Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling really, really great.

My name is Ms. Afsal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm feeling very happy about that because today we're looking at textiles.

We're looking at portraits and figures in textiles.

That's the title of our lesson.

It comes from the Unit of Work: Foundation Workshops.

So, you can see this is something really quite foundational.

So, I hope you've got some energy, enthusiasm, and focus for this lesson.

If you have, then we'll begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can review the range of ways textile artists have been inspired by portraits and figures.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

Subject, narrative, and symbolism.

Subject is the focus, topic, or image of an artwork.

For example, in a portrait, the subject is the person who has been painted.

Narrative, the story or message that an artwork communicates about the subject.

And symbolism, the use of objects, colours, or imagery to suggest deeper meanings.

These are our keywords: subject, narrative, and symbolism.

Our lesson is called Portraits and Figures in Textiles, and it has three learning cycles.

Artist spotlight: portraits and figures, Visual deconstruction: portraits and figures, and Personal connection in art: portraits and figures.

Let's begin with Artist spotlight: portraits and figures.

Why do you think people have always been such a powerful subject in textiles? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Artists across history and cultures have been inspired to create portraits and art inspired by the human body.

Artists take different approaches to the techniques and themes used in their textile work.

Portraits have been used in every culture to tell stories about people, who they are, what they value, and how they want to be remembered.

From ancient masks to modern selfies, portraits can show status, identity, community, or tradition.

Does this topic of portraits and figures connect to any tradition, stories or experiences from your family or culture? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Some themes and techniques that artists might use when it comes to portraiture and the figure are achieving accuracy and recognisable likeness, symbolism, life experiences and social commentary, abstract interpretations, narrative.

Some textile artists focus on the accuracy of their work, aiming to achieve a highly recognisable likeness of their subject using realistic features and colours.

This kind of representation is very common in Western approaches to portraiture.

Textile artists who focus on recognisable depictions of their subject include Sorrell Kerrison creates hand stitched portraits with colourful thread, celebrating the identity of everyday people through detailed textile techniques.

Santo Cielo creates highly realistic thread-painting embroidery works, exploring stitched portraits of people and pets.

A modern take on likeness through textiles.

Oliver Bliss creates detailed tapestry portraits of real individuals.

His series SoftLads combines photographed likenesses with textile realism, forming recognisable modern portraits that tell personal stories.

Check for understanding.

What is the main aim of a textile artist when creating a recognisable depiction of their subject? A, to create a realistic image of the model, B, to experiment with bold colours and patterns, C, to express strong emotions through abstract shapes, or D, to make their art look unfinished on purpose.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected A.

It's to create a realistic image of the model.

In historical Western art, portraits often focused on the wealthy, powerful, and royal, especially in grand formats like tapestries.

This means many people, including those from colonised nations, working class communities, and marginalised groups, were underrepresented and left out of the picture.

What kind of stories or people might artists choose to highlight today? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Here's Jacob.

"Artists could choose to make art about marginalised people and groups." Alex, "Artists might explore global traditions, especially from their own heritage." And Sofia, "Artists might portray the real lives of diverse people, not just the wealthy and powerful." In some cultures, symbolism has been used to denote specific people or their character.

It may be more important than recognisable facial features.

Here's Jun, "King (Obas) of Benin are depicted in textiles with embroidered regalia and beads, symbolising status and power.

These textiles were central to displaying royal authority." And Izzy, "Chinese ancestor portraits, often created on silk or paper, were used to honour and communicate with ancestors.

It's about honouring status and legacy." Textile artists can use depictions of people to show life experiences.

These may be their own or those of others.

Through portraiture, textile artists may reflect real life, examine past experiences, challenge misconceptions, advocate change through social commentary.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following is not a reason a textile artist might depict people in their work? A, to avoid making any form of social commentary, B, to challenge stereotypes or misconceptions, C, to examine personal or cultural identity, or D, to show real life experiences, their own or others.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer A.

Some artists, like Maggie Scott, use their art to document or examine their life experiences.

Scott makes large felt portraits to explore her identity as a Black British woman and activist.

She uses self portraits to tell stories about race, gender, and being seen.

Other artists challenge misconceptions through their work, such as Małgorzata Mirga-Tas who addresses stereotypical representations of Roma people.

Artists sharing social commentary in their artwork to highlight issues include: Arshi Irshad Ahmadzai's "An-Nisa" (The Women) 2020, honours Muslim women's lives and experiences.

Using fabric, embroidery, and text, Ahmadzai highlights themes of gender, faith, cultural identity, and resilience.

Diedrick Bracken's "Unbroken", 2019 is a large scale weaving that addresses African-American and queer identities, blending traditional African craft techniques with modern social commentary.

Can you name any other artists who address social issues in their textile work? Pause here while you do this.

Thanks for sharing.

Some artists depict portraits and figures using an abstract approach.

They might use abstract shapes and forms, unrealistic colours, expressive marks.

What meaning could this add to the work? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Here's Sam.

"Abstracting colours and shapes, and using expressive marks, could create a clearer link to the emotions of the artist or subject." And Andeep.

"It could also be used to share deeper meanings or ideas.

Artists can use a combination of realism and abstraction in their work." Artists using abstract shapes, expressive marks, or unrealistic colours in their portraits and figures include Nneka Jones, uses embroidery to create bold, textured portraits that blends realism with vibrant colour, pattern and symbolism.

