Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today? My name's Mrs. Alton, and I'll be our art teacher for today's lesson.

Today's lesson is all about researching and presenting a textile artist's work, and that's from the unit "Finding Your Artistic Voice: An Introduction to the Creative Process." So let's get started.

So I hope that by the end of today's lesson, you can research a textile artist's work and clearly present findings through visual and written analysis.

So let's take a look at some keywords for today's lesson.

"Analysis" is the process of examining the elements or structure of something.

"Annotation" is when you add notes to explain, analyse, or share your thoughts about a piece of artwork.

And "research" is a process of finding information to learn more about a topic or idea.

So there are three learning cycles for our lesson today, researching and presenting a textile artist's work.

Learning cycle one is all about selecting a textile artist to research.

Learning cycle two is about responding to a textile artist's work.

And learning cycle three is about presenting your textile artist's research.

So let's take a look at learning cycle one.

So here we can see a possible outcome for this lesson, and this is where a student has responded to an artist visually by researching and presenting their artwork.

So let's take a moment to see what these places have in common.

Online galleries, museums and galleries, books, magazines, and art blogs, social media platforms, documentaries, the great outdoors, art fairs, fashion shows.

Pause the video here while you take a moment to discuss what these places have in common with the person next to you, or you can share your ideas with me.

Alex says, "These are all places you could go to find sources that inspire you." And we know that when we're developing our own work, when we're thinking about ideas, being curious and having these sources to really inspire us is really key to our artistic practise.

Izzy says, "I like to visit smaller galleries and open studios by local artists too." And it's really important just to remember those places that are close to us that can also offer that inspiration for our work.

Are there any local places that you'd like to go and find inspiration? And if so, maybe make a note of those in your book.

True or false question for you: The only place to go to find sources to inspire you are famous art galleries and museums. What do you think? Well done if you said that's a false statement.

And that's because, as we've mentioned, there are a variety of places you could go to find sources that inspire you, and that includes all of those smaller local places as well.

This is an example of a sea-inspired artist research page, and it's about thinking how textile artists often research the work of others to develop their own artistic voice.

It helps them build on what has been done before, learn new things, and try out new ideas, themes, techniques, and materials.

When choosing an artist to research, start with what you enjoy.

And that could be in textiles, fashion, interiors, or just generally in life.

Lucas says that "I'm drawn to fashion photography and themes of fantasy and the surreal." And Izzy mentions, "I love nature, colour, and texture, so my favourite textiles show personal stories." So, have a moment to really think about what excites or interests you.

That's such a key part of the process when you step out of your own work and look to others for those kinds of inspirational ideas and directions.

Understanding your own interests helps you search for and select artists to research.

So Lucas says that he's been given the theme of fantasy, and he's really starting to think to his kind of personal ideas.

How can he connect that to his interests? So he says he enjoys gaming, film, and animation, and that will really direct him to start looking at maybe Japanese anime designs and textile artists.

And we can see some examples of Japanese anime silk designs on this page.

The same theme can be interpreted in many different ways.

It's really important to remember that, especially if you are in a group that will have been given the same theme, but you can have your own very personal interpretation.

These textile artists use fantasy and surreal images to explore dreams, culture, and imagination.

So, Faig Ahmed reimagines Azerbaijani rugs through digital distortion, creating melting, glitching, and pixelated weavings.

And if you take a look at some of his work, they're really interesting where he takes these very traditional methods and turns them on their head, so the threads look like they're all melting onto the floor.

Emily Porter stitches dreamlike scenes, blending real and imagined landscapes using layered fabrics and textures.

So again, a completely different way of looking at this idea of fantasy and the surreal.

And these textile artists draw on natural forms, textures, and patterns to build imaginative, often fantastical worlds in textiles and fashion.

So, yet another direction that you could take this quite singular word and then expand on it in many different ways.

Angie Lewin creates textile design inspired by plants, landscapes, and natural textures, and she uses detailed prints and embroidery, so many different ways of using textiles in the application as well.

Ibrahim Kamara blends organic forms with vibrant colours and patterns to explore identity, culture, and transformation in fashion design.

And in his collections, you can see these very strong African-inspired patterns alongside very dynamic types of headdresses and decorative elements.

So, a quick check for understanding: Which of the following statements is true? Is it A, all textile artists are against researching and analysing other artists' work as a source of inspiration? B, textile artists never research and analyse other artists' work? Or C, textile artists often research and analyse other artists' work as a source of inspiration? Have a think.

Well done if you said that it was C.

So let's look at your first task for this lesson.

Consider your chosen aspect of your theme so that it really relates to your interests, and which type of textile artists or designers you might search for.

This grid shows you a way that you could start to really plan that search.

So in the first column, you might put your theme and then list your interests.

