Author: The Arty Teacher

  • Photographing Through Oil & Water

    Photographing Through Oil & Water

    If you are looking for a new and experimental way of exciting your students about photography, photographing through oil and water is definitely an option to consider.  I learnt about this from art teacher Mark Wheatley who posted about it on Facebook.  The idea is to place an existing photograph beneath a glass or pyrex…

  • Art Exams

    Art Exams

    If you are looking for art exams to use at KS3 or middle school or junior high, you’ve come to just the right place.  Below are three art exams.  A drawing art exam, a colour theory art exam and an art analysis art exam.  Each has versions for the UK and US with different, appropriate…

  • Sketchbook Circle 2

    Sketchbook Circle 2

    For those of you who regularly read my blog, you’ll know I’m taking part in sketchbook circle this year.  You can see my first post about this here and read more about what Sketchbook Circle is at the bottom of this post. One of the lovely aspects of taking part in an initiative like this…

  • 4 Tips for Managing Art Group Work

    4 Tips for Managing Art Group Work

    Managing art group work can be a challenge and seem like more trouble than it’s worth.  How can you assess a single student when it’s group work? What are you assessing them on?  What do you do if someone is not contributing? Despite these worries, I am in favour of group art projects. Of course,…

  • Book Review: ‘Open Aperture’ by Paul Matte

    Book Review: ‘Open Aperture’ by Paul Matte

    I have been lucky enough to be sent a copy of the photography book ‘Open Aperture.  The Evolution of Photography in an Abstract World’ by its author Paul Matte.  I’m really pleased that it has been brought to my attention as the more I’ve looked at it, the more I’ve realised that it is pure…

  • How to Become a Courtroom Sketch Artist

    How to Become a Courtroom Sketch Artist

    What is a Courtroom Sketch Artist? A courtroom sketch artist is someone who draws pictures of what happens in a courtroom during trials and legal events. They do this because cameras are not allowed in courtrooms. The sketches help people see what’s going on, and they’re often used by the media. What Skills does a…