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New
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Year 1

Mark-making with ink and water

I can experiment with making ink and create a piece of art

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New
New
Year 1

Mark-making with ink and water

I can experiment with making ink and create a piece of art

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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Inks of different colours can be made from a variety of natural materials
  2. Drawing tools can be used in a variety of ways to make different marks with ink and water
  3. Water can be diluted with ink to change its appearance

Keywords

  • Ink - a coloured liquid used for writing or drawing

  • Natural - something that comes from the world around us, not made by people

  • Dilute - to make something weaker or less strong by adding water or another liquid

Common misconception

Art materials must be bought rather than made.

Remind children that artists can buy their ink from a shop, but they can also make their own from natural materials.


To help you plan your year 1 art and design lesson on: Mark-making with ink and water, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

As these ink materials have not been mixed with a preservative, the artwork that they make will be temporary. Large paper could be used rather than sketchbooks.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

Tea bags, turmeric, water, ink, beetroot, edible berries and bicarbonate of soda.

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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4 Questions

Q1.
Which word best decribes this line style?
An image in a quiz
dotted
straight
Correct answer: curved
Q2.
Match the key word to its description:
Correct Answer:drawing,using tools and media to create marks on a surface
tick

using tools and media to create marks on a surface

Correct Answer:artist,a person who makes artwork
tick

a person who makes artwork

Correct Answer:emotions,the feelings we have inside such as happy, excited, angry or hungry
tick

the feelings we have inside such as happy, excited, angry or hungry

Q3.
True or false? Marks can describe a journey.
Correct answer: True
False
Q4.
Which image is the lightest?
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz

4 Questions

Q1.
is a coloured liquid used for writing or drawing.
water
crayon
Correct answer: ink
Q2.
Which of the following is true?
Art materials must be bought, not made.
Correct answer: Art materials can be both bought and made.
Art materials should only be made, not bought.
Q3.
True or false? This ink has been diluted:
An image in a quiz
True
Correct answer: False
Q4.
Which drawing tool has been used with the ink in this image?
An image in a quiz
sticks
Correct answer: paper straw
cup