icon-background-square
New
New
Year 1

Create a space inspired composition

I can create and evaluate a composition inspired by space.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 1

Create a space inspired composition

I can create and evaluate a composition inspired by space.

warning

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

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. When artists talk about the background of an artwork, they mean everything that is behind the main image or images.
  2. Evaluating artwork is an important part of the design process.
  3. Offering feedback to other artists, helps them improve over time.

Keywords

  • Background - everything that is behind the main image, or images, in an artwork

  • Wash and ink - using ink and water to create a blended effect

  • Evaluate - when we think about our artwork to understand how good it is and how we could make it better

  • Feedback - sharing your ideas about other people’s artwork

Common misconception

Backgrounds in artworks are not as important as the images within an artwork.

Remind children that backgrounds to artworks can make an image more interesting, or tell us more about the images within an artwork. They can also make an artwork look more three-dimensional.


To help you plan your year 1 art and design lesson on: Create a space inspired composition, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Use thick paper or watercolour paper for the ink and wash to prevent the paper from becoming saturated. For Task B, Additional materials could be used to support the pupils with the evaluation task.
speech-bubble
Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

Thick card or paper, inks in blue and black, paintbrushes, waterpots, paper planets and stars, glue.

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

Loading...

4 Questions

Q1.
What is this describing: a tool used to cut paper.
Correct answer: scissors
eraser
pencil
Q2.
What might you see in an image showing out of space?
Correct answer: planets
grass
cars
Q3.
Which of these tools might you use to paint with?
Correct answer: a brush
a pencil
charcoal
Q4.
What is masking tape most likely to be used for?
Correct answer: sticking things together
cutting paper
painting a picture

4 Questions

Q1.
Which of these describes a background?
Correct answer: everything that is behind the main image, or images, in an artwork
everything that is in front of the main image, or images, in an artwork
everything that is overlapping the main image, or images, in an artwork
Q2.
Match the words with their meaning.
Correct Answer:wash and ink,using ink and water to create a blended effect
tick

using ink and water to create a blended effect

Correct Answer:feedback,sharing your ideas about other people’s artwork
tick

sharing your ideas about other people’s artwork

Correct Answer:evaluate,when we think about our artwork
tick

when we think about our artwork

Q3.
To make a wash and ink, an artist mixes a amount of ink with water.
black
large
small
Q4.
Evaluating artwork is an important part of the creative process.
Correct answer: True
False

Additional material

Download additional material