Lesson video

Hello everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling great.

My name's Ms. Afsal, and I am your art teacher for today, which I'm extremely happy about because I love teaching art and I am even more happy than usual because today's lesson is called "Patterns in Nature" and nature is one of my favourite things ever.

So, I'm really excited for us to be exploring patterns in nature, and I hope you enjoy nature as well.

Our lesson comes from the unit of work "Perfect Patterns, Drawing and Design." Let's get into looking at nature and finding some patterns.

The outcome for our lesson today is I can carefully observe patterns in nature and record them in my sketchbook.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Pattern.

Line.

Symmetry.

That was great to hear those words.

Let's find out what they mean.

Pattern is a design in which lines shapes, forms, or colours are repeated.

Line, it's a mark made by a moving point, such as a pencil or brush.

And symmetry is a shape or object that can be split into two matching halves.

These are our keywords.

Let's go through them one more time.

Pattern.

Line.

Symmetry.

Great stuff.

Let's look out for them.

Let's listen out for them.

Let's think carefully about these fantastic keywords that will come up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called "Patterns in Nature." It has two parts to it.

First of all, patterns in nature.

And next we are going on a pattern hunt.

Let's begin, patterns in nature.

Take a look at these images.

How many patterns can you find? Pause the video and tell someone nearby.

Okay, so what did you come up with? So many amazing patterns that we can see in this zebra with the stripes and the lines that we can see in the next two images.

Well done for spotting the patterns.

Patterns are everywhere in nature.

Take a look at this image.

First of all, can you tell someone nearby what is this image of and what kind of pattern can you see? Well done for sharing with each other.

Did you share that this is honeycomb? And that the pattern is repeated hexagons? Those wonderful six-sided shapes.

If we look closely at animals, plants, and even the weather, we can see shapes, colours, and lines that repeat.

There's another of our keywords, lines.

Take a good look at these three images.

Which of these is an example of a natural pattern? Pause the video and tell someone nearby.

Well done if you selected image A.

Some patterns are natural, like the zebra in the first image, but some, such as the stripes on your socks are human made patterns.

Hmm, I wonder what Sofia has noticed.

Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

What do you observe about the pattern on this ladybird? Let's see if it's the same as what Sofia has observed.

"I noticed that a ladybird has small round spots that are the same on both sides of its body." I wonder if that's what you noticed.

Some ladybirds have symmetrical dots.

There's our keyword, symmetrical, meaning the spots on one side match the other.

Look at this amazing zebra with this wonderful pattern on its coat.

A zebra's stripes go up and down in a pattern that makes each zebra unique.

How amazing is that? That every single zebra has their own unique pattern of stripes.

The stripes show a repeating pattern.

Pause the video here and tell someone nearby what do you notice about the pattern on the shell of this snail.

Here's Sofia, "If you look closely at a snail, you can see how the lines curve around in a spiral getting bigger as they go." Yes, I see that, Sofia.

I wonder if that's what you noticed as well.

The snail's shell has a spiralling pattern.

So beautiful.

Take a look at these three images.

These are all examples of natural patterns, shapes, lines, and colours that repeat in nature.

Pause the video and tell someone nearby which of these is your favourite pattern, the pattern on the ladybird, on a shell or on a zebra.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of these is an example of a symmetrical pattern? So they all have patterns.

Which of these has a symmetrical pattern? Pause the video, and share with someone nearby.

Well done if you selected the butterfly in image B and the ladybird in image C.

Both of these have a symmetrical pattern where the pattern is the same on each side.

Natural patterns can be used as inspiration by many artists.

Let's find out who has been using natural patterns for their inspiration.

So we have Yayoi Kusama whose work "Infinity Net" from 1959 was inspired by natural patterns.

Ernst Haeckel's "Kunstformen der Natur" is also inspired by patterns in nature.

William Morris's "Strawberry Thief" from 1883 is inspired by patterns from nature.

And so is Ranjani Shettar's "Sun-Sneezers Blow Light Bubbles." Oh my goodness, I love the title of that work.

Maybe you could look up these artists and these works of art to see how they have used patterns from nature as inspiration.

We can observe and draw patterns in nature such as repetition.

We can see how that pattern on the butterfly's wing has been repeated.

We can think about the colours that are repeated, the symmetry.

Remember, symmetry is when one side is the same as the other.

And we can think about the shapes that form part of the pattern.

Artists can create unique designs inspired by nature.

Check for understanding.

When artists look at nature for inspiration, which of the following features could they use to make their patterns unique? A, only paint.

B, only numbers and letters.

Or C, shapes, symmetry, repetition and colours.

Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected C.

Indeed, they can use shapes, symmetry, repetition, and colours to make their patterns unique.

You can explore patterns in nature by tracing over them to see how they are structured.

It's a really helpful tip.

This way we can really see the pattern of the stripes on the zebra.

Using tracing paper, you can carefully follow the lines and shapes in patterns and this will help you understand how patterns repeat and connect.

Sam has traced a pattern of a shell.

"I focused on the key lines only," says Sam.

What could Sam do differently? Pause the video and tell someone nearby.

What else might they add in or focus on? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

You could try simplifying or exaggerating parts of the design to make it your own.

So you could add in some more lines or you could add in some dots into the spiral.

And remember, as Sam says, "There is no right or wrong way to do this.

I get to decide." That's the best thing about being an artist.

What do you notice about these two traced patterns? They're quite similar, but also there are some differences.

Pause the video and tell somebody what those are.

Perhaps you notice that one of these patterns has been simplified and one has been exaggerated.

So to simplify your design, instead of drawing every tiny detail, you could remove some smaller details, draw key lines only.

To exaggerate your design, you could use thicker lines, wavy lines, or curved lines.

And remember, there's no right or wrong way.

It's up to you.

