Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling really, really good, and I'm so pleased that you're here.

My name is Miss Afzal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm feeling very happy about that because I love teaching art, and because today we're looking at mark-making, which I think is so interesting.

I wonder how much you've explored mark-making before.

Don't worry whether you have or not, today, we'll be getting right into it.

Our lesson is called "Devise a Mark-Making Toolkit." Yes, you're going to make your own mark-making toolkit.

Our lesson comes from the unit of work: "Abstract Art: Drawing, Painting, and Textiles." So if you're ready with some focus, energy, and enthusiasm, we'll begin our lesson now.

The outcome for today's lesson is: "I can create mark-making tools using a range of objects." We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

"Mark-making," "tools," and "traditional." What do these keywords mean? Mark-making.

This means the line, dots, and scratches created by tools.

Tools.

Any object or material used to help create marks, shapes, or effects in a work of art.

And traditional.

Something that is passed down through generations and is connected to the customs, beliefs, or practices of a particular culture or group.

These are our keywords: "Mark-making," "tools," and "traditional." Let's look out and listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called "Devise a Mark-Making Toolkit," and it has two learning cycles.

First of all, creating mark-making tools, and next, using mark-making tools.

Let's begin with creating mark-making tools.

Take a look at what you can see on the screen.

What do you notice about these mark-making tools? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you notice? Thanks for sharing.

I'm intrigued by what you noticed.

Perhaps you noticed all the different materials that have gone into making these mark-making tools.

Artists can use a range of tools to make marks.

Perhaps that's something you noticed.

So many different kinds of tools.

Across the world, artists have created and used a wide range of tools and techniques to create art.

Some reflect cultural traditions and environments.

Artists continue to adapt and evolve tools and traditions in contemporary ways today.

Esther Mahlangu, a South African Ndebele artist, continues a long tradition of Ndebele mural painting.

She uses chicken feathers and baboon-hair brushes to create bold geometric patterns rich in cultural symbolism.

Some First Nations Australian artists use dotting sticks to make paintings that hold deep, spiritual, and ancestral meanings, often depicting stories connected to country.

Emma Stibbon, a British artist, uses natural materials such as volcanic ash, salt, and ink with handmade brushes and drawing tools to create expressive marks that explore landscapes and the environment.

David Hockney, a British artist, experiments through different tools and technologies, from handmade brushes to iPads.

He likes to explore how artists can continue to innovate and adapt the ways they make art.

The tools used widely in one community may be completely different in another, each reflecting unique materials, stories, and values that continue to inspire artists today.

And we can see the First Nations Australian artist using a dotting stick.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Traditionally, all artists use paintbrushes.

Pause here and decide, is this statement true or false? Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this.

Although paintbrushes are a common artistic tool, they're not used by every artist and are not the only tool that artists can use.

Some artists will make their own tools for a specific purpose or artwork.

They might use natural or found objects to help them create tools for mark-making.

Using these tools can result in distinct textures, patterns, and shapes that reflect the artist's surroundings and traditions, making each piece of art unique to the artist.

Pause here and share with someone.

Have you ever used or seen a tool for mark-making like the one we can see on the screen? Thanks for sharing.

Jacob has gathered some natural materials for mark-making.

"I found these natural materials in the hedge of my school field.

The marks that they make will be unique to me and my surroundings." Pause here and share with someone.

What kind of marks do you think these natural materials will make? Thanks for sharing.

Laura has had a different approach to Jacob.

"I gathered these materials from my home, so they are found objects.

They reflect some of the things I eat and use, which are unique to me.

I think they'll make some interesting marks." I agree.

Pause here and share with someone.

What kind of marks do you think these found objects will make? Thanks for sharing.

Artists might choose to create mark-making tools from their surroundings.

Using materials that are personal to you as the artist helps to tell a story and to make your artwork unique.

Laura and Jacob again: "Our tools will be unique to us as they're made from things we see and use every day." I love that.

Laura and Jacob are going to make their own tools for mark-making.

"We could cut this cloth to create a super-sized brush.

It could make giant marks!" "The natural materials could be attached to sticks using elastic bands.

This would make them easier to use as a tool." That's a really great idea.

Helpful to have something to hold onto for our mar-making.

"We could use pegs to hold the smaller materials, such as string.

A peg could work really well, as it will grip tightly." They have got some fantastic ideas.

Very impressed.

Some tools could be used without needing to change anything, like this bottle top, for example.

"This milk bottle top can be used like a stamp.

I don't think we need to add anything to this tool." Let's have a check for understanding.

How could Jacob and Laura use this material to create a mark-making tool? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

This material could be attached to a stick, bound with elastic, or held with a peg.

I wonder if you had any of these ideas.

Pause here and share with someone.

Which of these three ideas do you think would be the most effective? Attaching this material to a stick, binding it with an elastic band, or holding it with a peg? Thanks for sharing.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to gather materials and objects from your surroundings.

You might think about: gathering natural materials, gathering found objects from your classroom or home, finding materials which are unique to you and your surrounds.

So pause here while you have a go at this first part of your task, gathering materials and objects from your surroundings.

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

It is great to be back with you.

