BUILD · Bronze · Week 3 of 7 · Autumn 2

Stencil Lab

Teesside Art Studio Suite · Trinity Arts Award Bronze

Progress SoW · Arts Aut 2 · 2026–27 · BUILD · Week 3🎨 Bronze Part A · Take Part

Enquiry: How does cutting a shape away change what an image says?

Success looks like

I can cut a stencil that holds together
I can get a crisp edge and say how I did it
I can diagnose a bled edge and give the fix

Aspire · GROW reach: sponge a stencil over a Week 1 rubbing — and judge whether the surface still reads.

Teacher Print Tools — Week 3

Retrieval Ladder

Arrival Task – Four Steps Back

1. Last lesson (Recall)

Name your artist from last week.

Own answer.

2. Last week (Vocab)

What is an ORGANISATION in art?

A gallery, studio or venue that shows or makes art.

3. Foundational (Recall)

Name a shape you could cut out of card.

Circle, square, triangle, star…

4. Greater depth (Think)

Why do road signs use simple shapes?

So they read fast, from far away, at speed.

1. Last lesson (Recall)

What are you taking from your artist?

Own answer — one method.

2. Last week (Vocab)

Method or biography — say the difference.

A method is something they DO; biography is information about them.

3. Foundational (Recall)

What is negative space?

The space around and between the shapes.

4. Greater depth (Think)

A stencil cuts a hole. Why is the HOLE the important bit?

The paint only lands where the hole is — you design by removing.

1. Last lesson (Recall)

Where will your steal show in your work?

Own answer, locatable.

2. Last week (Vocab)

Why does Bronze want an organisation too?

Artists work in a system — the organisation reaches the audience.

3. Foundational (Think)

What happens to the middle of an O when you cut it out?

It drops out — unless a bridge holds it.

4. Greater depth (Think)

Stencils were used on crates and machinery. Why that technique?

Fast, repeatable, needs no skill to reproduce, survives rough handling.

Starter

Starter: Designing by Removing

Key question: A stencil is the only kind of drawing where you make the picture by taking material AWAY. What does that force you to decide?

You cannot shade a stencil. Every edge is a hard yes or no — paint or no paint. That is why stencils simplify, and why simplification is a decision rather than a limitation.

I Do

I Do: Cut, Hold, Dab

Key idea: Cut on the mat, blade away from you, hand behind the line. Bridges hold the islands in. Then tape the stencil down, squeeze the sponge out, and DAB — twice, straight down.

🔍 Spot it, then fix it

❌ Too wet — paint bleeds under the stencil edge

❌ Too dry — patchy, thin, skips the surface

✅ Right — a crisp edge you could cut yourself on

Squeeze the sponge out on scrap FIRST, then DAB twice. Never drag. Hold the stencil flat with your other hand.

We Do

We Do: Name the Fault

How it works: Tap each card to reveal what went wrong — and the fix. Found: 0/6

💧 Bled edge

🌫️ Patchy fill

↔️ Smeared shape

🔀 Ghost outline

⭕ Missing middle

✅ Crisp edge

I Do

I Do: The Same Stencil, Two Loads if time

Second model: Heavy and light through the identical stencil.

Watch for: Heavy fills the shape but softens the edge. Light keeps the edge but may need a second pass. Two passes beat one heavy one.

We Do

We Do: Match the Fault to the Fix if time

Step 1: Tap a card, then its partner. Score: 0/6

💧 BLED EDGE

🌫️ PATCHY

↔️ SMEARED

🔀 GHOSTED

⭕ MIDDLE GONE

✅ CRISP

Squeeze the sponge out before you start

Reload and dab twice

Straight down, straight up — never sideways

Tape the stencil to the paper

Leave a bridge when you cut

Repeat exactly what you just did

Independent Work

Independent Work — Studio Time

Instructions: Work at your level. Your stencils and test results go in your Bronze portfolio (Part A) — and the stencils go into the shared bank for the rest of the unit.

Supported

Task: Cut one stencil from card and sponge it twice — once heavy, once light.

Steps: Cut on the mat · tape it down · squeeze the sponge · two results labelled.

Standard

Task: Cut two stencils and sponge each twice. Label every result with what you changed.

Steps: Two stencils · four results · each labelled · name the best edge.

Stretch

Task: Two stencils, four results, then overlay: sponge one stencil over a Week 1 rubbing and judge whether the surface still reads.

Steps: All Standard · one overlay · verdict on whether the rubbing survives underneath.

Lundy Loop

Lundy Loop — Your Voice in the Studio

Why: Article 12 — your view on this work counts, and it changes what the studio does next.

🚪 SPACE

Cutting mats stay at the bench station all lesson. Take a break from the blade whenever you need it — no permission needed.

🗣️ VOICE

You choose your shape. Nobody is given one to cut.

👂 AUDIENCE

Your cut stencils join the shared bank, so the group can use what you made.

⭐ INFLUENCE

The stencils used most often by the group get reprinted onto stiffer card for Week 5.

Exit Ticket

Instructions: Answer independently. No sketchbooks.

1.

Name one thing that makes paint bleed under a stencil.

Too much paint on the sponge.

2.

How do you hold the stencil?

Flat, taped down, other hand pressing.

3.

Dab or drag?

Dab.

1.

Your edge bled. Diagnose it and give the fix.

