Lesson video

Hi, everyone.

I hope you're having a good day.

My name is Esther, some people call me Ms. Esther, and I'm here to share an exciting art lesson with you, Collage sails: pattern and identity.

It's part of our unit, Art that travels: stories, land and journeys.

We'll get started now looking at our lesson outcome.

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to make a patterned collage sail that shows symbols and colors.

We have some key words for our lesson.

I'll say them first, you say them after me.

Pattern.

Abstract.

Symbol.

Well done.

A pattern is when shapes, colors, or lines repeat again and again and again and again.

Abstract is using shapes, colors, and lines in artwork to represent feelings or ideas.

A symbol is a picture or shape that stands for something else.

We'll find out some more about all of these keywords as we go through our lesson together.

We'll have a look at our lesson outline now and our learning cycles for today.

Firstly, we'll do a continuous line drawing and some pattern spotting.

Then we'll cut some abstract symbols and create a collage.

And then we'll color our symbols and we'll set sail.

We'll start with our continuous line drawing and pattern spotting.

Wonderful artwork to look at here.

Some really bright colors.

What patterns can you see in this artwork? Pause the video and point to the screen and spot as many patterns as you can.

Talk to your partner about what you see.

Great thinking everybody.

Here's Alex.

Alex will share what he's seen.

Alex says, I see lots of swirly lines and tiny shapes.

The patterns look like waves and wind.

The same lines are used again and again, like circles and spirals.

Good spotting, Alex.

Now we'll have a look at the shapes.

What shapes can you see in this artwork? Point to the screen and use your finger to find different shapes in the artwork.

Pause the video and name all the different shapes as you find them.

Great shape spotting.

Here's Alex again.

Alex says, I see lots of curvy shapes and some pointy ones too.

There are long boat shapes and round clouds.

There are oval and spiral shapes that feel soft.

Lovely descriptions, Alex, especially the round clouds.

Can you see any images that you recognize? Anything there that you can spot that you think, oh, that reminds me of something or I've seen that before.

Pause the video and talk to a partner about images that you feel you can recognize.

Great sharing.

You might have noticed a shape like a ship's wheel.

You might have noticed a figure floating.

Or you could have seen patterns like waves.

We're going to find out about a very exciting artist.

Julien Sinzogan is an artist from Benin, in West Africa.

He makes pictures of people, spirits, and boats.

They tell stories about journeys, history, and the spirit world.

His ghost-like boats show that even when people are taken far away, their spirit and their memory remain.

His art speaks about the past, especially about people who were taken from the continent of Africa on ships without choosing to go.

We'll pause now for a check for understanding.

What images or symbols do you notice in this artwork? Pause the video and become a detective.

Try and spot as many symbols as you can and as many images as you can.

Share your ideas with your partner.

Well done, everyone.

You were great art detectives today, looking carefully to spot the images and symbols in the artwork.

Some of the answers you may have had include.

This part of the artwork looks like a ship's wheel, guiding a boat through the sky.

I can see a figure floating behind the wheel.

Or there are patterns like waves.

I wonder what you saw.

Jun is making an artwork.

He's taking inspiration from Julien Sinzogan, this means he might use similar images to the artist such as ghost-like boats and sails to show stories of travel, memory, and return.

Jun says, I can use the images of boats and sails to share stories about travel, like the artist Julien Sinzogan.

Jun is going to make a continuous line drawing in pen without lifting his pen from the page.

This might be something that you've done before.

Jun says, I will keep my pen moving the whole time.

He then selects a small part of his drawing using a viewfinder.

A viewfinder is like a little window that helps you to see just a small part of a picture.

Jun redraws the patterns and shapes he can see in his viewfinder, making his drawing bigger and using only a black pen.

I can see the continuous line drawing with the viewfinder window over the top.

And then we have some pens.

And it looks like a different type of paper.

Jun says, I am now drawing on tracing paper so I can layer my artwork later.

That's a great idea, Jun.

