Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Tipping and I'm really looking forward to learning with you today all about me in a box, thinking about drawing and sculpture through personal representations.

We're going to do lots of thinking, talking and exploring together in this lesson.

So, shall we get started? Let's go.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to create a self-portrait poem using monoprint.

Before we start, I would like to introduce you to some keywords.

We'll be using these keywords during the lesson, so it might be a good idea to write these words down.

The key words we'll be using today are concrete poem, monoprint, and complementary colours.

I'm going to say those words again, and I would like you to repeat them after me.

Concrete poem, monoprint, complementary colours.

Good job.

Now let's think in more detail about what these keywords mean by taking a look at their definitions.

A concrete poem is a type of poem where the arrangement of words creates a visual image.

A monoprint is a printing method to create a single unique print.

Complementary colours are pairs of colours positioned opposite each other on the colour wheel that when used together, create strong contrast and visual impact.

Pause the video here to make a note of these keywords.

And when you're ready to continue, press play.

These are the learning cycles that we're working through together in today's lesson.

Experimenting with monoprinting effects and creating a self-portrait poem using monoprint.

In the first learning cycle, we're going to experiment with monoprinting effects.

You might remember creating a self-portrait concrete poem based upon your inner and outer self.

Here's an example on the left.

I am observant and quiet.

I see pebbles picked up and put in pockets.

I say honesty is at the centre of my friendships.

I try but I don't always succeed.

Poetry can be viewed as a text, like this one here on the left.

But poetry can also be presented using different visual formats to emphasise an idea or create mental imagery.

This self-portrait concrete poem has been made using a monoprinting technique.

Unlike other printmaking techniques that produce multiple copies of the same image, a monoprint results in only one distinct print, making it a unique work of art.

There are many different processes an artist can use to create monoprints.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Monoprinting means to make a print in one colour, a single unique print, multiple prints in different colours.

Pause the video here to give yourself time to think about how to finish this sentence.

Now press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said monoprinting means to make a single unique print, you're absolutely right.

And there are many different ways an artist can create a monoprint.

When creating this self-portrait concrete poem, the artist has considered the colour of the text.

Can you see here we have some black text and we have some blue text.

Also the colour of the background.

Here, we've got a nice bright vibrant orange background.

The artist has also considered the text size.

If we look we can see that some of the letters are larger and some of the letters are smaller.

Look at the different places where those letters are larger and smaller.

Around the rims of the glasses there, we can see the text is smaller and across the headband at the top, the text is much larger.

And the artist has also considered the text style.

So we have some joined up text, some printed and some capitalised.

So all of these different things the artist has thought about when they're creating their self-portrait concrete poem.

What do you notice about the colours that the artist has used? So here we've got blue on the text and an orange background.

Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner.

What do you notice about the colours that the artist has used? And press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? Now this pair of colours, the orange and the blue, are called complementary colours.

Complementary colours are pairs of colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as red and green or blue and orange.

And another example could be purple and yellow.

Take a look at that colour wheel there.

Can you see how those complementary colours are opposite each other? When they are placed next to each other, they create a strong contrast and make each other appear more vibrant.

Artists sometimes choose to use complementary opposite colours to draw the viewer's attention to their artwork.

Which of the complementary opposite colours do you like the most? I think I like green and red.

But perhaps you prefer blue and orange or maybe purple and yellow.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Complementary colours are located next to each other on the colour wheel.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said that's false, you're absolutely right.

Why is this statement false? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you discuss? If you said something like complementary colours are opposite each other on the colour wheel, not next to each other, this opposite placement is what creates their high contrast and visual vibrancy when paired.

And you're absolutely right, well done.

What do you notice about the difference in text sizes within this artwork? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you notice? Well, this artist has used different sizes of text and this helps to draw your attention to certain words that the artist wants to emphasise.

Our eyes naturally go to larger elements first.

This means the artist can control the order in which we view different parts of the piece.

Just like a song has loud and quiet parts, artwork with varied text sizes can have a visual rhythm keeping the audience engaged.

You may have noticed that when big and small text are placed together, they create contrast and this can make a message more impactful or highlight conflicting ideas.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Why should an artist consider the size of the text within their artwork? To match the text style with other artworks.

It can draw your attention to the words the artist wishes to emphasise.

To reduce the cost of printing materials.

Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said that it can draw your attention to the words the artist wishes to emphasise, you're absolutely right.

Well done! For your monoprint, you will need an image of yourself printed onto paper.

It can be in black and white or colour.

To explore different text sizes and colour combinations with monoprinting, you can start by covering the back of your self-portrait images in oil pastel.

So you can then secure your image to your sketchbook using masking tape.

Then use a ballpoint pen or a sharp pencil to draw over your image.

You can see in the example here.

Sam has experimented with a range of text styles using parts of her image.

She says, "I think the size of this experiment is too large.

I'll use a smaller text in my self-portrait concrete poem." Now in this experiment, Sam has used an orange background paper to see what worked best with her blue oil pastel.

She says, "I think my blue pastel needs to be darker against the orange." Looking at this example here, I think I agree, do you? So this brings us to our first learning task.

I'd like you to experiment with monoprinting techniques in your sketchbook.

You might wish to experiment with the colour of the text, the colour of the background, and the size of the text.

Pause the video here and give yourself enough time to have a go at experimenting with those monoprinting techniques in your sketchbook and press play when you're ready to continue.

How did that go? Well, you might have experimented with the size of the text in your sketchbook like this here, maybe the style of the text using capital letters or joined up writing, and maybe you change the colour of the text and the colour of the background to work out which one looks best and is the most vibrant for your monoprinting concrete poem.

Well done for having a go at this learning task.

This brings us to the second part of our lesson.

We're going to create a self-portrait poem using monoprint.

So once you've experimented with monoprinting and are confident with the technique, you're ready to begin your self-portrait monoprint concrete poem.

Now start by selecting the colour of your oil pastel and your background paper.

So Sam says, "I really liked the complimentary combination of the blue and orange, as they help each other to look more vibrant." So what are you going to choose? Then cover the back of your photograph in an even layer of oil pastel.

Sam says, "I need to make sure I don't leave any gaps in the oil pastel and I'm going to use different blues to make my work more interesting." So perhaps with the colour of pastel that you've chosen, you might get two different versions of it, maybe a light blue and a dark blue.

So if I cover the back of my image in an even layer of oil pastel, it's going to look a bit like this.

I've got that light blue and dark blue.

I'd like you to have a go at that now with the colour that you've chosen, cover the back of your image in an even layer of oil pastel.

Pause the video here and give yourself enough time to have a go at this and press play when you're ready to continue.

How did you find that? Well, hopefully you, like Sam, tried not to leave any white gaps on the paper and covered it in your oil pastel colour.

Now, attach your image to your paper using masking tape and make sure that the photograph is facing up.

And taping it down will help to stop the paper from moving when you draw over it.

So using your experiments to help you, use a ballpoint pen or a sharp pencil to draw the text of your poem over the lines of your image.

Can you see in this example here, can you see on the portrait where the text is? So it's going around the shape of the face and some of the clothing there.

Sam says, "I'm following the lines carefully that I can see in my image." Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Which is the final step to creating your monoprint? Is it A, B, or C? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said it was A, you're absolutely right.

Using a ballpoint pen is one of the last steps in this monoprinting process.

This brings us to our final learning task.

I'd like you to create a self-portrait concrete poem using monoprint.

So first of all, select the colour of your oil pastel and your background paper.

Then cover the back of your photograph in an even layer of oil pastel.

Then, attach your image to your paper using masking tape and use a ballpoint pen to draw the text of your poem over the lines of your image.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to have a go at creating a self-portrait concrete poem using monoprint and press play when you're ready to continue.

How did that go? Were you able to follow each of the four steps? Well, hopefully you've included some words which had particular meaning and significance to you when you were writing out your monoprint concrete poem.

And hopefully you used the complementary colours, whether that's orange and blue or a different combination.

And hopefully, you tried out a variety of text sizes to emphasise different words within your poem.

So well done for having a go at creating your own self-portrait poem using monoprint.

Before we finish this lesson, let's summarise what we've learnt about using monoprinting to create a self-portrait.

A monoprint results in only one distinct print, making it a unique work of art.

Artists sometimes choose to use complementary colours to draw the viewer's attention to their artwork.

Artists may vary text sizes in a self-portrait concrete poem to highlight specific words or phrases they wish to emphasise.

Thank you for joining me in this lesson today.

I hope to see you in the next one.

See you next time.