Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

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

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson, which I'm feeling very pleased about 'cause I love teaching art and I'm interested in today's subject matter.

Today's lesson is called "3D Design: form, structure and surface texture." This lesson comes from the unit of work "Foundation workshops: an introduction to the areas of study." So if you're ready with some focus, energy, and enthusiasm, we'll begin our lesson.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can explore how form, structure, and surface work together to shape a vessel.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

Form, structure, and vessel.

Form is the 3D shape of an object, its height, width, and depth.

Structure, how a form is built and supported so it holds together.

And vessel, a container, something that can hold or carry things.

These are our keywords: form, structure, and vessel.

Let's look out for them.

Let's listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called "3D Design: form, structure and surface texture." And it has two learning cycles: shaping form and structure and then applying storytelling through surface design.

Sounds interesting, I hope you think.

Let's begin with shaping form and structure.

And let's zoom ahead to the end of the lesson and take a look at what some outcomes for this lesson could be.

Pause here while you take in these wonderful creations.

Now let's move on to our lesson.

Look around the room.

Everything you see has a form.

Pause the video and look around you at all the different forms, at everything around you that has form.

Form can include your water bottle, your chair, even your own body.

These are all forms. Form is simply the shape in three dimensions.

It has height, width, and depth.

Structure is how a form is built and supported so it can exist.

How has this structure been made to stay balanced and strong? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Here's Aisha, "The cylinders support each other and are fixed to a base." Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following best describes the difference between form and structure? A, form is 2D; structure is 3D.

B, form is the overall shape in 3D; structure is how it is built and supported.

C, form is the decoration; structure is the meaning.

Or D, form and structure mean the same thing.

Pause here while you decide which of these best describes the difference between form and structure.

Well done if you selected answer B.

Indeed, form is the overall shape in 3D, and structure is how it is built and supported.

That's the difference.

Take a look at these wonderful objects on the screen and answer this question: what is a vessel? Pause here and share with somebody.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

A vessel is a container, something that can hold or carry things.

Pause the video and share with someone, which of these vessels on the screen are you most drawn towards, and why? I'm really drawn to the vessel in the middle, especially because of the material it's made from.

Looks so interesting.

Here we can see a paper vessel with a fragile form.

Vessels can be functional, like cups, bowls, pots, or artistic, made to explore ideas and stories.

They can be made from clay, metal, wood, glass, paper, almost any material.

Compare these vessel structures.

What do you think they were used for? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

On the left, we have a Chinese cooking pot with tripod legs which has strong, balanced structure for cooking.

And on the right, we can see an Iranian ewer with decorative pear-shaped body, cup, and twisted handle which shows a refined structure that suggests pouring.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of these examples is not a vessel? A, B, or C? Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer C.

This is not a vessel.

One way to build a vessel's form and structure is with papier-mache.

Papier-mache layers paper and glue over a mould or base.

A hidden, often removable structure, or armature, supports the vessel and gives it shape.

For example, here we can see the papier-mache is being layered over a balloon.

The layers of papier-mache dry to create strength and stability around different structures such as a balloon, a rounded organic shape, rolled paper, geometric shape, or scrunched paper, an abstract or irregular shape.

And a tip: the top of a paper vessel structure must be wider than the base so the armature can be removed later.

Here's Sofia, "I added tape at the bottom of my structure to pull it in so the top is wider and I can remove it later." Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? When making a structure, armature, for a papier-mache vessel, the base needs to be wider than the top.

Pause here and decide, is this 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: The top must be wider than the base so the armature can be removed once dry.

What will inspire the shape of your structure? Pause here and share with someone.

Let's hear some responses.

Here's Jacob, "I will work from a source image to inspire me." Alex, "I like using my imagination and making decisions as I go." And Sofia, "I want to look at historical vessels for shape and design ideas." What kind of form do you want your paper vessel to have, round, tall, angular, or something unusual? Pause here and share with someone.

What kind of form would you like to go for? Thanks for sharing.

Here's Jun, "I want the form of my vessel to look wobbly and unusual.

I'll twist recycled paper into spirals and tape them into a tall form that starts narrow and gets wider at the top." Oh, glad Jun has remembered that wider at the top tip.

And Alex, "My form will be round, like a bowl, but using two balloons of different sizes with a cup at the bottom for stability." And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to design and make your vessel structure.

Use card, paper, or recycled materials.

Be playful, try unusual shapes.

Make sure the top is wider than the base so the structure can be removed once dry.

So pause here while you have a go at designing and making your vessel structure.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with designing and making your vessel structure? Your structure may have looked like this.

Here's Andeep, "I used a balloon as the base for my vessel.

Inspired by an acorn, I added elastic bands to change the shape and placed it in a bowl for stability." Some really great ideas there.

Here's Sofia, "I experimented with rolling and grouping paper to create ripples around a vase shape.

I taped the bottom to keep the structure narrow to make it easier to remove." Love all these practical considerations alongside the creative ones.

And here's Jacob, "I played with scrunching paper into organic forms and placed it inside a recycled container to make the base stable.

I wrapped sellotape tape around the structure to make it easier to remove at the end of the process." Good thinking.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle, applying storytelling through surface design.

Vessels have been used across culture to hold meaning, tell stories, and reflect the world around them.

Ancient Greek amphorae, tall jars for food and drink, decorated with myths and stories.

Indigenous Pueblo pottery, vessels carrying traditions, community symbols, and everyday functions.

Can you think of any other cultural vessels? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? A vessel only has practical uses.

