how to build and progress your career

During the course, students receive practical advice, tips and tricks to help them become self-sufficient in their work practice. The course offers actions designed to empower students in their career management and progression.

Students will receive resources and support with various key topics including time management, building a brand, fostering a creative community, wellbeing, marketing visibility, how to manage accounts, tax and budgets and developing a growth mindset.

By implementing the knowledge gained on the course, students obtain important qualities for a freelance creative such as confidence, resilience and adaptability.

Course outcomes

By the end of the course students should have:

• Created a career plan for the action needed to work in their chosen area in the industry and understand how to work to achieve their goals
• Selected a time management tool that enables them to create a progressive work schedule
• An understanding of tax and the necessary preparations to account for as a freelancer
• An understanding of the given approximate rates of pay in the various areas of the industry
• A list of methods that can be used to reignite creativity and generate new ideas
• An idea of how to establish a good foundation for wellbeing
• Learnt about ways to foster a creative community
• Gained knowledge on how to advertise and market themselves for more work opportunities
• Explored ways to build their brand and career, sell online and outsource help as their career progresses
• Selected a career analysis resource to help plan, reflect and take developmental action
• Identified and shared their career dreams as a source of inspiration in their career journey

Who should attend this course?

This exciting course is designed for working hair and makeup artists or students in the field. It would also be an excellent fit for creatives looking to enter the hair and makeup industry and explore their career options.

The course can act as a vehicle to reinspire the creative and could be beneficial for artists who are having a difficult work period and need support to get back on track.

Level: all levels welcome

Please note: this course is for students aged 18 and older

All our Online Short Courses include: 

• Live online lessons with the same tutors
• The same course content and learning outcomes
• Lesson recordings, for review
• Access to VLE with course content
• Forums for support
• 2 weeks online access
• Certificate upon completion

Please note that all courses are taught in UK time .

Online courses are closed to all new bookings 48 hours prior to the course starting.

Available dates

Topics covered:

Career direction:

• Understanding avenues of work available and planning to become a working professional in these areas, ways to diversity your career for a consistent income
• The discipline of progress: time management, work scheduling, goal setting and utilising software for assistance, figuring out a work routine that aligns with your needs
• Finances: rates of pay, invoice content and useful software, understanding tax as a freelancer, budgeting and financial goal setting

Career maintenance:

• Reigniting inspiration, cultivating wellbeing and a creative community, marketing, self-promotion and sourcing additional work

Career development:

• Ways to build your brand and cultivate new opportunities for growth
• Selling online, outsourcing assistance, mindset, cultivating new opportunities for growth
• Tools for reflecting and reassessing

Required materials:

To take part in this online course you will need:

• An up-to-date web browser (we recommend Chrome)
• Microphone and headphones (a headset with a microphone function is recommended. The built-in microphone in your device would also be fine)
• Strong Internet connection - we recommend a minimum of 2 Mbps download, and 1 Mbps upload, faster if possible. You can test your network speed here - https://www.speedtest.net

Recommended materials:

• Notebook (journal to note down answers to activities) and pen
• Mobile phone with camera

Meet the Tutor:

The Business of Freelance Hair and Makeup Artistry Online Short Course is designed to help students forge career paths as working professionals.

Students gain a clearer vision of their career goals and the steps needed to achieve them.

Contact us:

• Telephone +44 (0)20 7514 7015
• Address 105 Carpenter's Road London E20 2AR

College: London College of Fashion

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How to Make a Mind Map: Creative Examples for High School Art Students

Last Updated on April 2, 2023

Many art students begin the year by brainstorming possible ideas, topics or themes for their art projects. This article features creative mind map examples and other visual brainstorming illustrations to inspire high school students.

READ NEXT: How to make an artist website (and why you need one)

Sometimes coming up with ideas for an Art project takes place within the classroom – an interactive discussion between students and teachers; on other occasions students formally document ideas within their sketchbooks. Humans have a tendency to think in a multi-dimensional way – that is, with lots of things occurring simultaneously, triggering further ideas. Rather than attempting to record thoughts in a sequential, linear fashion (i.e. writing these down in lists or paragraphs), students can find it helpful to collect, record and organize ideas graphically, using visual diagram such as a mind map. If this brainstorm is submitted as part of assessment material, it is essential that this is presented well.

What is a mind map?

Mind map creator Tony Buzan coined the term ‘mind map’ to refer to a diagram that has a branch or root-like structure radiating from a central image on the page, and which uses lines and color to show relationships, groupings and connections between words, ideas and images. A mind map helps students think clearly and ensures that a range of possibilities are considered, encouraging thinking outside-the-box.

How to make a mind map

Tony Buzan’s recommendations include: using a landscape format; starting with a central image to represent your topic or theme; using curving lines to add main branches to the center and then connecting these to smaller branches; using single words and images; and adding colors for aesthetic and organizational purposes.

