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New
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Year 10

Manipulating photographs

I can experiment with different ways to manipulate a photograph, exploring how to reflect personal ideas in my work.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 10

Manipulating photographs

I can experiment with different ways to manipulate a photograph, exploring how to reflect personal ideas in my work.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Old photos can be repurposed to create interesting artworks that are relevant to today.
  2. Artists use photos to express ideas about identity and contemporary society.
  3. Stitching into photos and manipulating them can add another layer of meaning.

Keywords

  • Distort - to change something from its original shape or appearance

  • Destroy - to completely break or ruin something so that it cannot be used or fixed

  • Fragmentation - taking an image or object and dividing it up, so that the whole thing is not clear or complete

Common misconception

Distorting a photograph with manipulation techniques only damages it.

In art, photos are not just static records of the past; they are versatile tools that can be reinterpreted and manipulated to express new ideas and perspectives.


To help you plan your year 10 art and design lesson on: Manipulating photographs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage students to experiment freely with their photos, reminding them that manipulation is a process, not about perfection. Have them document each stage to track progress and build confidence, focusing on exploration rather than worrying about mistakes.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

Photographs, scissors, pens, ink, glue, needle and threads.

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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6 Questions

Q1.
How does manipulating a drawing help refine your final artwork in GCSE Art?
It focuses only on one method.
Correct answer: It helps improve, refine and develop technical skills and artistic decisions.
It confuses the viewer.
It slows down the process.
Q2.
Understanding your narrative can be helpful because it allows you to reflect on how to your message.
Correct Answer: refine, develop, clarify, communicate
Q3.
Match the techniques to demonstrate layering in art.
Correct Answer:layering with paper,overlapping torn or cut pieces to build texture and detail
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overlapping torn or cut pieces to build texture and detail

Correct Answer:layering with background surface,uses textured or prepared surfaces to affect layers built on top
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uses textured or prepared surfaces to affect layers built on top

Correct Answer:layering with colour,adds depth using transparent or opaque colours
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adds depth using transparent or opaque colours

Q4.
Why is manipulating drawings and artwork an important way to develop an artist's work?
Manipulating makes their work harder to understand.
Manipulating helps them to copy other artists' styles.
Correct answer: Manipulating can improve and develop work by sparking new ideas and approaches.
Q5.
In art and design, to means to change or alter something to create a new effect, meaning, or form.
Correct Answer: transform, modify, reshape, evolve, alter
Q6.
What does "develop" mean in art?
to finalise the artwork without changes
Correct answer: to gradually improve and refine ideas or techniques
to replicate an existing artwork exactly

Additional material

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