Lesson video

Hello everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling really 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 happy about.

Today, we are looking at 3D Design.

Our lesson is called 3D Design: The Influence of Sources on Your Investigations.

Our lesson comes from the Unitive Work Foundation Workshops and introduction to the areas of study.

So if you are ready with some focus, energy, and enthusiasm, we'll begin our lesson now.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can identify and apply influences from sources to create original 3D work.

We'll have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

Source, context and transforming.

So what do these keywords mean? Source is the starting point or inspiration for design, context, the cultural, historical, or social background of a source.

Transforming, the process of changing a source into a new textile design.

These are our keywords, source context and transforming.

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: The Influence of Sources on Your Investigations, and it has two learning cycles, analyzing and documenting 3D sources, and using 3D sources to develop your designs.

Let's begin by analyzing and documenting 3D sources.

3D design is the process of expressing ideas through form, structure and materials.

Sources of inspiration play a key role in shaping the direction and context of creative 3D work as it develops.

Where might these images come from and what elements could inspire design? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

These images are all sources.

A source might come from nature, architecture, artifacts, cultural traditions, memories or photographs.

Designers and artists study sources to extract forms, textures, structures and patterns, then transform them into new 3D designs through modeling, carving, construction or assemblage.

Pause here and share with someone what might this source that we can see on the screen from nature inspire you towards in terms of 3D design.

Thanks for sharing.

A source is anything that inspires or informs your design work.

It can be a natural object, a cultural artifact, piece of art, a personal experience, or maybe a photograph.

Pause here and share with someone what is a source that has inspired you in some of your design work.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's have a check for understanding, true or false? A source is just something to copy.

Pause here and decide is this statement 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.

Sources are not meant to be directly copied, they act as a starting point for creativity.

Designers explore a source's shapes, patterns, colors, or meanings.

They interpret them to create original work that reflects their own ideas and context.

Using sources as an artist matters because they provide the starting point for creative exploration.

They ensure designs have depth and authenticity.

They help connect your work to broader ideas, traditions, or environments.

So we can see the source of the sunflower here on the left, inspiring this artist to create the sculpture from clay.

Understanding context deepens design thinking.

Context is the background of a source, including culture, history, meaning, and we can see a source image of some koi carp on the screen.

Pause here and share with someone where does this source image of koi carp take you in terms of inspiration, what creative ideas come to mind? Thanks for sharing.

Understanding context helps designers understand the story behind what inspires them, ensures respectful use of cultural references, gives designs depth and a stronger connection to their inspiration.

And here we can see a plaster casting inspired by a koi carp.

I wonder if that was the idea that you had in mind, plaster casting or perhaps something else.

Sofia and Jun are discussing how the context of a source deepens design thinking.

Cultural context adds meaning through traditions and symbols, helping designs to tell a story.

Historical context shows how styles and techniques evolved, inspiring new interpretations, material context reveals origins and making processes encouraging creative use of textures and methods.

Let's have a check for understanding, which of the following statements about the context of sources is not correct.

A, understanding the cultural and historical context of a source makes designs more meaningful.

B, the material context of a source can inspire new techniques and textures in design.

C, context of sources is not important because sources are only used for copying patterns.

D, considering context helps designers reinterpret sources in creative ways.

Pause here while you decide, which of these statements about the context of sources is not correct.

Well done.

If you selected answer C.

Indeed, context of sources is not important 'cause sources are only used for copying patterns is not a correct statement in terms of context of sources.

Artists using sources to inspire new techniques include: Louise Nevelson assembled discarded wooden objects into large monochrome sculptures that gave new life to found sources.

Sopheap Pich transforms bamboo, rattan, and other natural sources into woven sculptural installations.

Cornelia Parker repurposes historical and everyday sources like flattened metal to create new 3D meanings.

Gillian Lowndes experimented with clay, scrap materials, wire, and found sources to create radical sculptural forms. So we can see there are so many artists using sources to inspire new techniques.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to select a source image to inspire a 3D design.

You should observe and sketch your source considering, which elements stand out, what's the context and how could this influence your design? Social, historical, cultural, which elements inspire you, form, surface, texture structure.

So pause here while you select a source image to inspire a 3D design.

And then observe and sketch your source.

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

It is good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task of selecting a source image to inspire a 3D design? There are many possibilities, but you may have selected something like this and created something like this.

Let's hear from Jun.

"I chose a sea urchin as my source.

I sketched it focusing mostly on outlines.

I'm inspired by the spiky surface texture and radial lines, which I might use as a starting point for my design." What an interesting choice.

Is Jun again? "I chose two sources, a photograph of a sea urchin and a piece of fossil coral from home.

