What is Art without our key elements??
Looking to refresh your classroom with engaging, ready-to-use resources? In this post, I’m sharing a curated collection of PowerPoints, posters, bookmarks, and lesson ideas designed to support teaching the Elements of Art. Whether you’re introducing line, shape, colour, texture, value, space, or form, these resources are perfect for Visual Arts educators wanting to bring creativity and clarity into their lessons. Download, adapt, and inspire your students!
Colour Wheels:
Elements and Principles of Art Bookmarks:
Elements of Art Posters:
PowerPoint Presentations on the Elements of Art:
Lesson Plan Ideas:
🎨 1. Line – Emotion in Motion
Lesson Idea: Students create abstract line drawings that represent different emotions (e.g., anxiety, joy, calm).
Contemporary Artist: Sol LeWitt (Conceptual Line Art) and Shantell Martin (expressive line-based work).
Extension: Use continuous line drawing or draw while listening to different music genres to explore rhythm and movement in line.
🟥 2. Shape – Collage and Cut-Outs
Lesson Idea: Create shape-based collages using organic and geometric forms to construct layered compositions.
Contemporary Artist: Eamon Donnelly (Australian illustrator known for bold shapes and colour blocks).
Extension: Explore Henri Matisse’s legacy in the work of Jonni Cheatwood and students can reinterpret Australian landscapes using abstract shape.
🌈 3. Colour – Colour as Emotion
Lesson Idea: Explore how colour impacts mood and meaning. Students create two artworks of the same subject using warm and cool palettes.
Contemporary Artist: Del Kathryn Barton (intense, symbolic colour in figurative work) and Karan Singh (digital artist with bold palettes and patterns).
Extension: Discuss colour theory and symbolism in various cultures.
✨ 4. Texture – Mixed Media Explorations
Lesson Idea: Students collect natural and found materials to create textured collages or tactile surfaces.
Contemporary Artist: Yhonnie Scarce (glass work referencing cultural trauma and texture) and El Anatsui (sculptural installations from found materials).
Extension: Create a visual vs. tactile texture comparison in sketchbooks.
🖤 5. Value – Portraits in Monochrome
Lesson Idea: Students draw or paint a portrait using only a single colour plus black and white, exploring tone and contrast.
Contemporary Artist: Kara Walker (silhouette and value) or Ben Quilty (expressive value shifts in portraits).
Extension: Use chiaroscuro to discuss light and drama.
🌌 6. Space – Creating Illusion
Lesson Idea: Teach 1-point and 2-point perspective to design imaginary cityscapes or interiors.
Contemporary Artist: James Turrell (installation artist exploring physical and perceptual space) and Toyin Ojih Odutola (uses space and pattern in drawing).
Extension: Use digital tools like Procreate to extend spatial understanding.
🌀 7. Form – From Flat to 3D
Lesson Idea: Construct 3D paper sculptures from 2D shapes, exploring form, light, and shadow.
Contemporary Artist: Ron Mueck (hyperreal sculpture), Tara Donovan (sculpture from everyday materials).
Extension: Combine with an environmental or identity theme.
Bonus Idea: “Elements Mash-Up Zine”
Task: Students create a mini-zine exploring all seven elements, dedicating each page to one element using a different media technique.
Artist Inspiration: Kaylene Whiskey for storytelling and bold stylistic references to popular culture.
Cultivating Creativity: Best Practices for the Art Classroom 