Lesson video

Welcome to lesson 2 on creative crafts, my name is Liz and I will be guiding you through this lesson.

In lesson 1, you learned about different types of crafts and experimented with weaving.

And in this lesson, you'll be learning about paper crafts, and we'll be trying out some different techniques.

So let's take a look at what equipment you will need for this lesson.

You will need a pair of scissors, a pencil, some glue, your sketchbook, some paint and brushes or you could use felt pens or crayons or coloured pencils.

You'll also need a sheet of A4 white paper and a square piece of paper.

It is best if this sheet of paper is coloured or patterned, and if you have any origami paper that will be ideal.

For some of these activities, you will need an adult to help or supervise you.

In this lesson you will be, recapping on your learning, learning about different types of paper crafts, experimenting with paper cutting, designing, making and evaluating a folding fan, and using a sketchbook to record your learning and ideas.

Throughout the video, look out for the keywords they will be in a bold coloured font.

The first key word is origami.

This is the Japanese art of paper folding.

The next key word is kirie, the Japanese art of paper cutting.

And the final key word is sensu, the Japanese name for a folding fan.

Okay, time for a recap.

Answer the questions in the next part of the video with either true or false.

Wicker is a type of knitting.

Is this true or is it false? It is false.

Wicker is a type of weaving.

In weaving, the weft is woven over and under the warp.

Is this true or is it false? Yes, it's true.

The weft is woven over and under the warp.

In the next part of the lesson, you'll be learning about different types of paper crafts, and the techniques used to create them.

You will be learning about origami, sensu, also known as a folding fan, and paper cutting.

Origami is the Japanese art of folding paper.

The name origami comes from two Japanese words, ori meaning to fold, folding and gami meaning paper.

A popular origami model is the crane.

The crane is seen as a symbol of good fortune and long life.

It is also a symbol of hope and healing.

Origami means tearing paper.

Is this true or is it false? Yes, it is false.

Origami is the Japanese art of paper folding, not tearing paper.

Sensu is a folding fan that originates from Japan.

Now typically a sensu is made from bamboo and paper.

Others may be made from materials such as silk, wood and cotton, and there are different types of sensu used for different purposes, including for dancing, for decoration, and to keep yourself cool.

Washi paper may be used in the making the fan, and washi paper is made from fibres of different plants, such as the Kozo or the paper mulberry tree.

Designs painted onto the fans may include; landscapes, cherry blossom, flowers, butterflies, fish, and birds.

Sensu is also known as a folding fan.

Do you think this is true or do you think it's false? Correct, it is true, sensu is a Japanese folding fan.

Paper was invented in China, and it was from here that paper cutting originated.

It is believed that paper cutting was developed around the sixth century.

Paper cutting requires flexibility and precision and can be very difficult to master.

A specialist craft knife or scissors are used to cut out the design.

And paper cuttings maybe used as decoration in the home, or maybe given as gifts.

It is a common belief that the entrance of homes that are decorated with cutouts will bring good luck to those who live there.

In Japan, the art of paper cutting is known as Kirie.

Kirie involves taking one sheet of paper, and cutting a design into it using craft knife.

Artists such as Masayo Fukuda are able to create the most intricate design from a single piece of paper.

Perhaps after the lesson, you can look for more examples of kirie artworks, maybe those made by Masayo Fukuda, there are some incredibly delicate and beautiful ones of undersea creatures.

Kirie is the Chinese art of paper cutting.

Do you think the answer is true or do you think it's false? The answer is false.

Kirie is the Japanese art of paper cutting.

Let's take a look at some examples of other paper based crafts.

Papier mache or paper mache means chewed paper in French.

Paper mache is made up of pieces of paper that are bound together by an adhesive such as glue, or wallpaper paste.

You can apply a paper mache over a structure to add detail and strength, and paper mache may be used in two different ways.

Firstly, by layering strips of paper on top of each other with glue or paste, or secondly, by soaking or boiling paper with water to make it into a pulp.

And then the paper pulp can then be moulded like clay.

The masks on the screen were made from card first, and then covered in paper mache, then left to dry and then painted.

Making your own handmade paper is a great way of recycling different types of paper, such as newspaper, magazines, and paper towels.

The process involves making a pulp out of paper and water, and then spreading it out flat and allowing it to dry.

Maybe you could find out more about paper making after the lesson, and have a go at making your own.

The final example is decoupage.

Now this is a technique that involves glueing paper cutouts onto an object.

You're going to learn more about these in the next lesson.

Time for sketchbook activity.

I'd like you to rewind the video to the start of the section on paper crafts, and read through the information again.

Then, in your sketchbook, I'd like you to draw, write or you can do both about what you've learned.

And remember to include any key words too.

Restart the video when you have completed your work.

In the next part of the lesson, you are going to be experimenting with cutting designs into paper.

For this activity, you will need a pair of scissors and a square piece of paper.

And as you will be cutting, a thinner type of paper is best.

