Author: Anthony Lawlor

I am an artist, photographer and teacher living and working in Greater Manchester, North West England.

Image & Text Artists & Photographers for Art & Design GCSE Coursework & Exam Projects

Below you will find a selection of Artists and Photographers who use image and text in their work. These are useful for teachers and students for GCSE Art and Design, Photography and Graphic Communication coursework or exam projects and assignments.

Barbara Kruger – http://www.artnet.com/artists/barbara-kruger/

Jenny Holzer – http://www.artnet.com/artists/jenny-holzer/

Ben Eine – http://www.artnet.com/artists/ben-eine/

Stephen Powers – http://www.artnet.com/artists/stephen-powers/

Lorna Simpson – http://www.artnet.com/artists/lorna-simpson/

Banksy – http://www.artnet.com/artists/banksy/

Gillian Wearing – http://www.artnet.com/artists/gillian-wearing/

Ed Ruscha – http://www.artnet.com/artists/ed-ruscha/

Aaron Siskind – http://www.artnet.com/artists/aaron-siskind/

Wayne White – http://www.artnet.com/artists/wayne-white/

Skyline Silhouettes (KS2 Art Lesson)

Access this Google Presentation directly by clicking here.

Each stage is very easy to follow and pupils love working with chalk pastel to create the sunset/sunrise effect. Thank you to MrPstudios for this lesson, his instructional videos are linked below:

Below are some examples of the outcomes created by the pupils:

Chris Plowman Photomontage Landscapes (KS2 Art Lesson)

Access this Google Presentation directly by clicking here.

I have delivered this lesson to primary school pupils on a number of occasions and each time I have found that pupils enjoy the opportunity to decipher images and create photomontage/collage compositions. I first encountered Chris Plowman’s unusual photomontage “Fiction City” at Whitworth art gallery a number of years ago, and upon seeing the image I immediately knew this would make a great stimulus for an art lesson in which I could get pupils to think about illusion. I always start the lesson by challenging the class to see whether they can decipher the image. Many of the pupils are always surprised to learn that the images are actually made up of various kitchen utensils!

Fiction City
Chris Plowman, Fiction City, 1977, photo-etching with air brush

Plowman, Chris - Metropolis_ Cheese Grater City, 1977
Chris Plowman – Metropolis: Cheese Grater City, 1977

I give the pupils a choice of different cloudy skys (A4 printable):

I also give the pupils two different sets of high contrast images of kitchen utensils (A4 printable):

Below are some examples of the outcomes created by the pupils:

Growth Mindset Icons for PowerPoints and Worksheets

I have created some Growth Mindset Icons based on the key aspects of a Growth Mindset; Persistence, Effort, Embrace Challenge, Success of Others, Effort and Constructive Criticism. These have work really well when used on classroom resources such as worksheets or PowerPoint presentations. They could also be adapted to fit on certificates, badges or poster. Feel free to use them!

Six Point Papercut Snowflakes (KS2 Art Lesson)

Access this Google Presentation directly by clicking here.

I delivered this short lesson to Yr5 pupils at a primary school in Greater Manchester. As it was close to Christmas and the pupils were eager to get to their Christmas party we only had a short time (30 minutes), however this could easily be extended with opportunity for pupils to create more complex designs or to work on larger scales.

I really enjoyed this lesson, especially the opportunity to share some fascinating resources, and enjoyed seeing the pupils’ enthusiasm towards the subject. Some pupils even wanted to stay and continue making rather than go to their Christmas party! Below are some of the resources I shared with the class.

An amazing high speed video of snowflakes forming:

Information about the chemistry behind snowflakes and how they form in the atmosphere:

I also happen to own a fantastic book with macro photographs of snowflakes by Kenneth Libbrecht which the class passed around. It is full of stunning photos.

Snowflakes by Kenneth Libbrecht

Although I didn’t have time in the end I also wanted to show the work of Papercut artist Nahoko Kojima as an extra source of inspiration. Below is a video where she explains the process she uses:

Below are some examples of the work created by the pupils:

A Child of Six Could Do It!

I love the front cover to this book, it often springs to mind when my pupils ask me questions about certain types of visual art (mainly the abstract ones!). They often ask “but i could do that! What makes it so special?”, or “so if painted like Jackson Pollock, does that mean that I could sell my painting for a million pounds?!”. Often, my pupils forget that art can have significant historic and cultural importance, reflect a period of human thinking, depict a part of the artist’s soul, have a different meaning for every viewer, will often be unique/original, and the list can go on. Once this is understood, it is really no surprise that art can sell for extravagant amounts of money!

A Child of Six Could Do It!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0900874627

Colour Theory Posters

I am great lover of well designed posters (and also ones that can be printed out without coming out blurry!). These two posters pack a lot of info into a small area and can be a good reference tool for GCSE pupils who need to develop the use of colour in their work. I also like the way it shows clearly what each term means with examples. I have to be honest I wasn’t sure what Tetradic colours were before I saw these! Thanks to inkfumes for the designs!

Colour Theory Colour Theory