Jun repeats this process until he has several patterns and papers.

Wow, amazing patterns.

I can see the bigger pen that John has used and the ideas he's taken from his small continuous line drawing.

We'll pause now for a check for understanding.

True or false? In a continuous line drawing, you lift your pencil up many times while drawing.

Is it true or is it false? Talk to someone nearby and think about your answer.

Pause the video and restart when you're ready.

Did you get that it was false? It is false.

Why is that? With continuous line drawing, you keep your pencil on the paper and draw one long line without stopping.

This helps your drawing look connected and flowing.

Now we're ready for task A.

Make a continuous line drawing that shows who you are.

When you make your continuous line drawing, you might.

Use black pen or a dark pencil.

Make patterns and shapes.

Use one continuous line that does not stop.

Draw a picture of yourself.

Draw things that you like.

Pause the video and enjoy making some flowing continuous line drawings.

You've done brilliantly.

Your continuous line drawing show great focus and great imagination.

When you did your continuous line drawing, you might have made a continuous line drawing like this artist.

Next, we're going to do part two of task A.

Using a viewfinder, the window, to select a part of the drawing.

Place your viewfinder over your drawing.

Use black pen and tracing paper to redraw what you see.

We are just drawing a small part of what you've already done, the bit we can see through the viewfinder's window.

Add to the patterns and shapes within your drawing.

If there's other things you've spotted, it's all about you and what you would like to add in now.

Pause the video and enjoy making your scaled-up continuous line drawing.

Fantastic work, really looking and observing.

When you did this activity, you might have.

Placed your viewfinder over your drawing.

Used black pen and tracing paper to redraw what you saw.

Added to the patterns and shapes within your drawing.

Great work, everyone.

We are now going to do lesson cycle two, Cut abstract symbols and collage.

Let's find out some more together.

Shapes can have special meanings or symbols like West African Adinkra symbols.

Lots to look at here.

Lots of different shapes and symbols.

An abstract symbol is a picture or shape that stands for something else.

It helps tell a story or share a message without using words.

I wonder if there's any hidden stories in the symbols we're looking at.

Your own collage can include shapes and pictures that are special to you.

Some of these might be abstract symbols.

Your abstract symbols might stand for something like, a feeling, a memory, a part of your life.

The collage does not have to contain abstract symbols, you can just enjoy shapes and colors.

You might choose to discuss your abstract symbols with other people.

But some abstract symbols hold personal or cultural meanings that you don't have to explain to others.

It makes some very special feel if they've got a hidden meaning that's just known to you.

We'll pause now for a check for understanding.

All abstract symbols need to be explained to others.

Do we think this is true or false? Pause the video while you think if this is true or this is false.

Did you get the answer false? It is false.

Let's find out why.

Some abstract symbols hold personal or cultural meanings that don't have to be explained.

The West African Adinkra symbol Sankofa, means go back and fetch it and that we carry our past with us.

Jun is now going to layer patterns and abstract symbols over his work.

Jun says, I'm going to start by cutting colored paper, taking some ideas and patterns from Sinzogan's sails.

He might try different paper cutting techniques such as.

Tearing.

I like tearing.

Folding.

Cutting curves.

Cutting points.

You might start with some of the shapes that you know.

This might be a school badge, a football logo, or something special from home.

You can add these shapes to make a new one that tells a story or shows a feeling.

Jun arranges his colored shapes over his black and white line drawing.

Jun says, I've tried a few different ways of arranging my abstract symbols over my drawing.

I like that Jun's moving those shapes around and designing as he goes along.

We have some glue here.

Jun says, when I'm happy with my arrangement, I can glue my design down.

We'll have a check now for understanding.

Which step in this process is missing? So number one, we've got a picture of scissors and colored card.

Cut shapes or symbols from colored paper.

That's the instruction.

Number two, we've got arrange your shapes over your drawing.

So this is when Jun was moving his shapes around.

And then number three, we have a missing picture box and a missing explanation.

