Junior Cycle Visual Art - Unit of Learning –

Strand: Art
Discipline: Drawing
Title of unit: “What if?…” – exploring ‘what if’ scenarios
through photo montage and drawing
Student Name: Rebecca Moughty
Year Group: 2nd Year

Bachelor of Education in Art & Design 1

Subject matter/theme

David Mach David Mach David Mach

• Describe the subject matter/theme Relevant links:

• The school grounds and Mullingar town are full of wide open spaces and
interesting focal points. Through the use of photo montage and oil pastel
drawing, students will explore some ‘what if?’ scenarios using these landscapes
as a backdrop. Students will experiment with “what would the school grounds
look like during a zombie apocolypse?”, or “what would happen if the world was
submerged in water?”. Using imagery from nature magazines, students will create
these alternate realities, some of which, may be more closer to our own reality
than we think…

Bachelor of Education in Art & Design 2

 Strand(s):
Art/Craft/Design
JC Visual Art Learning Outcomes (LO)
• 1.5: interpret the world and communicate ideas
through visual means
• 1.12: apply their understanding of the art
elements and design principles to make an
artwork
• 1.14: use media to create their own artwork
• 3.6: experiment with design ideas through
research and analytical drawing
Materials and resources:
Bachelor of Education in Art & Design
Year Group: 2nd Year
No. of Pupils: 20
No. of weeks: 4
From: Nov 21 – Dec 9
How do you know that they know? (Assessment)
• 1.5: using photomontage, students will
communicate their ideas for a given “what if”
scenario (eg. What if the world was made of
sweets and chocolate?)
• 1.12: using oil pastels, students will create an A3
artwork, demonstrating understanding of
colour, tone, texture, and line
• 1.14: using images taken from magazines,
students create a photomontage to display a
‘what if’ scenario
• 3.6: students complete an A4 compositional
sketch of their photomontage, experimenting
with their combining their own creative ideas
with their photomontage
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Research and Investigation

David Mach Photos of open spaces around Mullingar Photo montage piece in response to “what if”
scenarios

Learning Intentions: The Five Elements of Visual Art

• Examine the work of David Mach, a photo montage artist (1,3,5) 1. Critical and Visual language
2. Drawing
• Explore “what if” scenarios through photo montage (3,4,5)
3. Visual Culture and Appreciation
• Experiment with image layout in preparation for photomontage 4. Art Elements and Design Principles
(1,3,5) 5. Media
• Create a photo montage piece in response to a given “what if”
scenario (3,4,5)

Bachelor of Education in Art & Design 4

Research and Investigation
The Five Elements of Visual Art
Sketchbook Work:
1. Critical and Visual language - Mind map in relation to
2. Drawing
3. Visual Culture and Appreciation given scenario
4. Art Elements and Design Principles
5. Media
- Experimental photographs
of photomontage
- Finished photomontage
Research - Initial Ideas stuck into sketchbook

Outline teaching and learning activities:

- Students are introduced to the work of David Mach, a
photomontage artist
- Students take part in class discussions, surrounding “what if”
scenarios. Students will be shown a photograph of the school
grounds or a part of Mullingar town, and will then be given a “what
if” scenario (ie. What if the school was underwater?). Students will
then discuss different types of imagery that they might include in
this scenario
- Students will be given their own “what if” scenario, and will find
images in national geographic magazines that relate to their
scenario
- Students will test out compositions for their images by using blue
tack to temporarily stick down their images and photograph the
experiments
- Students will then create their own photomontage using the images
they found in National Geographic magazines

Bachelor of Education in Art & Design 5

Exploration and Concept Development

A4 sketch of photomontage

The Five Elements of Visual Art

1. Critical and Visual language
2. Drawing
Experiment with oil pastels 3. Visual Culture and Appreciation
4. Art Elements and Design Principles
Learning Intentions: 5. Media

• Create a series of thumbnail sketches of photo montage in

sketchbook (2,3,4)
• Experiment with the use of oil pastels in sketchbook (2,4,5)