That will give you a direction of what then to search for, and then any results that come up from your search, which you can obviously delve into and do a little bit more research, and then maybe select two or three that you would like to research further.

So pause the video here while you complete this task.

So how did you find that task? I hope you did some really good research and found some really interesting artists and designers to look at.

Let's take a look at what you may have said.

The theme here is identity and belonging, and the interests are mixed media, layering, and materials with memory, like photograph and traditional fabrics.

And the search involves textile artists that investigate heritage and cultural traditions, and that come up with two different artists for this search: So Darren Ball and Heehwa Jo.

So let's take a look at learning cycle two: Respond to a textile artist's work.

So what can we learn by looking closely at a textile artist's work? Take a look at this example of a textile artist research page.

So you may have pointed out that research and analysis can help you learn new styles, develop your own individual ideas, and build your unique textile voice.

True or false question: Textile artists research others to copy their work exactly.

Well done if you recognise that's false.

And that's because they research to inspire their own ideas, not to copy, and this obviously leads to a more creative, personal, and original body of work.

Research and analysis can be shown through creating a visual response in the style of the artist.

We can see here that there's been a weaving created, and really responding to the artist's work.

So, really thinking about those organic forms that the student has looked at.

And I believe this was based on lots of daffodil pots as well, this idea of repetition that they wanted to get into their work.

And also, using annotations to describe and interpret what you see.

And you can see here that the annotations really aren't just a few words or essays.

That you can even use as an annotation a little sketch just to pull out some of the ideas that you want to look at.

So here it's that circular repetition, or it might even be a colour palette that you've taken from an image and then want to kind of highlight that those are the colours or the themes that you really want to develop.

So, a quick check for understanding: Which of these are ways to record an artist's work? Is it A, conversations and thinking? B, visiting and looking? Or C, visually and through annotations? Well done if you said, "C, visually and through annotations." So, writing clear, focused annotations will guide your creative choices and strengthen your visual response.

And here we can see that, actually, ideas can be written by hand or digitally.

It really is about you as an individual and what methods really work for you.

So the idea of annotation shouldn't just be, "Oh, I've got to write this too, and it will slow me down." It's really about this idea of recording with purpose and using the right format that's gonna suit you as an individual.

So break the work down by asking: What do I see? How are techniques used? What is a theme or meaning? And is there a cultural or personal context to the work? So these can just be some prompts to get you really looking at the artist's work and starting to unpick it a bit, so that you can make it a meaningful activity for your work.

To annotate your chosen work, you can also make a voice recording.

So, a really nice thing to do if you don't like lots of writing, and that might even be in an interview style, for example.

And you can analyse to discuss your personal response to the work that we've mentioned.

So these are sentence starters that you might use.

"This artist uses, "This artwork reminds me of.

." "This technique could be used in my own work by.

." True or false questions.

Annotations should be short, analytical, and personal.

What do you think? Well done if you said that's true.

And like we've been saying, strong annotations really help you explain what you see.

They're purposeful.

They're how the work was made and what it means, and reflect your own voice.

A visual response is how you creatively engage with an artist's work.

And we can see here that there's a textured visual response that's really been created in response to the artist's work, but also to the primary image as well.

So we can see that these have been combined by the student, and they've really been thinking about this idea of texture and layering, and pleating.

It shows what you've learned and how it's inspired your own ideas.

So, without even reading a lot of information, you should be able to visually see what you've picked out and how you've interpreted that within your own practise.

You could create a visual response by sampling a technique.

And here we can see thread and metal weaving.

And this is really about thinking about: could you try one of the artist's stitches or fabric treatments, or textures? So what could you pick out from your artist that you find exciting? And Sophia says in this example, she explored Faig Ahmed's surreal weavings and made this example using wire and bolts instead of thread.

So, a bit like Faig Ahmed took the idea of traditional Azerbaijani weaving, she's undone the weaving and chosen different materials.

You could create a visual response by adapting an artist's style.

And here we can see a tulip-inspired repeated pattern.

You could use similar colours, forms, or pattern as the artist that you've chosen, but in your own small design.

And Jacob says that in this example, he sketched, painted, and paper-cut repeated flower motifs inspired by Angie Lewin's print.

You could create a visual example by combining different elements together, especially if you've looked at a few artists.

There might be bits that you like from a number of different artists that you can draw together.

You might mix the artist's materials or visual language with your own ideas.

And here we can see that Izzy decided to embroider onto a printed acetate image to reflect Emily Porter's layered, surreal style.

There is no right way to respond to a theme, and I think that can be really exciting.

So you can really make it your own-individual ideas, and really keep that idea of curiosity and inspiration running through your work.

Personal responses can be expressed through any amount of media and techniques.

So, fill the gap: can you think what this missing word might be? Visual responses can be expressed through different "something" and techniques.

