Take the pressure off planning. Our printable step by step art guides give you complete, classroom tested projects that students love and you can teach with confidence. Each guide walks learners through a structured sequence of skills, then opens up space for personal creativity, so every student can succeed and still produce original outcomes.
Whether you teach middle school, high school, IB or GCSE, these projects are designed for busy art teachers who need reliable lessons that work the first time. You get clear instructions, practical tips, and student friendly visuals that keep the whole class on track, even when you are juggling mixed abilities, tight timetables, and a studio full of materials.
What Are ArtCPD Step by Step Guides?
ArtCPD Step by Step Guides are printable, self contained project packs that take students from blank page to finished artwork. Each guide is written by experienced classroom art educator Vikki Gibson and refined through years of teaching with real students.
Inside each guide you will usually find:
- A clear project overview with learning objectives
- Visual step sequences that show exactly what students should do
- Demonstration images that model key skills and techniques
- Helpful hints to avoid common mistakes and support weaker learners
- Extension suggestions so stronger students can push their ideas further
You can use a guide as a complete lesson sequence, as a focused skills workshop, or as a support resource alongside your own demonstrations.
Why Step by Step Guides Work in Real Classrooms
Good art lessons balance freedom and structure. Too much freedom and weaker students feel lost. Too much structure and everyone ends up with identical outcomes. These guides are designed to sit in the middle.
The visual, bite sized stages help students understand the process and reduce anxiety about “getting it wrong”. At the same time, there is always room for choice in colour, composition, mark making, or subject matter, so every piece of work can be individual. That balance makes classroom management easier, keeps students on task, and supports genuine progress in drawing, painting, mixed media and design.
Perfect for New and Experienced Art Teachers
These resources are useful at many stages of your teaching career.
- New teachers and NQTs get ready made projects that can slot straight into a scheme of work.
- Experienced teachers can use them to refresh units that feel tired or to cover classes when time is short.
- Non specialist teachers who have been asked to cover art can rely on the visual steps to support clear explanations.
Because the guides focus on fundamental skills and art principles, you can easily adapt them to different age groups and syllabuses.
Designed for Print and Digital Use
All guides are created with busy teachers in mind. Print them for classroom folders, stick them on table tops, or project them on a screen to support live demonstration.
If you use Google Classroom or other online platforms, you can upload the pages as PDFs, assign them as reference material, or use specific steps as prompts for homework and flipped learning tasks. Students quickly get used to following the sequence, which helps them work more independently and frees you up to give targeted support where it is needed most.
How to Build a Project Using Step by Step Guides
- Choose a focus
Start with a key skill or concept you want to strengthen, such as observational drawing, colour theory, composition, or mixed media layering. - Select a guide
Browse the guides below and pick one that matches your focus and time frame. Many can be completed in two to three lessons, while others can anchor a longer project. - Introduce the big idea
Begin with a short discussion of the artist, theme, or visual concept behind the guide. Link it to your existing curriculum so students understand how it fits. - Work through the steps together
Use the pages as a visual script while you demonstrate. Encourage students to refer back to the guide instead of waiting for you to repeat instructions. - Encourage personal interpretation
Once students understand the process, invite them to make creative choices. Suggest variations in colour, scale, media, or subject matter so final pieces feel personal. - Reflect and display
End with a short critique or gallery walk using the guide outcomes. This helps students recognise their progress and gives you evidence for assessment and reports.
Save Time Without Losing Quality
Planning high quality art lessons takes time. Sketching ideas, testing materials, photographing stages, and refining instructions all eat into evenings and weekends. These guides do that groundwork for you.
Because they are created by a practicing art educator, they are rooted in real classroom constraints. Materials are realistic for most school budgets, timings are achievable within standard lesson lengths, and instructions are written in plain language that students understand. You keep professional control over your curriculum while reclaiming some much needed planning time.
Browse the Step by Step Guides Collection
Scroll down to explore the just a few from our range of ArtCPD step by step guides. You will find projects on topics such as:
- Cubism and modernist portraiture
- Mixed media identity posters
- Watercolour circles and circular compositions
- Negative space forests and checker designs
Each guide includes a detailed description so you can quickly see which age group, materials, and skills it best supports. Pick one to try this term, then build a bank of favourites you can return to year after year.
Ready To Lift the Quality of Your Art Lessons?
Choose your next project from the collection below and bring structured, creative, and achievable art experiences into your classroom. With ArtCPD Step by Step Guides you can reduce planning stress, support every learner, and keep your own enthusiasm for teaching art alive.