It should be noted, however, that when your Art teacher asks you to begin creating a mind map, they are almost always happy with any visually pleasing representation of ideas – such as a tree diagram, spider diagram – or even just a splurge of thoughts on paper, as long as it documents a range of ideas and possibilities connected to a theme (or a set examination topic). The examples below, therefore, contain different visual brainstorming methods, not just those that are official mind maps.

Guidelines for Art Students

When brainstorming ideas for a high school Art project, remember that:

• Single words are unlikely to express an idea adequately. As you think though possibilities, it is likely that you will want to jot down whole phrases and brainstorm possible ways of beginning or approaching a subject. Intentions and possibilities should be clear to someone else who reads the mind map at a later date;
• Images should be sourced first-hand (i.e. drawn or photographed yourself) or clearly referenced, and should be integrated within the mind map in a visually pleasing way;
• The appearance of the mind map is crucially important. This is likely to be one of the first things an examiner sees when opening your sketchbook – first impressions count.

Creative mind map examples and visual brainstorming ideas

Please note that although some of these presentation methods are more complex and time consuming than others, this not does mean they are better. Sometimes a quick, expressive splurge of ideas upon paper is all that is needed.

Take a beautiful photograph to place in the center , as in this example of a mind map by Dave Tiedemann :

Use painted areas to contain text , as in these creative examples by artist  Martha Rich :

Draw lots of small pictures to illustrate ideas visually , as inspired by this map of London reimagined as the human body, illustrated by Nicole Mollet :

Use collage to make a mixed media mind map , as in this example by high school student Chloé Zinn:

Integrate a mind map with an ‘incomplete’ image that extends across the page , inspired by this digital illustration by Alex Plesovskich :

Collage torn images, textures and surfaces together , as in this example by Brittney :

Create mind maps from flowing painterly forms , as in this amazing example by artist Ward Shelley :

Draw over an abstract watercolour ground , as in this artist mind map by Roberta Faulhaber :

Create a simple mind map using text, with circles and dots for emphasis , as in these examples by Lia Perjovschi :

Record a stream of consciousness using handwriting and images , as in this journal by Sabrina Ward Harrison :

Brainstorm ideas using chalk on a blackboard or whiteboard and photograph it , such as this mind map by Julien Muckensturm :

Make a mind map on small pieces of paper and cardboard , inspired by the road map created from multiple sketches by strangers, compiled by Nobutaka Aozaki :

Attach images and notes to a pinboard , as in the ‘Capturing Memory Mind Map’ by Red Biddy :

Hand write ideas over a photograph , as in this example by Stefan Sagmeister :

Create a mind map online using free mind map software, a mind map app or any other digital drawing tool, as in these bubble diagrams by Leoni Wharton :

Make a textural collage of ideas , as in this GCSE Art mind map by Jessica Rump , while studying at King’s Lynn Academy :

Produce a sprawling hand-drawn mind map , as in this example by Tlemermeyer :

Use illustrations and colors to communicate and emphasize ideas , as in these sketchbook pages by Eva-Lotta Lamm :

Integrate observational drawings , as in this example by high school student Laura Viruly:

Organize ideas visually in a grid formation , as in this illustration by Grid London :

Add a painterly splurge in the center, from which ideas extend , as in this Year 11 exam example from Bishop Luffa School :

Integrate text within an artwork , as in this example by Julia Lewis-Thomas:

Use multiple colored pens , as in these examples by Asiphe Sinari and Elà Aguiar:

Use a ruler to frame images and text , as in this example by Annie Richardson:

Once you have selected a presentation method for your brainstorming, the next step is to actually generate some ideas! Please read our guide to selecting a great Art project idea .

You may be interested in our new book: Outstanding High School Sketchbooks . This book has high-resolution images so that fine details and annotation are clear, making it an excellent resource for students and schools.  Learn more !

Need more help with your high school sketchbook?

This article is part of a series we have published about high school sketchbooks. You may also be interested in viewing our other sketchbook resources:

• Painting / fine art sketchbooks
• Photography sketchbooks
• Graphic design sketchbooks
• Textile and fashion design sketchbooks
• Sculpture, architecture, and 3D Design sketchbooks
• Digital sketchbooks
• Tips for producing an amazing high school sketchbook (this was originally written for A Level Art and IGCSE/GCSE Art students, but is relevant for students creating a sketchbook, art journal, or visual diary as part of any high school art qualification)
• How to annotate a sketchbook : a guide for art students

This mind map collection is continually updated. Please bookmark this page so that you can return to it when needed! If you would like to submit your own mind map for inclusion, please  contact us . ????

Amiria has been an Art & Design teacher and a Curriculum Co-ordinator for seven years, responsible for the course design and assessment of student work in two high-achieving Auckland schools. She has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching. Amiria is a CIE Accredited Art & Design Coursework Assessor.

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