Lesson video

Hello.

Welcome to our art lesson today.

My name is Ms. Holland, and I'm gonna be teaching you.

So let's get started.

Today, our art lesson is about designing an abstract textile panel, and this is part of our unit "Abstract art: drawing, printing and textiles." By the end of today's lesson, you will have planned an abstract textile design, and within that plan, you'll have incorporated a variety of embroidery techniques.

Our keywords, which we'll explore further in the lesson, are textile.

Now, textile is the keyword to do with materials made from fibres that are woven, knitted, or felted together.

Embroidery is decorating fabric using a needle and thread to create patterns, designs, or images.

A sample is a piece of material or paper used to try out and show different types of stitches.

And a design in this case is making something look good or work better by planning how it should be.

So textile, embroidery, sample, and design are keywords that we'll explore throughout the lesson.

We have two parts to our lesson.

First of all, we're gonna create some stitch samples, and then we will be designing an abstract textile panel.

So let's get started creating stitch samples.

I'd like you to take a look at these images and think to yourself, what are they examples of? Look really closely.

Look at what they're made from.

What might they be examples of? Hmm.

Well, they all show different embroidery stitches.

And of course, embroidery is one of our keywords which we're gonna explore in detail now.

Stitches are used by designers and textile artists in many different ways.

Sometimes stitches are used to join fabric together, such as with clothes, cushions, or upholstery.

So, often the clothes that we're wearing or the cushions we're leaning against are held together through stitching.

But stitches can also be used in a very decorative way, and that's our focus for today.

And this is often called embroidery, and here we have an example of a piece of embroidery.

Embroidery involves sewing threads into a material to create patterns, shapes, and even detailed pictures such as flowers, animals, or lettering.

And as you can see in this image here, we can see a really detailed piece of embroidery which is using thread and stitches to create beautiful, colourful flowers.

Have you ever seen any examples of embroidery? Embroidery has been used for hundreds of years to elevate basic materials into finely crafted textiles.

So it's been used to make basic materials into something very beautiful.

Some of these artists include Han Cao and the piece of artwork "Bluebonnets" from 2021, Otobong Nkanga and her work "Steel to Rust - Corrosion" from 2016, Brendan Jamison's "Chess Pieces" from 2023, and Polly Apfelbaum "Hand Weavers" from 2014.

All of these examples are how textile designers and artists have created beautiful works of art through embroidery.

True or false? Stitches are just used to join materials together.

So that is their one reason for being, is to join materials together.

True or false? Well done.

Of course it's false, but why? Well, I've said: While stitches can be used to join materials together, they can also be used in a skilled and decorative way through embroidery.

For all stitches made with a needle, an artist will need to thread their needle.

And a tool that we can use to help us do this is called a needle threader.

So I'd just like you to watch this little video for a second to see how a needle threader is being used.

What do you notice? Well, we thread the big loop of the needle threader, so that metal loop on the end of the green, through the eye of the needle.

The eye of the needle is the hole at the top of the needle.

We then place our thread through the loop.

Here we go.

So, the artist has placed their thread through the loop.

And then you pull the loop back through the eye of the needle.

So let's watch this all again in one sequence.

So first of all, we push the big loop through, then we put the thread through the loop, and then we pull the loop back through the eye of the needle.

Artists may practise their stitches once they've threaded their needle on samples.

Samples can be useful to refer back to or remind an artist of how to achieve a particular look or effect.

So here are some examples showing a chain stitch and French knot, which we'll look at in detail in a minute.

But these are samples, so they're small areas of stitching where we can practise and we can use to refer back to when we go on and make something else.

And to make a sample, an artist might need the following equipment.

So, an embroidery needle, and if we look closely at that, we can see the eye of the needle.

Some embroidery thread, and this is often a little bit thicker than sewing thread.

A needle threader that we just saw being used a moment ago.

Small pieces of card, masking tape, a rubber, and a pencil, and the pencil should be sharp.

So, if we want to make a sample, we may need all of these things.

And samples often begin in a very similar way, even if the stitches are then different, and I'm gonna show you that way now.

