Good Examples of Artist Research Pages

If you are wondering where you can find good examples of artist research pages, you’ve come to the right place.  It is great to have a collection of pages to show your students to inspire them and now you can just send them the link to this blog post.  Thanks to all the talented art teachers for their permission to use these images.

An artists research page should include the artist’s name, images of the artists work, annotation about the artist and also annotation which is the student’s personal response to the work.  Why did they choose it? How does it relate to the theme/idea they are investigating? What does the work inspire them to do next? Many successful artist research pages are also embellished so the whole page is a reflection of the artist’s work.

Every aspect of the research page below reflects the artist Ian Murphy.  It shows the artists name and includes annotation and images.  The student has created a drawing in the bottom left-hand corner inspired by the artists work. It appears that the background has had anaglypta wallpaper printed onto the page which creates a pattern that reflects the wrought iron and stone carving found in Ian Murphy’s drawings. The white and grey paint reflects the stonework of Murphy’s work.

Below, a combination of the artist work and the students work create a striking, colourful page.  Keywords describe the artists work.  The annotation is a combination of information about the artist and the student’s response to the work.  I like the ‘What Next!’ in the cup.  It shows the student is thinking ahead.

I wanted to include the research page below as the annotation is in-depth, insightful and full of subject-specific language.  Excellent to show your students what good annotation looks like.

The simple black and white presentation with torn edges below, reflects the artists work.  There’s nothing like a bit of white pen on black paper to create an artistic-looking page.  Over 50% of the annotation is the student’s response to the work.  I think this is a good ratio to have in mind.  The annotation is intelligent and includes the students own ideas.  The student is interpreting the work.

The Roy Thomas artist research page below, is neatly presented with clear images and annotation.  Together with the artist analysis, it creates a striking double-page spread. An artist analysis is where the student has recreated an artwork or section of an artwork so that they go through the process the artist has been through.  It is a controversial issue here in the UK with a fashion for moving away from doing this.  Many art teachers still believe there is a lot to learn by going through this process.  Another approach is for the student to create an artwork ‘in the style of’ the artists work from their own photographs.

The student includes detailed annotation about the process they have been through.

Julia Lillard creates surreal digital and paper collage.  In the research page below, the student Eva has captured the sepia tones often found in the artist work by lightly coffee staining the background and using brown gummed tape at the corners of artworks like old fashioned picture corners.  The student has included annotation and their own pieces of vintage collage.  The detailed annotation includes information about the artist, quotes from the artist, their personal opinion, and what they plan to do next.

The Claerwen James research page below has a successful diagonal layout on the left-hand page.  Students often want to fill 100% of the page but this space works well.  The students has also completed a skilful artist analysis.

I wanted to include the research page below, created at Kingsway Park High School, as it has such a strong composition. I love the way the text mirrors the shape of the artwork by artist Lorraine Roy. The student, Fizza I, has cut away some of the artwork and recreated it themselves to analyse the work.

For the research page below, the student first painted with acrylic on black paper.  They picked up on the reflected light that can be found in Liam Spencer’s work and used daubs of paint to create impressionistic car and street lights.  This students theme was ‘reflected light’ so they carefully chose Spencer’s work that shows this.  Their annotation is detailed, intelligent and uses subject-specific language.

The student who created the page below was investigating the theme of body issues and the size zero debate.  She researched the work of artist Adele Carney.  The use of dressmakers patterns in the background and tape measures was appropriate to the artist and theme.

I use the teaching resource below to support my students when they create artist research pages, especially when it’s the first time they do this.

If you have enjoyed this blog post about artist research pages, why not subscribe by clicking on the image below.  If you are an art teacher you will also be able to access 3 of my free resources every month too.

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.

More Posts