Pause the video and discuss with a partner what you think is missing.

Great sharing of ideas, everybody.

This is what was missing.

The picture now has the paper shapes, the black and white drawing, and the PVA glue.

And the instruction is to glue your shapes to your drawing.

Fantastic, we are ready to start task B, Cut abstract symbols and collage.

Cut shapes or symbols from colored paper.

Arrange your shapes over your drawing.

Glue your shapes to your drawing.

Pause the video and enjoy working with color and shape.

Great work.

Some wonderful designs emerging.

You might have, when you are making your collage symbol.

Chosen abstract symbols that have meaning or tell a story.

Used shapes that you liked or reminded you of something, some personal things.

Use different cutting techniques.

We'll go on now to our very last learning cycle, Color your symbols and set sail.

Jun is making his artwork into a sail.

A sail is a piece of fabric on a boat that catches the wind and helps the boat move across the water.

Sails can sometimes be used by artists as a symbol.

They might represent ideas about travel, journeys, adventure, and leaving home.

Sometimes sails can be used as a symbol of migration.

This means they can stand for people moving from one place to another.

When we migrate, we carry our memories, our skills, and our culture with us.

What might the sail of a boat symbolize? We'll have a check for understanding.

I'd like you to pause the video and think about what we've just learned and talk to someone nearby about what you feel the sail of a boat could symbolize.

Thank you for all that wonderful thinking and sharing of ideas.

Some of the answers you might have got could have included.

A sail might be a symbol for going on a journey, or traveling to a new place.

A sail could mean that something is starting or changing like a new story or a big idea.

It might symbolize hopes and dreams. Well done, everyone.

Jun turns over his tracing paper and adds oil pastel colors to the back of his design.

And now he's added some color, some blue.

Jun says, I've chosen blue as it reminds me of clear skies and the blue waves of the sea.

You might choose colors that you simply like or colors that have a particular meaning to you.

It's all about you, remember? Point to the screen if you can see your favorite color.

You might have more than one or it might not be there.

Think about why your favorite color is special to you.

Jun pauses to think about what his sail might mean.

Jun says, maybe it shows I'm going on a journey.

Or it could mean I'm moving forward like I'm growing.

He continues to add oil pastel and pattern to his sail.

We can see how Jun has arranged his collage design and done his pastel color on the other side of his tracing paper.

We have all the primary colors there, blue, yellow, and red.

Jun uses a hole punch and a stick to make his work into a sail.

He says, I will punch a hole in the top and bottom of my artwork and push the stick through.

We will pause here for a check for understanding.

True or false? Your tracing paper should be turned over before adding oil pastel.

So think back to how Jun started.

Is it true or false? Pause the video and talk to someone nearby and share your ideas.

It's true.

Why is it true? This means your black lines will still show up on your final sail.

So the pastel must go on the back of the sail when you've turned over your tracing paper.

Brilliant.

We are ready to do task C together, Color your symbols and set sail.

Turn your artwork over.

Add oil pastel in your choice of colors.

Punch a hole in the top and bottom of your artwork and push the stick through.

Pause the video and enjoy making your special individual sail that's all about you.

Brilliant work.

You've combined everything you've learned together to create something full of color and full of meaning.

While you made your sail, you might have.

Added color with oil pastel.

Made your artwork into a sail.

And added extra patterns and color to the reverse of your artwork.

Fantastic.

You have worked really hard today and been super creative.

We have a summary to look at together of all the amazing things that we have done.

Firstly, we looked at amazing artist, Julien Sinzogan.

Artists like Julien Sinzogan used sails to talk about identity and to talk about history.

We looked at Adinkra stamps and thought about how art can use abstract symbols to help us share stories without needing to explain them.

We had some hidden symbols.

You did amazing continuous line drawing, which can help us see shapes and symbols in new ways.

And then we use color and shape and thought about how collage can be used to create abstract patterns and show ideas.

Great work, everyone.

I hope to see you in another art lesson soon.

Bye for now.