So how did you get on with that task? You might have gathered some objects like these; got some natural materials there.

And we have some found objects from your home or classroom.

And materials which are unique to you.

For the next part of your task, I would like you to create your mark-making tools using the materials that you have gathered.

You might think about: using elastic bands to create your tools, using pegs or sticks to hold your materials, using materials or tools which do not need to be changed.

So pause here while you have a go at creating your mark-making tools using materials that you have gathered.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on? You might have made some wonderful tools like these: Tools using pegs, tools using elastic bands or sticks, tools which did not require changing.

I hope you enjoyed creating your mark-making tools.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle: Using mark-making tools.

Before an artist creates a composition, they might want to test their tools.

This allows them to: see what types of mark their tool makes, explore how the tool can be used in different ways, make adjustments to their tool if needed.

This type of exploration is sometimes called a tester or sample.

Artists might add annotations or notes to their testers.

Here's Jacob.

"Doing this will help me remember how I made the tool or any changes I made to it." It's a great idea to add those annotations or notes.

Artists might create samples or tester pages in their sketchbook to experiment with.

Can see a range of colors, shapes, and combining materials.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following is not a reason to test your tools before making a composition? Is it A, to see what types of mark their tool makes? B, to achieve perfect mark-making? C, to make adjustments to their tool if needed? So which of these is not a reason to test your tools before making a composition? Well done if you selected answer B.

Indeed, to achieve perfect mark-making is not a reason to test your tools before making a composition.

Because, as we know, testing a tool is also useful, so an artist can explore how the tool can be used in different ways.

Jacob and Laura are testing their different tools before they make a composition.

"We can use large paper to create our samples if our tools are quite big, or use our sketchbooks." Laura starts by selecting her first tool.

"I would like to start with the tool made from a cloth.

I'm going to try using it like a stamp." How interesting.

Pause here and share with someone.

What are your impressions of the outcome that Laura has achieved by using the cloth as a stamp? Thanks for sharing.

Here's Jacob.

"I like how that looks.

I wonder what would happen if we sweep across the page quickly with the same tool." Let's have a look.

Hmm, interesting.

Pause here and share with someone.

What are your impressions of what's been created with this sweeping motion? Thanks for sharing.

Jacob and Laura add annotations by their mark-making.

"Our marks look really different," says Jacob.

"Let's make a note of what we did next to our marks." That's really helpful so that you can remember how you made these marks, and you can look back at this.

Adding annotations to a sample page can be useful as it reminds an artist how they achieved a particular mark.

We often think we'll remember later, but sometimes, later on, we haven't quite remembered how we did some things, so that annotation really comes in handy.

The marks that you like best might have been made by another artist.

"Which marks did you like best?" Here's Laura.

"I really liked the marks that swept across the page because they looked full of movement.

I might use this type of mark in my composition." By reflecting on the marks you and others have made, you can identify tools and techniques you may wish to use again.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to use mark-making tools to create a range of samples and testers.

Decide which surface you'll create your testers or samples upon.

Experiment using the tools in different ways to create mark-making.

Annotate your marks, describing the tool and process.

Pause here and share with someone.

What are those three stages that you will go through in this first part of your task? Thanks for sharing.

So first, you'll decide which surface you'll create your testers or samples on.

Next, you'll experiment with the tools in different ways to create mark-making.

And thirdly, you'll annotate your marks, describing the tool and process.

So pause here while you have a go at this task of using mark-making tools to create a range of samples and testers.

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

It's great to be back with you.

I hope you got on well with that first task.

Next, I would like you to reflect on the marks you like best.

You might think about: which process you most enjoyed for creating marks, which marks you thought were most effective, ideas that you might borrow from other artists.

So pause here while you have a go at this next part of your task, reflecting on the marks you like best.

Enjoy your task; enjoy your reflection.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task? You might have created something wonderful like this.

So first, you decided to use a sketchbook or large paper.

You experimented using the tools in different ways.

And then you annotated your marks, describing the tool and process.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of this experimentation using the tools and the annotation that you can see.

Thanks for sharing.

I think there's such a lot of variety on this page.

I'm really enjoying taking all of this in: the stamps, the swirls, the sweeps.

And then for the next part of your task, you might have reflected on your mark-making.

Perhaps like this: "I like the regularity of the marks made using the bottle lids as a stamp.

The flicks made quickly really appeal to me, as they make the artwork look exciting and energetic.

I saw another artist try spreading their paint using their tool.

I'm going to try that next." It's great to be inspired by your own ideas and by the ideas of others.

I really hope you enjoyed experimenting with mark-making.

In our lesson, "Devise a Mark-Making Toolkit," we've covered the following: Different cultures have developed different tools and methods for creating artwork.

Using tools made from natural or found materials creates unique textures, patterns, and shapes for each artist.

Samples or testers can be useful to explore mark-making before the artist starts a composition.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

It was great to explore devising a mark-making toolkit together, to find objects, to create our own tools, and then to explore stamping, sweeping, twisting, rolling, and whatever else you have been up to with your mark-making tools.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson and that you're feeling proud of your newly created mark-making toolkit.

I've really enjoyed teaching you, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.