Lesson video

Hi, I'm Miss Blue, and I'm really excited to be learning with you today.

I hope you find our lesson as interesting as I do.

Let's get started.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to identify the significance of primary materials in art.

Here are our key words: primary, which means main or most important; materials, which means a substance or combination of substances that constitutes as an object; symbolic, visual work that represents an idea.

We're going to be analyzing the work of artists and designers, looking at their materials and techniques.

We're going to start with identifying the effectiveness of primary materials.

Have a think and pause the video if you need to.

Is art just what we see, or what it's made from too?

Well, all artworks begin with the building blocks of creativity.

Those are called materials.

Artists make choices about what they use, and those choices help tell a story or evoke emotions in the viewer.

So why do the primary materials of an artwork matter?

Pause the video and have a think.

Well, the materials chosen by an artist can symbolize ideas, feelings, or values.

The texture, weight, or color of a material can bring a concept to life in a way nothing else can.

For example, wire is flexible and structural.

Can you think of any symbolic associations connected to using wire as a material?

Pause the video and have a think for a few moments.

Let's have a look at these examples.

Some symbolic associations of wire include connection, like nerves or networks; tension, fragility, resilience, wire bends but doesn't break easily.

So why might an artist choose wire as their primary material?

You can pause the video here to have a think.

Well, you can create a line in 3D.

You can explore movement.

You can show structure, for example, skeleton, framework, unseen systems.

Artists choose materials that help them to express an idea, a feeling, or a memory.

Oil pastels are another material.

They are usually bold, rich, waxy, and smudgy.

Here are some symbolic associations.

They can evoke emotion, intense color and gesture.

They can also be expressive and layered.

Why might an artist choose oil pastels as their primary material?

Pause the video and have a think.

Well, they're expressive mark-making.

They can layer and blend for emotional depth.

Bold use of color, as you can see here in these rich, red tones.

The materials chosen by an artist can symbolize ideas, feelings, or values.

Clay is earthy, moldable, weighty, and tactile.

Can you think of any symbolic associations connected to using clay as a material?

Pause the video and have a think.

You can see a great imprint on the clay here.

Let's have a look at some symbolic associations: creation, transformation, roots, ancestry, groundedness, earth.

Why might an artist choose clay as their primary material?

You can pause the video and think about that.

And this is a great example.

Artists might choose clay as it holds connection to the body, nature, or ritual.

Clay can represent touch and memory.

Let's test your knowledge so far.

Why might an artist choose clay as their primary material?

Is it A, to avoid using any color?

B, because it's easy to throw away?

Or C, to create something tactile and solid?

Pause the video and have a think of your answer.

If you guessed C, you would be correct.

Artists might use clay to create something tactile and solid.

An artist might select a material because of how it feels to work with.

For example, soft pastels are powdery, fragile, vibrant, and blendable.

Some symbolic associations are the delicacy, which represents impermanence, and the ability to create dreamlike or atmospheric moods.

Pause the video and have a think, why might artists choose soft pastels as their primary material?

Well, pastels are easily blended to create soft textures.

You can see this in the tree trunks.

The soft finish can evoke blurred or faded memories.

Soft pastels can also create dreamy, hazy, or emotionally charged moods.

Artists choose materials that help them express an idea.

Modroc, or plaster bandage, hardens quickly.

It's textural and sculptural.

Some symbolic associations are repair, healing, like casts.

Covering or masking.

And protection, they're often shell-like.

You're welcome to pause the video here and think about why an artist might choose modroc as their primary material.

Well, modroc can be used for building structures.

It forms quickly for surface transformation or casting.

You can see here it's used excellently to evoke a shoe.

The same subjects can feel completely different depending on the material used.

Thread and yarn, for example, is soft, flexible, delicate or strong, and repetitive.

Some symbolic associations are connection, relationships, memory, care, domesticity, or labor, identity, especially gendered work.

So why might an artist choose thread or yarn as their primary material?

You can pause the video here and think about this.

Thread can evoke storytelling, craft, family, or repair.

It's often used in textile-based or feminist art practices.

Thread can represent the invisible ties between people, places, or memories.

Now, if you want to say something bold, quiet, chaotic, or calm, your material choice is what matters.

Paint, for example, is mood-changing, flexible, transformative.

How might an artist manipulate paint to create symbolic associations?

Pause the video and have a think.

Well, paint can be manipulated in a range of ways.

Some symbolic associations are brush strokes.

They evoke voice, energy, movement.

Drips or smudges, they can be raw, evoke emotion, chaos, or vulnerability.

Layers of paint, memory, history, hidden truths.

So why might an artist choose paint as their primary material?

You can pause here and come up with some ideas.

Well, paint, of course, is versatile.

From watercolor to acrylic to oil, each type of paint behaves differently, offering artists freedom to experiment.

How paint is used can change how we feel about the subject.

Paint can be applied to canvas, wood, walls, paper, fabric, and so much more.