You could simplify.

You could exaggerate.

Just go for whatever you feel like doing.

Check for understanding.

Look at the images below.

Which shows use of thicker lines? Is it A, B, or C? Pause the video and share with someone.

Well done if you selected B and C.

They're both using thicker lines in some places.

You could make your designs unique by combining the techniques below.

You could use wavy lines, thicker lines, curved lines.

Check for understanding.

Which of these is an example of simplifying a natural pattern? A, drawing every tiny detail of a butterfly wing exactly as it is.

B, removing small details and focusing on the main shapes of a leaf's veins.

Or C, making the stripes on the zebra much thicker.

Pause video and decide which of these is an example of simplifying a natural pattern.

Well done if you selected B.

Indeed, removing some details and focusing on the main shapes is what will give you a simpler pattern.

Let's have a little go at something.

So first of all, I'm going to choose a pattern and trace it.

So this is me choosing and tracing my pattern of a spiral.

And now it's your turn.

I would like you to choose a pattern and trace over it.

Pause the video while you do this.

Well done.

And you may have carefully traced the pattern, keeping its main features, or perhaps you simplified it or exaggerated it.

And now it's time for your first task.

Some pattern tracing.

Use tracing paper over printed natural patterns.

For example, butterfly wings, tree bark, fish scales.

Trace over the key lines to identify how the patterns are structured.

You could experiment with simplifying the design, exaggerating the design, using a variety of thick and thin lines.

So pause the video while you trace over some images of natural patterns and identify how those patterns are structured.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Great to be back with you.

You may have traced a variety of patterns by simplifying, by removing details while keeping the overall shape, by repeating wavy and curved lines, by exaggerating certain parts to make them bolder or more expressive.

And now it's time to go on a pattern hunt.

Are you ready? Excited to find their own patterns, Izzy and Alex explore outside and around the classroom.

Hmm.

I wonder what patterns they find.

I want you to pause for a moment and just look around you without moving, just where you are right now.

What patterns can you see around you? Thanks for having a look for some patterns.

I saw some patterns on the spine of a book on my bookshelf.

Let's take a look at this beautiful flower.

What patterns can you see? Pause the video and tell someone nearby.

Here's Alex, "The petals are repeated over and over in a circle around the middle." Good observation, Alex.

Take a look at this butterfly.

What patterns can you see? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Here's Izzy, "The butterfly's wings look the same on both sides.

It has got symmetry." Fantastic.

Good spot, Izzy.

I wonder if you notice that too.

Take a look at this fish.

What patterns can you see? Pause the video and share with someone.

Izzy says, "The orange and white stripes on a clownfish form a simple colour pattern." They realise that patterns are everywhere in nature and each one is unique.

I would like you to describe a natural pattern that you observed today.

What did it look like? You could use the word banks to help you.

So maybe you saw a leaf, a butterfly, a wing, tree bark, a snail shell, some animal fur.

What kind of shapes did you see on it and how were they repeated? So pause the video while you complete this sentence.

I observed the pattern on.

It had shapes that repeated in a way.

Pause the video while you complete the sentence about a natural pattern that you observed today.

Perhaps you said something like this.

I observed a pattern on a leaf.

It had long, thin shapes that repeated in a branching way.

Thanks for sharing your sentence.

Artists can observe and draw the patterns they see into their sketchbooks.

They may choose to focus on shape, symmetry, repetition, colours.

Izzy finds a ladybird and carefully sketches the patterns she sees on its body.

She has sketched the different size spots.

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

She could try adding colour to parts of the design to make it her own.

That's a really great idea.

Aha.

And now take a look, at this version.

Let's hear from Izzy.

"My second version is not perfectly symmetrical, but that's okay because the dots are still repeated in a pattern." I love that and I love the colours that Izzy has chosen.

They really replicate what we can see on the ladybird.

Check for understanding, true or false.

If a design is not symmetrical, it can never be a pattern.

Pause the video and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

Even if a design is not symmetrical, it can still be a pattern if the shapes or colours repeat.

You can combine different features like wavy or curvy lines and thick or thin lines from various patterns to create your very own unique design.

Izzy says, "I could take curvy, thick and thin lines from a leaf, add dots from the ladybird and create my own pattern." I love that idea, Izzy, and I can't wait to see what it looks like.

Oh wow.

That's fantastic.

We created something so different using those line, but yeah, I can still see the lines from the leaf and the dots from the ladybird.

For your next task, I would like you to go on a pattern hunt around the classroom or outside.

Look closely at leaves, bark, flowers or even textures on objects.

Sketch at least three different patterns you find, focusing on their shapes and repetition.

Simplify or exaggerate one of your patterns to create a new design.

Combine patterns from different objects to invent something unique.

Add colours to your patterns inspired by nature's tones.

Or use your imagination to create a unique colour palette.

Enjoy your pattern hunt and then creating your own pattern.

Pause the video while you do this.

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task? You may have drawn exaggerated lines.

Your design might have used thicker lines and different marks.

Maybe simplified your patterns or added colour.

Maybe you combined patterns to create a unique design.

Well done everybody.

This pattern hunt has been very adventurous and I love what you've created at the end of it.

In our lesson today, "Patterns in Nature," we have covered the following.

Patterns can be found in nature, such as in leaves, shells, animal markings and flowers.

Natural patterns can be symmetrical, spiral or repeating.

Observing and recording patterns in a sketchbook helps us develop ideas for artwork.

Thick, thin, wavy, or curvy lines can be used to create unique patterns.

Oh wow, this was so much fun going on this pattern hunt, finding patterns in nature or in objects around us, and then creating our own patterns.

Well done everyone.

I love your creations and hope you can keep your eyes out for patterns in nature and all around you.

I'll see you at another art lesson soon.

Bye for now.