This Art and design scheme of work video introduces charcoal and supports pupils as they scale up their sketchbook drawings to create cave art inspired pieces.

The video shows how charcoal can be used to add texture and tone, helping the children’s work resemble prehistoric cave paintings. It also explains what scaling means and shares tips to help children break down their drawings into simple shapes, making it easier to enlarge their original sketch. The video models each step clearly, from sketching the basic shapes to adding texture with charcoal powder, finishing with bold outlines and simple patterns, and using a fixative.

This video is part of Kapow Primary’s Year 3 Prehistoric painting unit. It walks teachers through the process so they feel confident helping their pupils experiment with charcoal, build up layers of tone and texture, and create striking large-scale drawings.

See more of our Year 3 Art and design scheme of work.

Art and design, Year 3, Painting and mixed media: Prehistoric painting, Lesson 2: Charcoal animals.