Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Tipping and I'm really looking forward to learning with you today about meaning and symbolism in art through drawing and painting.

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 complete a story artwork by adding colour and detail to communicate symbolic meaning.

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 keywords we'll be using today are colour symbolism, detail and contrast.

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

Colour symbolism.

Detail.

Contrast.

Good job.

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

Colour symbolism is the use of colour to express emotions or ideas.

For example, red for danger or passion.

A detail refers to small features added to make the artwork clearer, more realistic or more meaningful.

Contrast is the difference between light and dark.

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 we'll be working through together in today's lesson, colour and symbolism and detail and finishing techniques.

In the first learning cycle, we're going to explore colour and symbolism.

Artists use images, colour and symbols to tell stories in art.

By thoughtfully choosing the elements in an artwork, you become a visual storyteller.

Look at this colourful symbolic artwork in a Korean shrine.

What different symbols can you see here? And can you see all the different use of colour? The blues, red and gold.

Colour symbolism is the use of colour to express mood, emotions, ideas or feelings.

Common colour meanings include red for danger, love or anger, blue for calm or sadness, green for growth or nature.

And artists use these meanings to convey messages without words.

Perhaps these colours have different meanings for you.

Colour symbolism can change the mood of an artwork.

Soft, light pastel colours can create a sense of space.

Bright, vivid colours grab attention and can appear loud.

And dark, murky colours add drama and mystery.

There are also cultural influences on colour symbolism.

The Ukrainian flag uses blue to represent the sky and yellow to symbolise the golden wheat fields in their agricultural landscapes.

While red is often associated with danger or love in western countries, many East Asian countries associate red with good luck and prosperity.

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

Why is colour important in storytelling through art? It makes the drawing look neat.

It helps fill the page quickly.

It can show mood, emotions or meaning.

It's the only way to draw attention.

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

What did you think? If you said that it's important to use colour in storytelling through art because it can show mood, emotions or meaning, you're absolutely right.

Well done.

Contrast is the difference between light and dark or different colours.

We've got the darkest tone here and the lightest tone there.

And we've got blue and orange that are opposites on the colour wheel, which creates contrast.

Now, using contrast makes areas stand out and draws the viewer's eye.

Tone refers to how light or dark a specific colour appears.

You can use tone to add mood and depth to artworks, influencing a visual story to become more dramatic or subtle.

Have a look at these lighter tones here on the left moving into those darker tones on the right.

Now, discuss with a partner the mood and meaning for your story artwork and how you will use colour symbolism to match it.

Pause the video here to have that discussion and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? Were you going to go for a light mood or a dark mood? And what colours will you use to symbolise those moods? Well, Jacob says, "For my superhero artwork, I want to make an image that is eye-catching and filled with action.

I will use bright, bold colours to help match the story and mood." And Lucas says, "I'm making an artwork of an underwater scene.

I'll use a range of blue tones to convey depth and bright colours for tropical fish." Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

What does contrast help with in an artwork? Does it make everything the same colour, create light and dark areas to draw attention, hide mistakes or fill the background? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think about the answer to this question and press play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said that contrast will help with your artwork in creating light and dark areas to draw attention, you're absolutely right, well done.

This now brings us to our first learning task.

I'd like you to choose a colour scheme for your story artwork, thinking about colour symbolism and mood.

And then I'd like you to add colour to key areas of the composition, starting with the focal points.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to have a go at firstly choosing your colour scheme and then adding the colour to those key areas, and press play when you're ready to continue.

How did you get on? Shall we take a look at an example? So Alex says, "I want to create an immersive fantasy artwork about a wise wizard.

So I will use earthy, nature-themed colour palettes of green for leaves, grass and plants, browns for tree trunks, greys for mountains and a rich blue colour for the sky and a magical wizard robe." So hopefully you thought carefully about your colour scheme for your story artwork, thinking about how those colours will symbolise and create the mood.

