Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you doing today? I hope you're really well.

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'm your art teacher for today, which makes me feel very happy.

And one of the reasons for that is because today we're doing some printing.

A lesson is called print a repeat pattern using a motif.

It comes from the unit of work perfect patterns, drawing and design.

We've done so much hard work already and now we're gonna make our own prints with our own motif that we have designed.

Oh my goodness, it's gonna be fun.

Are you ready? The outcome for our lesson today is I can print a repeating pattern using a motif.

Sounds like a lot of fun, I know.

Keywords.

We have the following keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Printmaking, print, printing, motif.

Great to hear those.

Let's find out what they mean.

Printmaking is making pictures by pressing a design from a block, plate, or screen onto paper or fabric.

Print, printing, a way of making a copy of something.

A motif is a repeated pattern, image, or theme.

These are our keywords.

Let's go through them one more time.

Printmaking, print, printing, motif.

Loved hearing those.

Let's be on the lookout for them.

They will be coming up in our lesson today.

Today's lesson is called print a repeat pattern using a motif, and it has two learning cycles.

Firstly, transferring your motif and next foam printing and pattern making.

Oh my goodness.

I can't wait till we get to that bit.

But let's begin with our first learning cycle, transferring your motif.

Where have you seen repeated patterns in everyday life? Take a look at this image.

Maybe that gives you some ideas.

Where have you seen patterns, repeated patterns? Pause the video and tell someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

I wonder what you came up with.

Maybe you've seen repeated patterns on clothing.

Maybe you've seen them on cushions or on curtains or on carpets, or perhaps somewhere else.

You may remember designing a motif.

Remember, a motif is a repeating pattern, image, or theme.

Here's motif, so beautiful.

Here's another one and here's another one.

Oh my goodness.

Pause video and share with someone nearby.

What kinds of motifs are these? What have they been inspired by? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

The first motif is a paisley design, that kind of beautiful teardrop shape.

Then one in the middle is inspired by kente cloth from Ghana.

And the third one is a floral design, often used in Islamic art, but also in henna patterns.

In Mandy patterns.

Today, we will explore how artists and designers use motifs to create repeated patterns through printing.

So what is printing? I think that image there is giving you a little bit of an idea.

Pause the video and share with someone nearby, what is printing? Perhaps you shared something like this.

Printing is a way of making a copy of something.

Can you think of any examples of printing? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Why might artists use printing instead of drawing each motif by hand? Hmm.

Pause video why do you think this would be the case of using printing instead of drawing again and again by hand? Perhaps you said something like this.

"Artists use printing so their designs look the same each time.

It's quicker than drawing by hand and helps make lots of copies.

This way, patterns stay neat and match perfectly." As we can see it with those printed images on the screen.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Why do artists use printing for repeated patterns? A, it helps create consistent designs.

B, it takes longer than drawing by hand.

C, it makes each pattern look completely different.

D, can only be used on fabric.

Pause the video while you decide why artists use printing for repeated patterns.

Well done if you selected answer A.

Yes indeed, it helps create consistent designs.

Printing is a way of making a copy of something.

Printmaking has been around for centuries and some of the earliest examples of prints are from the Han Dynasty China.

Patterns or images are carved into a printing plate.

Ink is then rolled onto the plate and transferred from one surface to another.

And here we can see an example of a linoleum printing plate.

We can see some ink is being applied to the plate and then next the plate will be transferred onto another surface.

Many surfaces can act as a printing plate.

So here, we can see some woodblock printing.

Woodblock and linoleum are examples of traditional printing plates.

To create your plate, you will use foam as your printing plate.

To create your print, you'll select a motif to draw.

Pause the video and share with someone, why do you think they're using foam? Why is foam a useful material to use for printing? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Maybe you share the fact that it's light and easy for us to use, and also because it's a material that we can quite easily transfer our design onto.

More to come on that soon.

To create your print, you'll select a motif to draw.

You may have examples in your sketchbook to choose from.

Love this kente cloth inspired motif.

I like the way that it's kind of symmetrical, but not exactly.

Really makes it quite interesting.

And remember, you can refine your design as you go along.

You can keep making changes, adding to it, changing it.

Jun wants to transfer the motif below.

What advice would you give to Jun as he transfers this paisley print? Maybe you said something like this.