It will help to have more than one piece of square paper, in case your idea doesn't work the first time.

And if you have origami paper, which is often coloured on one side and plain on the other, then you can use this.

You will need an adult to help or supervise you for this activity.

First, you will need to fold your paper.

I would like you to follow steps one to four in the pictures and watch the video first.

Now it's your turn, make sure you fold carefully and accurately.

Now it's time to start experimenting.

I would like you to experiment with cutting shapes into your paper whilst it is folded, and then open it up when you're done.

Steps five to nine in the pictures, the animation on the top right of your screen, and the video clip in the middle of your screen show you what i did next.

You can follow my example first, and then try your own, or start straightaway with your own idea.

If you want to watch the video clip, press play and you can view on full screen if you prefer.

When you have finished experimenting with the paper cutting, restart the video.

How did you get on with your paper cutting? What worked well? Did anything not work? And when it didn't work as expected, what did you do? I hope you gave it another go.

Figuring out what works, what doesn't work and trying something again or in a different way is an important part of the art making process.

In the next part of the lesson, you'll be making your own folding fan.

You will need a sheet of A4 white paper, your sketchbook, a pencil and some paints and brushes, or you could use felt pens or coloured pencils instead.

First of all, let's take a look at some artwork.

On the screen is a photograph of an artwork which was created by the textile artist, Reiko Sudo.

It was made using over 200 Japanese fans.

Each fan is different from the other.

The fans are made from fabric which has been dyed different shades of indigo.

Indigo dye has been used in Japan for hundreds of years and is still used today.

The deep blue of the indigo dye comes from the leaves of an indigo plant.

Look carefully at the artwork.

What do the colours and shapes remind you of? Before you begin to make your folding fan, you will need some inspiration.

The picture on the screen is by the Japanese artist Hokusai.

It is known as The Great Wave.

The original artwork was made using coloured woodblock printing, and it depicts a huge wave about to come crashing down on some fishing boats.

In the distance is Mount Fuji, the Japanese mountain.

The print was created when Hokusai was around 70 years old.

Look carefully at the picture.

What colours can you see in the print? Can you describe the shape of the waves that you can see? Hokusai painted The Great Wave.

Do you think this is true or do you think it's false? It is false.

Hokusai used a technique known as woodblock printing.

Flowers are a popular design for decorating fans, including cherry blossoms and chrysanthemums. We have looked at waves in Hokusai's work and flowers as well.

I would like you to think about what design you would like on your folding fan, and choose between waves or flowers.

Now you have decided on your design, you'll need to do some research.

Search online for images of waves or flowers.

When searching for images online, ask an adult to help or supervise you.

When you have find some ideas, draw them in your sketchbook, and think about what colours you will use.

If you want your colours to be dark or light on your fan.

I'm just going to show you an example from my sketchbook.

So on this page, I put the image of Hokusai's, Great Wave, and then underneath, I've drawn some different examples of waves, and then I've also had a go at drawing some different types of flowers, you can see an example on the screen, and also in my sketchbook, you can see some further examples of ideas for flowers that I might use on my folding fan.

Once you've gathered all your ideas in your sketchbook, I'd like you to choose one design that you will use for your fan.

Ideally, you want to paint your design onto A4 paper, and so you can see on the screen the examples of two pieces of work that I've done.

So this is my first one, the image that you can see on the screen.

These are different flowers that I've painted and I used watercolours for that.

And then my second painting, I drew examples of different types of waves, and painted those also with watercolours just to give you a few ideas for your own work.

So as I say, you can either paint onto your paper if you have paint, or you could use drawing inks, or felt pens or coloured pencils.

And if you are painting, you'll need to leave time for it to dry.

Now it's time to make your folding fan.

Watch the animation first, when you're ready, you can start folding your fan.

Just a little tip for you.

Here's my folding fan that I've made the one that you can see in the animation on the screen.

And at the final stage, you will need to put some glue down in the centre to join the two halves together so that you can close and open up your fan as well.

So how did you get on? If you're able to take a photograph of your fan, print it out and stick it in your sketchbook or you could stick the whole fan in your sketchbook like I've done here.

What did you like most about your fan? And is there anything that didn't work as well or that you would change? Have a look at the image on the screen.

This is the fan that I made.

I like the colours I've chosen on mine, I think they're vibrant, and they really stand out even when I folded the paper to make the fan.

But I do think I could have added more details around the edges.

Now your turn, have a go at evaluating your fan.

Use the questions on the screen to help you.

You can tell someone or you can write down your thoughts in your sketchbook.

Well done for all of the experimenting and making you have done in the lesson.

Now after the lesson, why not find some more examples of paper crafts, or explore other ideas for paper folding.

You can put them in your sketchbook.

If you'd like to share a photograph of your work, please ask your parent or carer to share it on Twitter, tagging at Oak National and hashtag learn with Oak.

I'll see you in the next lesson.