Malleable materials open up possibilities for shaping, bending, and transforming forms by hand.

Paper, for example, is lightweight, fragile, and versatile.

Some symbolic associations are fragility, vulnerability, accessibility and simplicity, familiar, approachable, renewal and reuse, sustainability.

You can pause the video here to think about why an artist might choose paper as their primary material.

Paper allows for immediate and direct expression, whether through drawing, collage, printmaking, or sculptural techniques.

Paper is readily accessible and affordable, making it ideal for experimentation.

Let's test your knowledge to see if this is true or false: an artist's emotional connection to a medium can impact the creativity and energy in their work.

Pause the video and have a think on whether this is true or false.

The correct answer is true.

Why?

Because many artists feel more inspired and expressive when using their preferred materials.

Before any artwork begins, artists make important choices, not just what to create, but what to create it with, including: Nancy Willis, who focused intensely on drawing with pastels, creating deeply expressive tactile portraits.

Emmanuel Cooper who used clay to explore beauty, texture, identity, and emotion.

His work shows how a vessel can be both personal expression and a political statement.

Clarity Haynes who creates bold, unapologetic large-scale torso portraits, often featuring *****, trans, and cis women of various body types.

Laura and Andeep are exploring using wire as a material through hands-on experimentation.

Laura says, "I bent the wire, focusing on the quality of line.

It is like drawing with wire.

" Andeep says, "I wrapped different thicknesses of wire around a pencil and a thicker marker pen to create coils.

The coils are then intertwined.

It could be developed into a natural form.

" Lucas and Sam are exploring using paint as a material through hands-on experimentation.

Lucas says, "Using a wide brush, I brushed water over blobs of watercolor paint to create an atmospheric effect.

" Sam says, "I used acrylic paint and used a piece of card as a tool to drag through the paint and create layers.

It reminds me of using a palette knife and was really expressive.

" Those are both great techniques.

For the next part of your lesson, you will need oil/soft pastels, modroc, paint and paintbrushes, threads or yarns, paper, clay, and wire.

You can pause the video here to have a look at materials available.

What materials would you choose?

Why have you chosen that particular material?

Do any of the symbolic associations of the material resonate with you?

There are many ways to experiment with materials, including pastels: mark-making, blending, smudging, scraping, applying to different surfaces; paint: stippling, dragging, dripping, layering, painting with sticks, blowing, palette knife, mixing with glue; clay: pinching, coiling, impressing, piercing, twisting, folding, draping, stretching; modroc: cutting, tearing, shaping, folding, twisting, surface relief.

Then there's thread: wrapping, knotting, looping, twisting, braiding, stitching, weaving, wrapping; wire: bending, twisting, looping, coiling, shaping, constructing; paper: crumpling, smoothing, folding, piercing, building, distressing, rolling, curling, staining, cutting.

Explore one material through hands-on experimentation.

Consider which materials you are drawn to, what interests you about how it looks or feels, choosing material that might push you to experiment in new ways, how you could manipulate the material in unexpected ways.

When exploring one material through hands-on experimentation, there are many possible outcomes.

Have a look at these examples.

You can see where oil pastels have been applied thickly to explore blending.

Colorful oil pastels were applied and then covered with black.

A cocktail stick was used to etch into the surface.

This technique is called sgraffito.

Here's another possible outcome.

In this example, newspaper was cut into strips and twisted.

Sellotape was wrapped around each strip.

The strips were bent and taped to create structures.

A scrap piece of paper here was folded, cut up, torn, coiled, and woven to create different forms.

In this section, we're going to be focusing on symbolic and cultural meaning of materials.

So how do artists choose their materials?

You can pause here for a few moments.

Artists often select materials not just for how they look, but for what they can represent.

Materials can carry powerful cultural, historical, or personal significance, helping to tell stories, express identity, or connect to tradition.

The symbolism, origin, or personal connection a material holds can become just as important as how it looks or feels.

Have a look at this example in the picture.

So how can materials have a cultural meaning?

Well, paper has a deep cultural significance, including Chinese paper cutting, Japanese origami, Mexican paper banners, papel picado.

Islamic and Persian cultures also have rich traditions of handmade paper for calligraphy.

Threads, yarn and string are often used in weaving, stitches and ritual practices, including: Andean Quipus from South America.

These are colored threads and knots used as a communication system, recording data like census, tax, or stories.

Huichol yarn art: this is colorful yarn pressed into works to create spiritual and symbolic images.

Many cultures integrate nature into their art and craft, often as a symbol of identity, ancestry, and belief.

Examples include Indigenous North American cultures.

They use fur, antlers, feathers, wood, stone, and shell, often found in memorial poles, beadwork and ceremonial objects.

African cultures: Maasai, Kenya and Tanzania, Ndebele, South Africa and Zimbabwe, make beads from animal hide, gourds, wood, clay, and bone, used for jewelry, instruments, clothing, masks, and vessels.