So if you were then able to add colour to some of your key areas, you might have like Alex, the soft blue sky that he's included, the warm brown for trees and the cabin and the grey mountains and the different tones of green for the grass, and that rich blue wizard robe.

And can you see how that blue really draws our attention to the focal point? So well done for adding colour to your composition.

This brings us to the second part of our lesson where we're going to look at the detail and finishing techniques.

To help make your story clear, details and finishing touches can be added.

Details make your artwork richer and more descriptive.

Details help the viewers see what's happening in your story and small features can show personality, setting and meaning.

You can see this artist here is painting details.

You can see those intricate details on a doorframe.

Now use contrast, light and dark or different colours to highlight key areas.

Light and dark tones can add mood and make objects look 3D.

Then think about the light sources and where things are bright or shadowed.

Have a look at this 3D light installation of a figure.

Can you see the contrast of those light and dark colours? Now, outlines helps symbols and characters be clear and bold.

Use a darker tone of paint, a fine liner or heavy pressure with a pencil to build contrast and make key areas or details stand out.

Continue your artwork by adding detail, outlines and shading.

Check that your story is clear and your symbols stand out to complete the artwork.

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

What can adding small details help with? Making symbols and story elements clearer, filling empty space, making your drawing more colourful or hiding the background? 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 adding small details can help with making symbols and story elements clearer, you are absolutely right, well done.

Colour symbolism and expressive details can be seen in the works of many artists.

Wassily Kandinsky is a Russian painter who explored how colour creates emotion and meaning using bold contrasts to express ideas.

Take a look at this image here of this abstract expressive artwork.

What do those contrasting colours make you feel? Wangechi Mutu is a Kenyan American artist who combines collage, drawing and vibrant colour to create symbolic, detailed narratives on identity and culture.

Through his artworks, we can see how details and colour choices can convey visual stories layered with meanings.

As you reach the finishing stages of your artwork, you might ask yourself, "Is the focal point clear? Do details help to explain the story? Is the colour symbolism and contrast working well?" And a story artwork may be finished when it tells a clear story with colour and detail.

Towards the end of a creative project, it's helpful to evaluate artworks with a partner or in small groups.

Using kind, helpful feedback about colour choices and details helps ourselves and others to improve artistic skills and make effective creative choices for future artworks.

Lucas says, "The colours match the mood well." And Laura says, "I like the use of contrast.

The light and dark tones create depth." Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

When is an artwork ready to be called finished? When you have used all your colours, when it tells a clear story with colour and detail, when there is no space left, when a friend says it looks good? 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 an artwork is ready to be called finished when it tells a clear story with colour and detail, you're absolutely right, well done.

This now brings us to our final learning task.

I'd like you to continue and complete your story artwork, adding detail, contrast and finishing touches.

And in small groups or with a partner, explain the meaning behind your creative choices.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to go through these two steps during this learning task and press play when you're ready to continue.

How did that go? Were you able to add your detail and contrast to your artwork and were you able to explain the meaning behind your creative choices? Well, let's take a look at an example.

So you can see here in Alex's artwork how he's added those details and fine lines with a pen, adding that to the branches of the trees and also on the cabin.

And can we also see that there's some more details on the robe? We can really see the stars and the moons on there.

So well done for having a go at adding the detail and contrast and finishing touches to your artwork.

And then when it came to discussing with your partner or in a small group the meaning behind your colour and detail choices, maybe like Alex, you said, "I used natural, earthy colours to convey the sense of an immersive fantasy world in my artwork.

I also used contrast, shading, textures and details to create depth." So well done for explaining your choices to your partner or small group.

Before we finish this lesson, let's summarise what we've learned about completing a story artwork through colour and detail.

Colour symbolism can strengthen the meaning and mood of an artwork.

Detail makes symbols and characters clearer and more expressive and artist use contrast and tone to guide the viewer's eye and highlight important parts.

Thank you for joining me in this lesson.

I hope you enjoyed learning about meaning and symbolism in art through drawing and painting.

I certainly did.

I hope to see you for another unit of learning soon.

See you then.