What do you think? Well done if you said "media" or "materials." Well done.

You might adapt an artist's style, sample a technique, or combine elements of their work with your own.

So, over to you.

For our second task, choose a piece of work by your textile artist.

Research and analyse their style, techniques, and ideas.

Use annotations to explain what you see, how it's made, the meaning or theme, and any cultural or personal context.

Use a voice recording, bullet points, or short sentences, whichever way best fits you and the way that you like to record.

Pause the video here while you complete this task.

So, how did you find that? Well done for really researching and analysing your artist.

So you may have said, like Jun has done here, that "I researched Ibrahim Kamara, who repurposes found clothing.

His bold, layered looks mix African influences with future fashion.

I plan to create a fashion illustration by creating a collage headdress with found materials to create my own response in his style." So next, visually respond to your chosen textile artist's work.

Experiment with one of the following: Sample a technique: Try out one of their textile methods, for instance.

Adapt their visual style: So that might be creating a design inspired by the artist.

Combine elements: Mix the artist's materials or processes with your own ideas.

Pause the video here while you complete this task.

So, how did you find that? I hope you really experimented with different types of ways of interpreting and responding to your artist's work.

So here we can see that Jun has responded to the work of Ibrahim Kamara.

And we can see that he's taken lots of ideas from the type of fashion that Kamara creates, in terms of using these quite abstract and dynamic headdresses in his work.

And he's also developed this into his own idea using recycled materials and found items, and products.

Let's take a look at our third and final learning cycle: Present your textile artist research.

So a strong textile artist research page includes well-chosen visuals, and that includes, like we've mentioned, clear personal annotations, considered visuals that support your analysis, and a layout that helps communicate your ideas.

And as we look at this example, we can start to see visual connections within the page.

So that might be in the form of colour or repetitive shapes.

It might be line, text, or pattern.

So, just by laying images close to each other, we start to see those patterns appearing.

Fill in the gaps.

"A strong textile artist research page includes.

." And the words are down the bottom.

So, see if you can match which one is missing from each sentence.

So well done if you matched them all correctly.

There's no single correct way to present your work.

So, like there's no single correct way to respond, there's also no single correct way that you have to present it.

But there are, however, some techniques that can help you.

So we're gonna take a look at those now.

So, you may consider dividing your page into boxes or sections.

And if you are somebody that gets a blank page and then just doesn't know where to start, this can be really helpful.

So, thinking about boxes or sections, how can you separate it? And then using that as a framework.

And that will just show that there's really clarity and organisation within your work.

Also, thinking about keeping your title simple.

Sometimes you might see somebody that wants to do a really large title, and it'll take half of the page, and obviously, a long time to do, that's not really going to develop your work.

It's not really gonna get you any more marks.

So think about using effective use of headings.

So, like I said, avoiding large, distracting titles.

Use short headings that guide the viewer to the key sections of your page.

So, like this example, you might use where you want to draw people in, capital letters, or you might use a slightly different colour.

So, how are you going to really draw the viewer around your page into the information that you really want people to focus on? So again, using space wisely.

It's absolutely fine to not overcrowd the page and also to have a blank background.

You can put stains, you can put washes, but only if they're relevant, if they really match the context of the artist or the work that you are looking at.

And really making things easy to read as well, and not distracting.

So arrange images and text so that everything is balanced.

And look for visual connections, like I've mentioned.

And we can see here the pomegranate seeds, and then it almost looks like it's like they're almost sweets, but they're the same shape, they're the same colours.

And we can see this repetition around the way that the student's responded to that kind of source image.

So true or false? Textile research pages must be highly decorative to be successful.

Well done if you said false.

And like I mentioned, the goal is to communicate ideas and understanding, not to decorate.

And that's coming back to this idea of clear focus and purposefulness.

And how do your choices really support the content that you're trying to communicate within your work? So our last task: present your textile artist research in a format of your choice.

And that could include images of your chosen artist's work, annotations, the many ways that we've mentioned, your own visual response, and your interpretations and reflections.

So really, how does this link to your own ideas? Pause the video here while you present your textile artist research.

So well done for all your hard work throughout the lesson.

Let's take a look at what your possible outcome may have looked like.

So you may have identified places to find inspiration.

You may have explained your theme choice.

You may have listed artists to research.

You may have added verbal or written analysis and annotations.

You may have created a visual response inspired by your artist.

You may have presented that research in a visually interesting way.

So let's look at a summary for today's lesson.

Inspirational textiles can be found in many places, offering diverse opportunities for research and discovery.

Analysing key themes and techniques used by textile artists deepens our understanding of their work.

Recent research can be recorded visually and with annotations to guide creative decisions.

And visual responses help develop a personal textile voice by translating research into ideas and techniques.

Thank you for learning with me today, and I look forward to seeing you soon.