Natural materials are only used in rural or traditional crafts.

True or false?

Pause the video and have a think.

If you chose false, you'd be correct.

Why?

Well, natural materials are widely used in contemporary, urban, and global art to express identity, ecology, and heritage.

Many artists use materials which hold personal meaning to them, including Bruno Munari, who uses paper and industrial objects and plays with mass production and traditional craft, commenting on the tension between industry and handmade culture.

Cecilia Vicuna, who uses wool, thread, and natural pigments to revive ancient Andean traditions, like quipus, to speak to Indigenous knowledge, memory, and colonial erasure.

Jitish Kallat uses rice grains, ash, bone dust and charcoal tied to ritual, nourishment, and mortality.

His work often reflects Mumbai's urban life, history, and cosmic cycles.

Can you think of any artwork where the primary materials contributed to the effect of the artwork?

Pause the video here.

Sam says, "An artwork by Jitish Kallat called "Speaking in Tongues" is made from ashes found in cremation grounds in Mumbai.

The ash symbolizes mortality and the cycle of life.

" Izzy says, "I have never considered making artwork from unusual materials.

It's made me realize that the primary materials used can help to explain the meaning behind the art.

" Think about the materials that connect to your life, memories, traditions, family, community, or identity.

You can pause here.

There are many possibilities, including sporting materials: football netting, kit, trainer laces representing local community and popular culture.

Some other possibilities include leaves or twigs from a local park or garden, connecting to nature in the local environment.

Or you could look at old newspapers and magazines.

They could represent local history, media, or family memories.

Even recycled packaging from familiar brands, connecting to everyday life and consumer culture.

So what can thread or yarn symbolize in many cultures?

Is it A, wealth and power?

B, connection, lineage, and relationships?

Or C, technology and progress?

Pause here to think about your answer.

The answer is B, thread or yarn can symbolize connection, lineage, and relationships in many cultures.

Which material do you feel connected to?

Pause here to have a think.

Let's hear from Lucas.

"I would say electronic elements and pieces of circuit board, as my interest is gaming and I like being on my phone.

" Laura says, "I'm connected to spray paint, as I have a keen interest in street culture and self-expression.

The skate park is where I go most weekends is full of street art.

" Combining materials in art allows artists to layer meaning and bring together personal, cultural, or symbolic elements.

For the next part of this lesson, you will need a material that you experimented with in task A, material or materials that you have a connection to, whether through culture, symbolism, or identity.

There are many ways of combining materials to reflect your culture or identity, including weaving threads into clay structures, stitching/painting paper and creating folded forms, making wire structures and attaching paper or clay elements, creating a modroc form and adding leaves, shells, wood, or other natural objects, mixing paint with glue and trapping wire or threads.

Jacob is exploring different ways to combine materials to reflect his culture or identity.

He says, "I wrapped yarn around wire strands and added torn paper to the strands.

The paper is to symbolize the passing down of my family history.

" In this example, he says, "I used sticks to represent crafts from my ancestors.

I decided to wrap the sticks with yarn to represent family connections.

" He goes on to say, "I enjoyed experimenting with materials and can develop this idea further.

I could add many more strands and perhaps include messages on the paper.

" Let's test your knowledge.

It is better to select only one material for an artwork to express your intention clearly.

Pause the video and decide whether this statement is true or false.

The correct answer is false.

Why?

Because artists may select to use one material or combine different materials to best express their intention.

Materials can carry deep personal and cultural meanings that add important layers to an artwork's story.

Now your task is to combine materials to reflect your culture or identity.

You should select a material that you experimented with in task A, material or materials that you have a connection to, whether through culture, symbolism, or identity, and a material that contributes to the overall effect and meaning of the work.

In this example, PVA glue and paints have been mixed together into a squeezy bottle and then poured onto a plastic surface, leaving gaps.

In the gaps, thread has been trapped, and beads have been added to the glue or paint as a combination to set.

Once dry, the glue/paint has been peeled off, and pink paper was attached behind the gaps.

This is a really exciting outcome.

Alex says, "I made this to symbolize preserving memories.

The beads represent my late Nanna, and the thread symbolizes the connection we had.

I added pink paper as that's my favorite color and my Nanna was one of my favorite people.

" There's a real sentimentality to all of these materials used.

Sofia says, "I wrapped threads around chicken wire and then attached buttons with thin bendable wire.

I made this to symbolize my ancestors, who were farmers, chicken wire, and how they mended everything with buttons and thread.

" I love the idea.

To summarize, there are many ways to explore and experiment with materials to understand their physical qualities and creative potential.

Artists use primary materials to explore ways of making, allowing the material itself to guide the meaning, mood, or message of the work.

Materials like thread, wood, or paper can symbolize connection, heritage, memory, or place.

Thank you so much for listening and paying attention in this lesson.

I hope you learned something new and had fun along the way.

See you next time.