Sponge too wet — squeeze it out on scrap first.

2.

Why two light dabs instead of one heavy press?

Keeps the edge crisp while still filling the shape.

3.

What is a bridge for?

Holding the island of a letter or shape in place.

1.

Why does a stencil force simplification?

No shading is possible — every edge is paint or no paint.

2.

When would you WANT a soft edge?

Own answer — distance, atmosphere, background.

3.

Your overlay lost the rubbing underneath. What went wrong?

Too heavy or too opaque — the paint covered the texture instead of sitting over it.

Knowledge Organiser

Key word	Definition
Stencil	A cut shape that lets paint through the hole only.
Bridge	The uncut strip that holds the middle of a shape in place.
Stippling	Dabbing paint straight down with a sponge, never dragging.
Under-bleed	Paint creeping beneath the stencil edge because the sponge was too wet.
Negative space	The space around and between the shapes.
Registration	Lining a stencil up in the same place each time.

Stencil Lab

Enquiry: How does cutting a shape away change what an image says?

Award part: Bronze Part A · Take Part

Diagnostic: ❌ Too wet — paint bleeds under the stencil edge · ❌ Too dry — patchy, thin, skips the surface · ✅ Right — a crisp edge you could cut yourself on

Fix: Squeeze the sponge out on scrap FIRST, then DAB twice. Never drag. Hold the stencil flat with your other hand.

Arrival Task

1. Last lesson (Recall) What are you taking from your artist?

2. Last week (Vocab) Method or biography — say the difference.

3. Foundational (Recall) What is negative space?

4. Greater depth (Think) A stencil cuts a hole. Why is the HOLE the important bit?

Starter

A stencil is the only kind of drawing where you make the picture by taking material AWAY. What does that force you to decide?

We Do — the surfaces / cards

Bled edge TOO WET. Paint crept under the stencil. Squeeze the sponge out on scrap before you touch the work.

Patchy fill TOO DRY. The sponge had nothing left. Reload, and dab twice rather than pressing once.

Smeared shape DRAGGED. The sponge moved sideways. Straight down, lift straight up.

Ghost outline STENCIL MOVED. Tape it to the paper, not the desk.

Missing middle NO BRIDGE. The island dropped out when you cut it. Leave a bridge next time.

Crisp edge RIGHT. Sponge squeezed out, taped flat, two straight dabs. This is the one to repeat.

Scaffolding – Supported

My stencil shape is ____________.

Heavy sponging did ____________. Light sponging did ____________.

Scaffolding – Standard

My crispest edge came from ____________.

The fault I had to fix was ____________ and I fixed it by ____________.

Scaffolding – Stretch

A stencil forces simplification because ____________.

My overlay worked / did not work because ____________.

Independent Work – Supported

One stencil, two results

Heavy:

Light:

Which I will use:

Independent Work – Standard

Two stencils, four results — label each

Best edge, and why:

Independent Work – Stretch

Four results + the overlay

Overlay: stencil over a Week 1 rubbing

Does the surface still read underneath? Verdict:

Exit Ticket

1) Your edge bled. Diagnose it and give the fix.

2) Why two light dabs instead of one heavy press?

3) What is a bridge for?

Lundy Loop — this lesson

Space → Voice → Audience → Influence. The adult’s first job is Space: regulate before you educate.

Space	Cutting mats stay at the bench station all lesson. Take a break from the blade whenever you need it — no permission needed.
Voice	You choose your shape. Nobody is given one to cut.
Audience	Your cut stencils join the shared bank, so the group can use what you made.
Influence	The stencils used most often by the group get reprinted onto stiffer card for Week 5.

Closing the loop: out loud, as a class, is enough here. Any inclusion counts — a nod, a word, a pointed finger. If a pupil wants theirs written down, an adult scribes it in their words. Pass is always allowed.

Stencil Lab — Feedback Sheet

Authorship — what I selected, made, directed or decided:	Exact support given — prepared / modelled / prompted / scribed:
WWW:	EBI:
Verified by / date:

Stencil Lab

Success looks like

Teacher Print Tools — Week 3

Arrival Task – Four Steps Back

1. Last lesson (Recall)

2. Last week (Vocab)

3. Foundational (Recall)

4. Greater depth (Think)

1. Last lesson (Recall)

2. Last week (Vocab)

3. Foundational (Recall)

4. Greater depth (Think)

1. Last lesson (Recall)

2. Last week (Vocab)

3. Foundational (Think)

4. Greater depth (Think)

Starter: Designing by Removing

I Do: Cut, Hold, Dab

We Do: Name the Fault

I Do: The Same Stencil, Two Loads if time

We Do: Match the Fault to the Fix if time

Independent Work — Studio Time

Supported

Standard

Stretch

Lundy Loop — Your Voice in the Studio

🚪 SPACE

🗣️ VOICE

👂 AUDIENCE

⭐ INFLUENCE

Exit Ticket

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

Knowledge Organiser

Stencil Lab

Arrival Task

Starter

We Do — the surfaces / cards

Scaffolding – Supported

Scaffolding – Standard

Scaffolding – Stretch

Independent Work – Supported

Independent Work – Standard

Independent Work – Stretch

Exit Ticket

Lundy Loop — this lesson

Stencil Lab — Feedback Sheet

Stencil Lab — complete!

Pens down — quick partner check!