So first of all, we get our piece of cardboard.

And then we're gonna draw the dots on the cardboard where we would want to make small holes, and those holes are where we'd want the needle and the stitches to go through.

So if we want a running stitch, as here, we would have holes all in one line.

Then to be very, very careful, we place a rubber behind our card.

And then we poke the needle through the card into the rubber so our fingers stay safe to make holes where we placed the dots.

And then finally, at the back of the card, we take the end of the embroidery thread on with masking tape.

Once we've done that, we can start looking at different stitches, and this is a sample of a running stitch.

So a running stitch goes in one long line and literally runs up and down, up and down, up and down.

It's a really useful stitch for both joining and decorating materials.

And we can make a sample of a running stitch.

So, we follow the same process to set up our sample.

So we've drawn the dots in one long line.

We've threaded the needle and attached the back of the thread onto the back of the sample patch.

Then we're gonna poke the needle that has the thread through it up through the first dot, as you can see here.

And then we're going to take the needle and push it back down the second dot.

And we're gonna pull the thread through.

And because we have the masking tape at the back that's keeping the thread attached, we can pull it till it's quite tight.

Then once we come down, we go back up the next hole and down the following hole.

And pull the thread, up the next hole and down the following hole, and pull the thread.

We repeat this until we finish the whole line of dots.

And so it is a running stitch that moves like that.

Then we have a chain stitch.

And a chain stitch is very, very pretty, and we can see here.

And it's called a chain stitch.

Why? Yes, 'cause it looks like a piece of chain.

And this is really mainly used as a decorative stitch rather than for joining material together.

Again, we set up our sample.

We've threaded the embroidery thread through the needle using our needle threader.

We've made our holes safely in the cardboard, and we've attached the back of the thread to the cardboard with masking tape.

Then, like the running stitch, we're gonna bring the needle up through the first hole.

Then we're going to insert, so push the needle back near the same hole.

But don't pull all the way through because then it will all come out.

Just a little bit.

And then we loop the thread under the needle.

And then we pull the needle through to form a loop.

And again, repeat and repeat.

This is a little bit more tricky.

You can definitely do it.

I know you can do it.

But you might want to practise it a few times, which is the point of a sample.

And then finally what we're gonna look at today is a sample of a French knot.

Here we go.

And this is also mainly used as a decorative stitch, and it's great at adding texture to an embroidered artwork 'cause it's really raised up off the surface.

So again, we set up our sample.

We thread our needle with our chosen embroidery thread.

We make our holes.

And here, we haven't made holes in a line.

We've made random holes dotted around.

And then we've attached the back of the thread to the back of the cardboard with masking tape to keep it secure.

Then you're gonna bring the needle up through the fabric where you want the knot.

You're gonna then take your needle and take the embroidery thread and wrap it around one to three times.

And you need to hold the tension, okay? So you want to hold the tension, so the thread, with your non-dominant hand, and that means normally the hand that you don't write with.

So I write with my left hand, so I would hold it with my right hand, my least dominant hand.

And then holding that tension still there, so holding the thread quite tight, I'm gonna push the needle back, very close to where it came up, but not in exactly the same hole, and pull slowly until the knot forms. A quick check for understanding.

Which image shows a running stitch? Is it A, B, or C? Well done, it is B, and a running stitch can be used for joining material as well as decorative.

And of course, A is a chain stitch, and C is a French knot.

Onto our first task, creating our stitch samples.

And just like I've shown you, I'd like you to take some time to create a running stitch, a chain stitch, and a French knot stitch.

So first of all, you'll need to cut three pieces of card and create those holes.

So for a running stitch, you want lines going across the card.

For a chain stitch, you want one line on a diagonal from corner to corner.

And for French knots, you want randomised holes.

And I would suggest pausing the video here and perhaps replaying the video where I talk you through how to do that to help you.

Pause the video and off you go.

Well done.

Let's have a look.

So, you may have threaded your needle like this artist, as we saw.

And your samples may then include a running stitch, a chain stitch, and a French knot.

I wonder which one you found easiest and which one you think looks the most effective.

