Year 1 Art and design: Formal elements of art

Exploring three of the formal elements of art: shape, line and colour, children will mix and paint with secondary colours; use circles to create abstract compositions and work collaboratively to create a class piece of art inspired by water.

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Art and design > Key stage 1 > Y1 Formal elements of art

Please note

This unit has now been replaced by the Year 1 unit Drawing: Exploring line and shape. Kapow no longer updates these lessons, and they may not reflect the national curriculum or current guidance. They remain a permanent part of your subscription and will continue to be available for reference and use. We recommend that you explore the new versions of the lessons.

Choose your lesson

Lesson 1: Shape: Abstract compositions - Option 1

Experimenting with abstract composition, children create a piece of abstract art inspired by artist Beatriz Milhazes

Learning Objective

To create abstract art

Lesson 1: Shape: Abstract compositions - Option 2: Christmas themed_A

Experimenting with abstract composition, children create a piece of Christmas themed abstract art inspired by artist Beatriz Milhazes.

Learning Objective

To create abstract art

Lesson 2: Line 1: Exploring line (Original scheme)

Using the work of Bridget Riley as a stimulus, children explore the use of line in art; developing their understanding of how lines can look different and begin to think about ways to make them. The children use this knowledge to create a series of line drawings by arranging pieces of string to create different shapes, which are then drawn using pencils and chalk.

Learning Objective

To know how to create different types of lines

Lesson 3: Line 2: Making waves (Original scheme)

Inspired by water and the artwork of Zaria Forman, children continue to explore lines but in a more expressive way. They will be using music to draw lines and marks that reflect their response to what they hear, creating a large collaborative piece.

Learning Objective

To explore line and mark-making to draw water

Lesson 4: Colour 1: Making colours (Original scheme)

Identifying primary colours and exploring how secondary colours can be mixed.

Learning Objective

To learn about colours

Lesson 5: Colour 2: Painting with colour (Original scheme)

Children put their understanding of colour mixing into practice to recreate their own versions of the artwork '0-9' by artists Jasper Johns

Learning Objective

To paint with colours

Assess your pupils

Assessment resources for use at the start of the unit to assess where pupils are in their learning and at the end of the unit to assess progress. Go to assessment resources