"It's best to keep the motif simple, as smaller details may not appear in the print." Really good advice there.

To transfer your design to the foam printing plate, place your paper sketch on top of the foam and use a pencil to trace over your motif, pressing firmly.

This creates an indented design on the foam.

And you might want to use masking tape to stop the paper from slipping.

Top tip there.

To carve your design into the foam printing plate, go over your lines.

Use a blunt pencil or wooden tool to deepen the lines, but avoid pressing too hard as this could tear the foam.

Remember, lines that are too shallow may not print well.

So we're really trying to find a balance between not pressing too hard that we tear the foam, but hard enough that the lines will be quite clear and then we'll be able to get a good print from them.

Here is Lucas's plate.

Hmm.

What could be improved? Pause the video and tell someone nearby.

"Pressing too lightly will not create a deep enough impression.

Make sure the lines are clearly indented." Yeah, that is a good point.

Make sure to press a little harder, Lucas, to get a deep enough impression.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which statements are true? A, lines that are too shallow may not show up well when printed.

B, smaller details may not appear in the print.

C, you must use a permanent marker for tracing or the design won't transfer.

D, once traced, the motif cannot be altered or adjusted in any way.

Pause the video while you select which statements are true.

Well done if you selected statements A and B.

Indeed, lines at a two shallow won't show up so well and the smaller details may not appear in the print.

Are you ready? It's time for your first task.

You are going to be transferring your motif onto the foam printing plate.

First of all, sketch your motif on paper, keeping it bold and simple, and place your paper on top of the foam plate and trace over the design with a pencil.

You might want to use a little bit of masking tape to hold it in place.

Press firmly to create clear indents in the foam plate.

Go over the lines again to deepen them, but be careful not to tear the foam.

And think, "Are your lines deep enough to show up when printed?" Okay, off you go.

Transfer your motif onto your foam printing plate.

Enjoy your task and I'll see you when you're finished.

Pause the video here.

It's great to be back with you.

You might have carefully sketched a bold and simple motif.

If your line's transferred well, they should be clearly visible on the foam as we can see in this wonderful example of a kente cloth inspired print.

If your lines are too faint, try pressing a little harder when tracing.

Going over your lines again can help deepen the design, but be gentle to avoid tearing the foam.

We're always looking for that middle way.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle, foam printing and pattern making.

Are you ready? Let's go.

How did the artist create this print? Pause video and tell someone nearby.

How do you think they created this print? I wonder what answers you came up with.

Perhaps you had a sense that the artist was using ink to transfer the print.

So once you have created your printing plate, you can roll ink onto the surface and transfer to create your print.

So there's our printing plate.

We get our printing ink and roll it onto the surface of our printing plate.

So rolling the ink or paint.

Use a roller or brush to evenly spread ink or paint over the tray surface.

Avoid using too much ink.

And then apply the ink or paint coating your foam printing plate.

Use a roller or brush to evenly spread the ink or paint over the foam surface.

Avoid using too much ink or it may smudge.

And then you press the foam gently onto your paper or fabric.

"I pressed harder, but I'm not sure if that made a difference," says June.

Even pressure creates the best result.

Lift the plate carefully to reveal your print.

Oh, that is a very wonderful moment of lifting up your plate and revealing your print.

Repeat the process to create a pattern.

Just keep having wonderful moments one after the other.

Check for understanding.

Choose the first step for printing.

A, rolling the ink onto your plate.

B, rolling the ink into your tray, or C, revealing your print.

Pause the video while you decide which of these is the first step for printing.

Well done if you selected B.

Indeed, we need to start with the ink or paint in our tray.

And here are some ways you can repeat a motif.

You could do a straight repeat, placing motifs in a row.

"How can I make sure my prints line up neatly each time?" Says Lucas.

Hmm.

Pause the video.

Have a think about that and share with someone.

"Careful spacing and alignment keeps prints even preventing gaps or overlaps for a clear and balanced pattern." Maybe that's what you said.

Oh, look at that.

Really nice.

And you can do this by using a ruler, marking light guidelines and carefully lining up each print.

Great suggestions.

What else can you do of your prints? Well, you could have a rotated repeat, turning motifs in different directions.

Oh, I like those.

Spinning them around like that.

You could have a mirrored repeat, flipping motifs to create symmetry.