Pause here and decide, is this true or false? Well done if you said 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: Vessels can be practical, but they can also have ritual, symbolic, or spiritual meaning.

Contemporary artists continue to adapt vessels to explore personal identity, culture, and memory.

Studio Lenca uses paper bowls in his series "Monuments," 2004, combining paper with found items to reflect migration, resilience, and traditions carried across borders.

Cecilia Levy transforms old book pages into papier-mache bowls, where visible words and images turn everyday vessels into reflections on memory, time, and change.

Surface and texture act like illustrated chapters.

They let us read a vessel's story.

Patterns, colours, or textures can show identity or memory.

Surface choices change how the vessel interacts with light and space.

Smooth, rough, or layered surfaces suggest fragility, strength, or history.

Artists that use vessels to tell stories through surface, texture, pattern, and design: Chris Bramble creates hand-sculpted stoneware vases featuring delicately detailed faces, inspired by traditional Zimbabwean busts, blending cultural identity with ceramic vessel design.

Bianca Severijns' "Skin," 2021, shows a delicate paper vessel that emphasises texture, flow, and repetition.

She explores the fragility and strength of paper as it deforms and transforms into a powerful, expressive medium.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of these is not a primary reason an artist would make a vessel? Is it A, to challenge the viewer's perceptions, B, to explore ideas, identity, or tell a story, C, to make sure no one can ever use it, D, to focus on form, surface, or meaning rather than use.

Pause here while you decide which of these is not a primary reason an artist would make a vessel.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed, it's to make sure no one can ever use it.

That's not a primary reason that an artist would make a vessel.

Izzy and Lucas are discussing how to use different thicknesses of papier-mache to create their vessel.

"I'll use tissue paper for delicate details.

It's transparent, so is good for mixing colours and trapping things underneath like string." Good thinking, and Izzy, "I'm going to soak thicker recycled magazines in glue and water to make them softer and easier to shape." Love this thinking.

How might you use decoration as a form of storytelling? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Surface textures can suggest meaning.

For example, reflective materials, such as foil, under papier-mache can catch the light and create symbolic effects.

Written text can act like visual storytelling, representing memories or thoughts, much like a diary.

Here we can see some foil and string embedded into papier-mache on the screen there.

What colours and pattern will you use? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

A limited colour palette or repeated patterns can unify your design and create harmony.

Layering colours and patterns can build depth and complexity.

Colour and pattern choices can also suggest mood, emotion, or story.

Here we can see some experiments with colour and pattern on the screen.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Surface texture is just decoration and doesn't really matter.

Pause here and decide, is this 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: Surface texture on vessels can show function, tell a story, or express cultural identity.

It's more than decoration.

To papier-mache your structure, cover your structure in cling film.

Turn upside down and support in a container.

Layer torn or cut paper with glue.

Consider colour, surface, and texture.

Once dry, carefully remove the inside structure.

If you've used a balloon, this can be popped or it will deflate by itself to reveal a shiny surface.

Love that moment.

The choices you make will change how your vessel interacts with light, space, and the viewer.

Adding handles, legs, lids, or spouts suggest how the vessel should be used or held.

Curved or angular forms will cast dynamic shadows.

How would you like your vessel to be seen or used? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

And now it's time for your task.

I would like you to create your papier-mache vessel.

First of all, cover your structure with cling film.

Turn it upside down and place it in a container for support.

Layer torn or cut papers with glue.

Think about colour, surface, and texture as you build.

Once dry, carefully remove the inside structure.

Think about how you would like your vessel to be seen or used by adding handles, legs, lids, or spouts.

Pause here while you have a go at this task of creating your papier-mache vessel.

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

Great to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task of creating your papier-mache vessel? Your work may have looked like this.

Oh my, here's Sofia, "My colours were inspired by a textile with overlapping colours.

I experimented with rolled recycled paper as a response to Bianca Severijns' textural surfaces." Your work may have looked like this.

Here's Andeep, "I found the balloon quick and easy to work on.

I was really inspired by the colours and shapes in Studio Lenca's 'Monument' series." For the next part of your task, I would like you to consider this.

How could you adapt and refine your vessel design? Change the form: make it taller, wider, or add spouts/handles.

Adjust the structure: reinforce weak areas or make the base more stable.

Develop the surface: add texture, pattern, or colour to tell a story.

So pause here while you have a go at this next part of your task, adapting and refining your vessel design.

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

Great to be back with you.

How did you get on with that part of your task, adapting and refining your vessel design? You may have said something like this, after completion, here's Sofia, "With more time, I'd add handles to complete the form.

I'd strengthen the base with extra papier-mache layers.

I enjoyed making textures with rolled paper and want to try hiding objects under tissue for a layered surface." That sounds intriguing.

And here's Andeep, "I would like to make my form taller and more translucent as it graduates towards the top.

I experimented with adding a circular form to the base of my vessel, using foil to make it more stable." Some really great ideas for refinement there.

I hope you enjoyed reflecting on yours.

In our lesson, "3D Design: form, structure and surface texture," we've covered the following.

Form is the 3D shape, geometric, organic, abstract, that changes how a vessel looks and interacts with space and light.

Structure is the hidden or visible support, armature, handles, legs, that makes the vessel stand and be removed from its mould.

Surface textures, colours, and patterns act like chapters, telling stories and showing identity.

Vessels are not just practical containers; vessels can also hold ideas, stories, and meanings.

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

It was great to explore 3D design together and to create your own 3D vessel.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson.

I thought it was a lot of fun to create these vessels together, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.