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Year 1

Sketchbook experimentation: water-like marks

I can use watercolours and a paintbrush with increasing control

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New
New
Year 1

Sketchbook experimentation: water-like marks

I can use watercolours and a paintbrush with increasing control

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Link copied to clipboard

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

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Know how to care for a paintbrush
  2. Know how to use a paintbrush to create a wide variety of marks with watercolour
  3. Use marks to depict water, including reflections

Keywords

  • Paintbrush - a tool that you use to put paint on paper

  • Watercolour - a type of paint that you mix with water to make it look soft and see-through

  • Reflections - when you see an image of something in a shiny surface, like water

Common misconception

Paintbrushes can be left dirty and used again without cleaning.

Remind children that paintbrushes like to be cleaned and left on top of water pots so the next artist can use them.


To help you plan your year 1 art and design lesson on: Sketchbook experimentation: water-like marks, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

For this activity, pupils could be seated at tables or use a vertical surface to experiment with a variety of marks.
Teacher tip

Equipment

paintbrushes in a variety of sizes, watercolour palettes, waterpots

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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Starter quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
A tool used to put paint on paper is called a:
pen
Correct answer: paintbrush
pencil
Q2.
What should you do with a paintbrush after you use it?
An image in a quiz
Leave it dirty and use it again later.
Correct answer: Clean it after you use it so it’s ready for next time.
Only clean it once a week.
Let it sit in paint until you need it again.
Q3.
Adding black to this colour will make it:
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: darker
lighter
stay the same
Q4.
What type of art is this:
An image in a quiz
painting
sculpture
Correct answer: collage

Exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
What do we call this type of paint:
An image in a quiz
tempura paint
Correct answer: watercolour paint
acrylic paint
Q2.
Which is the best way to leave a paintbrush after using it?
An image in a quiz
Let it sit in paint until you need it again.
Only clean it once a week.
Leave it dirty and use it again later.
Correct answer: Clean it after you use it so it’s ready for next time.
Q3.
Watercolour paints can be layered to show reflections on water.
Correct answer: True
False
Q4.
Match the word to the description:
Correct Answer:paintbrush,a tool that you use to put paint on paper

a tool that you use to put paint on paper

Correct Answer:watercolour,a type of paint that you mix with water to make it look soft

a type of paint that you mix with water to make it look soft

Correct Answer:reflections,when you see an image of something in a shiny surface, like water

when you see an image of something in a shiny surface, like water