Drawing in the National Curriculum
This resource helps teachers of ages 5 to 11 plan how to develop drawing in the National Curriculum. It begins with guidance notes and ends with a selection of links to resources which teachers will find beneficial in introducing or developing drawing in the National Curriculum.

AccessArt advocates:
- Access to varied drawing materials from the outset. There is no reason why children should not be introduced to a varied range of drawing materials from Year One. The more experience children have of using a wide range of material the more they will feel able to make independent, confident, drawing decisions.
- Traditional drawing skills, including drawing from observation, should be balanced alongside more experimental drawing skills. Drawing comes in many forms and each form should be equally valued.
- Children should be given the opportunity to work on a variety of scales. Drawing can be physical as well as studious. Drawing should be an adventure.
- Use of Sketchbooks as a Creative Tool. The sketchbooks should be owned by the pupils, and should be at the centre of the pupils’ creativity. Sketchbooks can be used to gather, collect, experiment and reflect. Teachers should not be afraid if sketchbooks seem chaotic – adult sketchbooks are often chaotic – they are a place to put unresolved ideas into the world, which can be assimiliated later. Sketchbooks are rarely linear. Explore all our sketchbook resources here.
- Teachers should not be afraid to approach drawing as a “journey”, in which the process is as important (sometimes more) than the outcome. Working from a “display-backwards” mentality (where a teacher has an idea of an end result in mind) often jeopardises the true creative journey.
- “Starting points” (in terms of materials, exercises and subject matter) should not be seen as something to progress away from. Creative adults return to fundamentals time and time again. Pupils should be encouraged to revisit key exercises time after time to build knowledge and experience. There is no linear progression in drawing, only a gathering of experience and intention.
- Children should be encouraged to understand the value of taking creative risks in their work. See more about Understanding Risk here.
- In addition to the resources below, please see Why Warm Up Exercises? and Drawing Materials and Surfaces for Schools.
Back to Curriculum Planning for Art
The resources below are accessible to AccessArt members. Please consider joining AccessArt (£42 for a single user, £96 for a multiuser membership. AccessArt is a UK Charity and all membership fees are used to develop further resources.
AccessArt Resources to Support Drawing
AccessArt is an evolving collection of resources and further resources are being added over time. Please register with AccessArt to receive updates.
Please Note:
The resources below are NOT presented in any kind of prescribed order of use. Although the “Introductions to Materials and Warm-ups” provide valuable starting points, equally, many of the drawing projects in the Observation or Experimental drawing sections provide equally valid starting points. Drawing is a cyclical process and pupils of all ages will benefit from the wide variety of exercises and projects listed below, and teachers should feel able to repeat the activities in and with a variety of age ranges.
Introductions to Materials & Warm-Ups
These resources encourage an exploration of drawing materials. As a pupils understanding of drawing materials evolves, these activities will evolve into more Experimental Approaches (below).
Beginners Guide to Drawing Materials
Drawing like a Caveman
Discovering Charcoal Warm-Up Exercise
Graphite Mark Making Warm-Up Exercise
Monoprinting with Oil Pastel and Carbon Paper
Drawing Minibeasts using a Continuous Line and Graphite and Oil Pastel
Exploring Ink and Making Mark-Making tools
Treasured Fossils
Drawing Vegetables: A Drawing Game
Warm-Up Exercise: Drawing Spirals
Drawing Spiral Snails
Finger Palette Portraits
Turning Paper into Fur
The Electric Shades of Coloured Biros
Using Soft Pastel to Capture Texture
Exploring Drawing a Glass Still Life with Tracing Paper
Woodcut Lookalikes
Drawing Materials Sample Cards
Drawing from Observation
The resources in this section begin with nurturing observation skills. There is a point at which, in every drawing, the focus moves from the subject matter to the drawing itself, as the drawing takes on its own life. Many of these resources then move from observation towards an exploration of the drawing medium involved (see Introduction to Materials above).
Making a Blind Contour Drawing
Helping Children to Make Stronger Drawings
Making Large as Life Scroll Drawings
Thoughtful Mark Making
Drawing Speed
Layered Gestural Drawing for Children
Working on Shared Drawing Pages & Being Inspired by Each Other
Seasonal Drawings
Tackling Still Life, Part One
Tackling Still Life, Part Three
Drawing & Collaging Fish, & Seeing Composition
A School Full of Characters
Drawings of Toys Inspired by Gwen John
Drawings by Torchlight
Drawing Feathers: Perfect for Mark Making
Potatoes, Playmobil and Henry Moore: Making Drawings with Mass
Drawings of Inventions Inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci
Thinking about Paper Forms, and Drawing to the Slow Rhythm of a Metronome
See Three Shapes
Introducing Foreshortening
Simple Perspective for Children
Simple Drawings on Brown Paper: Letting Form and Colour CoExist
Squiggle Drawings & Autumn Floor Drawings
Drawing Pouring Water
Tackling Still Life, Part Two
Drawing Fish with Pen, Pencil and Watercolour
Drawing from Life and Acting Up Abit!
Making Moving Drawings with Children
Drawing Animals with Cartoon-Like Character
Illustrations by Children: Drawings which Tell Stories
Oil Pastel and Graphite on Plaster
Inspired by the Tapestries of Henry Moore: Watercolour Washes
Experimental Approaches
The resources in this section acknowledge that pupils will be undertaking their own “drawing journey” in which they will be making their own drawing discoveries. These experimental approaches will help pupils look at drawing in its widest possible sense, and help them to further manipulate materials and subject matter.
Encouraging Children to Understand Risk in Drawing
Making a Shy Drawing
Starting with Safe, then Pushing the Wall
Colour & Compostition Inspired by Ben Nicholson
Dressing up as Fossils
Still and Dynamic Drawing: Making Spells!
“Feely Drawings” or Drawing by Touch
One Line Street Scene: A Visualisation Warm-Up
Exercise for Making an Artists' Book
Exaggerating to Communicate!
Developing a Drawing Through Exploration of Media
What can Making Sculpture Teach us about Drawing?
Picnic Drawing: Summer Party!