Well, well done.

You've now tried out your samples.

And don't worry, you can always keep practising them if you're not sure about one of the stitches.

And now we're moving on to designing an abstract textile panel.

So you may remember the abstract artwork that you made based upon your memories and everyday objects.

Can you remember this? This was based on sunflower seeds.

So can you remember these three artworks? Sofia is going to design a textile work based upon her previous abstract artworks that we just saw.

So she might use the shapes and lines she sees within her artworks, parts of the artworks themselves, stitches and techniques she has used with her samples.

True or false? You can design a new artwork based upon your previous artworks.

Is that true or false? Well done.

It's true, and why? Can you give me an example of what you might do? Well done, yes, artists often refer back to or use ideas from previous artworks but can make changes to materials or explore a new technique.

An artist sometimes begins an artwork and works out the design as they go.

Sometimes an artist will plan a design in their sketchbook before beginning their artwork.

This does not mean that their ideas cannot change and develop as they begin creating.

So just because you've planned an idea doesn't mean that you have to then stick to it if you'd like to change it and adapt it as you move through the process.

But it can be useful to plan ideas.

It allows you to experiment with different shapes or colours and to think of any problems that may happen that you might need to solve before starting an artwork.

So you might begin your design by using the shapes and lines you see within your previous artwork.

So Sofia has looked at a previous artwork and says that she really, really likes these lines and shapes that she used.

And you can see she's drawn them out.

And when you have made your choice about lines, shapes, and colours, you may wish to record them in your sketchbook.

So, Sofia says, "I have drawn my lines and shapes as the base of my design." So she's taken those lines and shapes inspired by previous artwork and rearranged them and composed them in a new composition.

And in your sketchbook, you could record parts of the artwork that you have already made.

So here we go.

So, she's going to use stitches on one of her prints, so she's gonna use a part of this print within her design.

Sofia says, "I think orange thread will contrast well with this dark blue." So she's gonna take this previous work and include it in her new artwork.

And in your sketchbook, you could record your printed paper in your design using drawings or annotations, and annotations are notes that help remind you.

So here, Sofia's written, "printed paper with running stitch." So she's made a note about the type of paper and then what type of running stitch she will use.

And in your sketchbook, you could record the type of stitches and fabric you will include in your abstract textile panel.

And so Sofia says, "I want bold blocks of flat colour within my textile artwork, so will use felt as an additional material." Check for understanding.

Why might an artist create a design before beginning an artwork? Is it to slow down the creative process? Is it to experiment with shapes, lines, and colours? Or is it to solve problems before they begin? Well done, yes, it's both things, B and C, to experiment, but also to solve problems. But remember that it can continually evolve even when you start your creative process.

Right, we're now gonna follow Sofia's lead and we're gonna design an abstract textile panel for our last task.

So, you might include the shapes and lines you see within your previous artworks that you've created, as well as parts of your previous artworks, such as your print.

And then I'd like you to combine the stitches and techniques you've used within your samples.

So what you're gonna be doing is creating a design, a drawing design with annotations, little notes about what your textile panel will be like.

So, pause the video and off you go.

Well done, I wish I could see all your wonderful designs, but let's have a closer look at what Sofia has done.

So here is her design that we've seen being built up.

And it's got drawings, it's got colour, and it's got annotations, those notes.

So, she's included the shapes and the lines from within her previous works.

Pieces of her previous artwork, such as her print.

The stitches and techniques she's used within her sample, so here a chain stitch.

I can also see a running stitch.

I wonder what your design looks like.

If you're in class, you could compare it with some of your peers.

Well, thank you so much for joining me today for designing an abstract textile panel.

And we've learned, while stitches can be used to join textiles, they're also used in a skilled and decorative way through embroidery.

We've learned that embroidery samples can be useful for an artist to remind them about how to achieve a particular look or effect.

And we've learned that some of these stitches are the running stitch like we've got at the top, the chain stitch in the middle, or the French knot at the bottom.

And we've learned that an artist might plan a textile design before beginning their artwork to experiment and solve problems. Thank you again, and I hope to see you very soon.