Bachelor of Education in Art & Design 6

Exploration and Concept Development
The Five Elements of Visual Art
1. Critical and Visual language Sketchbook Work:
2. Drawing
3. Visual Culture and Appreciation
- A4 tonal study of
4. Art Elements and Design Principles photomontage
5. Media
- Thumbnail sketches of
zoomed in sections of tonal
Initial Ideas - Process of Development study using oil pastels
- Experimenting with mark
Outline teaching and learning activities: making & blending oil pastels
- Students create an A4 tonal student of their photomontage in
sketchbooks, focusing on line, shape, tone, & texture
- Students create a series of thumbnail sketches using oil pastels.
Thumbnail sketches are of zoomed in sections of photomontage
- Students explore the use of oil pastels, experimenting with mark
making & blending. Students experiment with scraping into oil
pastels, to create more clear lines/ texture

Bachelor of Education in Art & Design 7

Creating a final work

Scaling upwards using grid system Completing finished piece

Learning Intentions: The Five Elements of Visual Art

• Create an A3 oil pastel piece of “what if: scenario photo montage 1. Critical and Visual language
(2,4,5) 2. Drawing
3. Visual Culture and Appreciation
• Demonstrate understanding of line, shape, texture & tone
4. Art Elements and Design Principles
through finished piece (2,4,5)
5. Media

Bachelor of Education in Art & Design 8

Creating a final work
The Five Elements of Visual Art
1. Critical and Visual language
2. Drawing
3. Visual Culture and Appreciation
4. Art Elements and Design
Principles
5. Media

Process of development – Realised work

Outline teaching and learning activities:

- Students upscale their A4 photomontage to A3, and complete a light
line drawing of their photomontage
- Students use oil pastels to complete their A3 piece, demonstrating
use of line, shape, tone, & texture

Bachelor of Education in Art & Design 9

Reviewing and Presenting

Learning Intentions: The Five Elements of Visual Art

- Display finished pieces on corridor wall, grouped together by “what 1. Critical and Visual language
if” scenario (3,5) 2. Drawing
- Participate in class discussions, where students describe their idea 3. Visual Culture and Appreciation
behind their piece (1,3,5) 4. Art Elements and Design Principles
5. Media

Bachelor of Education in Art & Design 10

Reviewing and Presenting
The Five Elements of Visual Art
1. Critical and Visual language
2. Drawing
3. Visual Culture and Appreciation
4. Art Elements and Design
Principles
5. Media

Realised work - Reflection - Presentation

Outline teaching and learning activities:

- Facilitating a class discussion amongst students on their image
choices, how they conveyed their given prompt through imagery,
what they would differently, what went well for them, their
favourite part of their piece, and something they struggled with

Bachelor of Education in Art & Design 11

 Students complete an A4
Visual Timeline compositional sketch of
their photomontage in
their sketchbook.
Students use a grid system
to scale their
photomontage up to A3
size

Students experiment with oil

pastels in their sketchbooks. Students complete an
Students given a ‘what if’ A3 oil pastel piece
promptly and complete a based on a
photomontage including photomontage created
imagery related to their prompt to portray a “what if”
scenario

Work that will be created and assessed:

Photomontage
A4 compositional sketch
Finished A3 oil pastel piece

Bachelor of Education in Art & Design 12

Summative Assessment
5 Elements of Visual Art: 1) Critical and Visual Language; 2) Drawing; 3) Visual Culture and Appreciation; 4) AEDP; 5)
Research
Success criteria:
• Students complete a
‘workshop’ in oil pastel
techniques. Students
demonstrate ability in
different oil pastel techniques
in sketchbook
Sketchbook
Media
Reflection
Initial Ideas
Success Criteria:
• Students create a photo
montage based on a given
“what if” scenario. Students
demonstrate ability to
choose imagery based on a
given theme, arrange
imagery in a pleasing
composition, & follow a
given brief/prompt
Bachelor of Education in Art & Design
Process of Development
Success Criteria:
• Students show ability to
scale upwards, using a grid
system to create a
proportionally accurate A3
drawing of their
photomontage
Realised Work
Success Criteria:
• Students final piece
should demonstrate 2-3
oil pastel techniques
learnt in class, and show
evidence of colour, line,
tone, and texture
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