Looking for an original GCSE or A Level Art project idea? The abstract human figure offers an exciting way to explore shape, movement, identity and expression. You don’t need to draw a perfect likeness: you can stretch, simplify, repeat, distort or rebuild the figure to communicate an idea of your own.
What does ‘abstract human figure’ mean?
An abstract figure is based on the human body but changes how it looks. An artist might reduce a body to geometric shapes, exaggerate its proportions, suggest movement through repeated outlines or show only a shadow or fragment. The aim is not simply to make a figure look unusual. Ask yourself what the changes help an audience feel or understand.
Your project brief: Reimagine the Human Figure
Investigate how the human figure can communicate ideas about movement, identity, emotion, society or the body. Begin with your own observations, sketches and photographs. Experiment with at least three different ways of abstracting the figure. Select and develop the approach that best communicates your intention, then present a personal final response in Fine Art, Photography or Graphic Communication.
Artists and designers to investigate
The prehistoric Venus of Willendorf raises questions about how bodies have been represented across cultures and time. David Bomberg’s The Mud Bath (1914) offers a starting point for thinking about rhythmic, geometric forms. André Kertész’s Distortions photographs suggest how curved reflective surfaces can transform proportions. Hussein Chalayan’s fashion practice offers another route into the relationship between the body, clothing, movement and sculptural form. Research these sources using reputable museum or gallery collections; analyse their approaches rather than copying their finished artworks.
You could also investigate Henry Moore’s treatment of mass and negative space, Barbara Hepworth’s sculptural forms, and the expressive movement studies of contemporary dance photographers. Check the dates, media and original context of anything you research, and explain why it is relevant to your own idea.
GCSE Fine Art: Simplify, Exaggerate, Rebuild
Start with quick two-minute drawings of a person sitting, stretching or walking. Turn one drawing into a geometric collage using coloured paper. Try a second version with charcoal and broad brush marks, and a third using cardboard shapes. Compare which arrangement best conveys balance, energy or emotion. Photograph the stages and annotate what you changed and why.
A Level Fine Art: Body, Space and Identity
Develop a sustained question, such as ‘How much of a figure can be removed before it loses its identity?’ Use your own life drawings or staged photographs to investigate structure, absence, scale and distortion. Test wire, plaster, translucent materials, stitched surfaces or layered drawing. Consider how context and materials change the meaning of the body rather than relying on surface effects alone.
GCSE Photography: Silhouettes and Distortion
Photograph a volunteer’s silhouette against a bright window, shadows on a wall and reflections in safe everyday surfaces. Experiment with unusual angles, cropping, long exposures or movement blur. Make a contact sheet and choose three photographs to edit. Record which choices create the strongest sense of movement or mystery. Always get permission from people you photograph.
A Level Photography: Presence and Absence
Investigate how the body can be represented without showing it conventionally. Stage photographs using projected patterns, fabric, shadows, partial views or repeated exposures. Compare sequences and visual relationships between images. Explore whether the work communicates anonymity, transformation or the tension between the visible and the hidden. Document technical decisions and critically evaluate their effect.
GCSE Graphic Communication: Figure-Based Poster Design
Create an original poster for an imaginary dance event or exhibition. Begin with photographs or sketches you have made yourself. Reduce the figure to a bold silhouette, combine it with hand-cut lettering and test three different compositions. Consider contrast, hierarchy, audience and legibility. Show your development from thumbnails to a refined final poster.
A Level Graphic Communication: An Editorial Identity
Invent an exhibition called ‘Beyond the Body’. Develop a coherent identity across a publication cover, editorial spread and promotional graphic. Explore modular grids, negative space, cropped figure photography and a considered typographic system. Test how the identity adapts across formats, and justify how your visual language communicates a specific interpretation of the abstract figure.
How to show AO1–AO4 in your sketchbook
AO1 – Investigate relevant artists, photographers and designers, analysing how their decisions inform your own intentions. AO2 – Experiment with processes and refine your work by comparing alternatives. AO3 – Record observations, contact sheets, drawings and purposeful reflections as your project develops. AO4 – Present a personal, coherent outcome that makes clear connections to your investigation and experiments.
Five practical starting points
- Draw a moving figure using only triangles and curved shapes.
- Photograph a silhouette, then explore how cropping changes its meaning.
- Create a wire figure that uses empty space as part of the composition.
- Design a poster using an abstracted figure as its central visual element.
- Combine several drawings or exposures to suggest movement over time.
What could your final outcome be?
A series of mixed-media figure studies, a small sculpture, an experimental photographic sequence, an exhibition poster or an editorial publication could all be successful. Choose the outcome that fits your investigation rather than deciding on a final piece before you’ve experimented.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be good at drawing people?
No. Observation helps, but abstraction is about making purposeful visual decisions. Start with simple shapes, shadows or photographs and build your confidence through experiments.
Can I use photographs from the internet?
Use your own photographs whenever possible. If you research existing artwork, credit the artist and source, and don’t copy or reproduce protected images without permission or an appropriate licence.
What’s the difference between GCSE and A Level?
GCSE work should show exploration, clear development and a personal response. A Level work should demonstrate a more sustained, independent investigation, critical decisions and greater conceptual depth.
Need feedback on your project?
If you’re unsure whether your sketchbook shows enough investigation, experimentation or development, Portfolio to A Star offers independent feedback on GCSE and A Level Art and Design portfolios.
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