Check for understanding.

How does rotating or flipping the motif change the overall design? Is it A, it makes a print disappear? B, it adds more colours to the print or C, it creates a different look or pattern.

Pause video while you decide how rotating or flipping the motif changes the overall design.

Well done if you selected C, it creates a different look or pattern.

Jun reflects on his print.

Hmm.

"I like my red print, but kente cloth has lots of bright colours like yellow, green, and blue.

I think if I add more colours, it will look more like real kente patterns." That is a great idea, Jun.

What colours might June choose to use? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing your predictions.

We will find out which colours Jun goes for shortly.

Before changing colours, wash and dry your foam plate.

Be careful not to snap the foam.

Top tip from Sofia.

"You can use a damp cloth to clean the plate gently." Love that.

Jun decides to layer yellow on top of his red print.

I wonder if that's the colour you chose earlier.

"I'm going to print yellow on top of the red.

Maybe the colours will mix a little and make it look even more interesting." Shall we find out? Oh yes, it does look more interesting.

I love that, Jun.

Check for understanding.

True or false? You do not need to wash your foam plate before changing colours.

Pause the video and decide if this is true or false and say a little more about your answer.

Well done if you selected false.

You should wash your plate before changing colours to keep the prints clean and avoid mixing colours.

Adding a background colour before printing a darker motif makes the design stand out.

"Kente cloth has bold colours, so I'll use a bright background and print my motif on top with a darker colour." Love your thinking, Jun.

How will a light or dark background affect your motif? Pause the video and tell someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing.

You could use one colour or create a gradient.

So we can see this gradient of colours merging from the yellow, orange to red.

Make sure the background is dry before printing on top.

Jun says, "I think printing a darker colour over a light background will make my design pop more." Should we see? Oh my goodness.

That is totally popping.

Yes, I love that, Jun.

We can really see your design so clearly now that you've used the darker colour on top over the lighter background.

This creates contrast because the dark colour and light background are so different making the design stand out.

Why do you think a dark colour works better on a light background? Pause the video and share with someone.

A dark colour contrasts, I wonder if you use that word in your answer, with a light background, making the print stand out more and appear clearer and more striking.

It's time for your task.

Yes, you are getting down to some foam printing.

First of all, create a print using your foam plate.

Apply ink or paint to your foam motif using a roller or brush.

Experiment with different ways to repeat your motif.

You could go for a straight repeat, lined up neatly, remember? You could go for a rotated repeat, turning the motif in different directions.

You could have a mirrored repeat, flipping the motif for symmetry.

Print your motif multiple times to create an interesting pattern.

So that's the first part of your task.

Next part, create a colourful background inspired by your chosen motif.

Mix two colours together by rolling and mixing on the tray and then using your foam printing plate, print over the background.

And finally, I'd like you to reflect upon what you have done today.

Which repetition style do you like the best? How does the background change the look of your motif and what would you like to improve? So pause the video while you have a go at this multi-stage task and I will see you when you're finished.

It's great to be back with you.

So for the first part of your task, you should have created a print of your motif.

First of all, using one colour.

Remember applying firm, even pressure.

And then perhaps you were even layering two colours.

For the next part of your task, you should have made a colourful background inspired by your chosen motif.

Perhaps creating a gradient using two colours.

And then you may have printed over your background by carefully aligning using your foam printing plate.

Layer your print using a darker colour.

And finally, you may have discussed during your reflection time.

"I like the style where the prints are in rows because it looks neat and organised.

The background changes the look by making my motif stand out more.

I can improve by using a lighter background colour." "I like the scattered pattern.

I did this by rotating my prints.

The background makes my motif pop if it's light but looks bolder if it's dark." Love those reflections and really love the way you've engaged with this lesson today, creating your foam prints.

In our lesson today, print a repeat pattern using a motif, we've covered the following.

Foam printing can be used to transfer a motif onto paper or fabric.

Repeating, rotating and mirroring a motif creates different pattern effects.

Careful spacing and alignment helped create a neat and effective repeated pattern.

Well done, everyone, for all you have put into this lesson.

Oh my goodness.

I absolutely love these prints you've come up with.

I hope you're feeling so proud of yourself and I hope you'll stay super creative.

Until I see you next.

Bye for now.