I'm particularly interested in their contrasting surface textures which I plan to explore in a sea-inspired sculpture." Great contrast there.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle.

Using 3D sources to develop your designs, artists transform sources into original designs.

So here we can see the source image of coral, and a plaster and wire sculpture.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of this sculpture.

And how can you see that it's taken inspiration from the coral? Thanks for sharing.

When creating your final 3D outcome, consider how your source influences the design.

Here's Jun.

"The spiky surface of my sources have influenced my choice of materials for a sculpture.

Since coral is an indicator of ocean health, my design aims to raise awareness of the need to protect and preserve the oceans." And Sofia, "I'll develop a design using wire using my source to inspire the shapes.

I might use the 3D outcomes as part of my development drawings." Let's have a check for understanding.

which of the following is a false belief about using a source in your final 3D outcome? A, the source only matters in the initial research stage, not in the final design.

B, the source can influence the form, surface and structure you choose.

C, reinterpreting the source helps make the final design unique.

D, the source provides inspiration throughout the design process.

Pause here while you decide which of these is a false belief about using the source in your final 3D outcome.

Well done if you selected answer A, this is a false belief about using a source in your final 3D outcome.

Let's take a look at some artists transforming sources into 3D forms. They include Tony Cragg uses industrial and manufactured sources, transforming them into abstract forms inspired by science and nature, Jackson Polys combines carving resin and natural sources to reinterpret traditional indigenous forms. Athar Jaber draws on Middle Eastern historical sources, creating plaster and stone sculptures with classical influence.

Ranti Bam develops clay vessels from cultural sources, exploring patterns and personal identity in colorful, sculptural forms. So we can see there are a number of artists transforming sources into 3D forms. There are many ways to transform your source into a design.

So here we have our object source, photographic source, and we can turn that into a pen and water sketch, or indeed a clay, plaster and toothpick sculpture.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of the pen and water sketch, and the clay, plaster and toothpick sculpture.

And can you relate them back to the photographic source? Thanks for sharing.

I think they're both so effective.

The source can influence form, shape, structure, balance, surface, texture, pattern, detail, material choices, clay, wood wire, found objects, plaster.

The aim is to develop a 3D piece that is personal and original.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of these sculptures that we can see on the screen.

A wire and a clay sculpture inspired by the sea urchin.

Thanks for sharing.

Transforming your source into a textile outcome might look like this.

Look at your sketch for inspiration.

Select your materials to make an assemblage.

Arrange materials by pressing into a clay base or gluing in place.

You might respond to your source by creating an assemblage.

You don't have to copy the source.

This artist is changing types of materials to create contrast and visual interest.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of this artwork.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Using the original colors and shapes is the only way to stay true to the source.

Pause here while you 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.

This is incorrect because transforming a source means adapting it.

Changing colors, shapes, and materials allows you to reinterpret the source creatively while still being inspired by it.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to transform your source into a 3D outcome.

Look at your source or the sketch you drew of your source, choose the materials you'll use for your sculpture, clay, wire, paper, plaster, found objects or mixed media, plan the shapes and forms you need and start building the structure.

Join parts together using appropriate techniques, pressing into, or scoring and slip for clay, wire connections, adhesives or layering, add surface textures, patterns, or details inspired by your source.

So pause here while you have a go at your task of transforming your source into a 3D outcome.

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

It is great to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task? Transforming your source into a 3D outcome.

There are many possibilities that you may have created something like this says Jun, "Spending time exploring and selecting my source allowed me to transform, found materials into a unique assemblage." And now I'd like you to share your final outcome with somebody and see if they have any ideas about what your source might have been.

What inspired you to reach this outcome? Pause here while you share it together in this way.

Thanks for sharing with each other.

And now finally, I'd like you to share with each other what could be a source that you'd like to use for your next 3D project.

What source will you take inspiration from? Take some time to just share about this.

Thanks for sharing.

In our lesson, 3D Design: The Influence of Sources on Your Investigations, we've covered the following.

Artists often begin their work with a source, using it as the starting point for their ideas.

A source can be anything that sparks creativity, such as a natural object, cultural textile, building, or personal memory.

By studying the cultural, historical, or social context of a source, artists gain a deeper understanding of its meaning and significance.

This allows them to create designs that are both respectful and meaningful.

Through experimentation, artists transform their sources, reinterpreting shapes, patterns, colors and textures to develop original textile pieces that connect inspirational sources to the final design.

Well done everyone for joining in with this lesson.

It was great to explore 3D design together with you and especially to look at what your sources are, where you're taking inspiration from and the context of these sources.

And then indeed transforming these sources and coming up with your wonderfully unique design.

Keep on a lookout for sources.

Inspiration is all around.

I've really enjoyed teaching you and I'm looking forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.