Salman Khoshroo known for his expressive wall portraits combines realistic facial features with exaggerated colours and distorted elements, blending abstraction with portraiture.

And Alice Kettle uses loose, expressive stitches and abstract forms in her textile portraits, allowing the viewer to interpret figures through suggestive marks and layered textures.

Textile artists often use portraiture and art of the figure to tell a real or imagined story.

This is called a narrative.

Why might a textile artist choose to depict a real person to help convey a narrative in their work? Pause here and share about this.

Textile artists developing a narrative in their artworks include Michael Sylvan Robinson, uses embroidery, clothing and text to tell stories about identity and personal experience.

His work often reflects on emotions, memory, and self-expression.

Lloyd Foster combines photography printed on fabric along with stitching and assemblage to explore culture, home, and migration.

His layered textile works depict a narrative of growing up between different places and traditions.

Check for understanding.

True or false? A narrative can only be created through use of text in an artwork.

Pause here and decide if this is 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.

Textile artists use imagery in a wide range of ways to communicate different narratives and themes.

They may adapt the pose of the subject, background imagery, and colour palette to express a narrative.

Other themes and techniques textile artists might use when working with portraiture and the figure are: beauty ideals, power and status, distortion, text integration, and social commentary or propaganda.

And now, it's time for your first task.

I would like you to select two or three textile artists or specific textile artworks and compare them.

Consider these questions.

In what ways are a textile works visually similar or different? Think about subject, colour, tone, shape, style, composition, and materials.

What themes, symbols or ideas do the textile works explore? Are there any connections between them? Which techniques, processes, or creative choices in these textile works inspire you and how might you use them in your own work? Pause here while you have a go at this task.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task? You may have said something like this.

Here's Lucas.

"Maggie Scott and Małgorzata Mirga-Tas both explore identity.

Scott's felt portraits focus on her experience as a Black British woman, while Mirga-Tas uses applique to challenge stereotypes of the Roma people.

And Aisha, "Scott's work uses texture to deepen the emotional impact, while Mirga-Tas' fabric collage blends tradition to comment on the world today, I could experiment with texture and collage fabric symbols to explore my identity." Wonderful thinking there.

And you may have said something like this.

So, both Maggie Scott and Małgorzata Mirga-Tas explore identity and have recognisable subjects.

Maggie Scott creates felted portraits showing people and identity, and uses self portraits to tell personal stories and explores race and gender.

Małgorzata Mirga-Tas' portraits use fabric collage and applique.

She represents Roma culture and everyday life, and her subject challenges stereotypes.

And now, we're onto our next learning cycle.

Visual deconstruction: portraits and figures.

What is the first thing you notice about the textiles used in this artwork? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Textile artists use various techniques to communicate in their work the elements of art (line, tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, and texture).

Composition, space and perspective.

Materials and techniques.

Imagery and subject.

We can deconstruct these techniques to understand the work more deeply.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following best explains why we might deconstruct a textile artist's techniques and creative decisions? A, to copy the exact style for our own work, B, to decide if the artwork is realistic or abstract only, C, to identify which art supplies were the most expensive, D, to understand the meaning behind the art.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer D.

Indeed it's to understand the meaning behind the art.

Pause here and share with someone how are the elements of art used in this work? Perhaps you said something like this.

Strong lines of fabric folds create dynamic staging and emphasise pattern.

Complimentary colours with cool tones at the front and warm behind, feel bold.

Dark tones are placed in the background to focus the viewer on the subject.

Textured object, beads and fabrics add visual interest and blend the subject into their surroundings.

Laura is describing the imagery and subject in this work.

"There's bright, geometric patterned fabric, like African Dutch wax print, around the subject.

There's no direct gaze as the subject hides their face.

with a beaded headdress.

Their hand rests on objects in a basket like a sculpture and mask and flowers." Artists can use gaze, pose, and body language of their subject to communicate: a sense of power and social status, emotional mood, confidence or vulnerability, relationships between subjects in the work, interaction with the viewer.

Check for understanding.

Which is the most likely term to fill the gap? A figure looking directly at the viewer can suggest A, boredom, B, confidence, or C, fear.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you said confidence.

Gaze that meets the viewer's own can create a sense of control or assertiveness.

And now, it's time for your next task.

I would like you to select one textile work and describe it.

What can you see in this work? Consider the elements of art (line, tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, texture).

Composition, space and perspective.

Materials and techniques.

Imagery and subject.

How has the textile artist used these techniques to communicate with the audience? You can record your response as an idea shower around an image of the artwork or write a paragraph.

Pause here while you have a go at this task.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task of selecting one textile work and describing it? You may have said something like this.

The direct gaze is a confident physical pose.

The subject is positioned in the centre.

Blocks of embroidery to create form and texture.

Strong highlights, create contrast.

Colours are brighter around the hairline and left side of the face.

Realistic neutral expression.

Loose hanging threads suggesting hair.

Well done for selecting and describing a textile work.

And now, we're onto our final learning cycle.

Personal connection in art: portraits and figures.

How can looking at a textile artist's work help us develop our own work? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Here's Jacob.

"I look at textile work with similar themes or meanings to help give me new ideas." Alex, "I'm inspired by the techniques textile artists use and try to apply these to my theme." And Sofia, "Work that has similar imagery can inspire new work even if the concept is different." I wonder if you had some ideas similar to these or maybe something different.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? We can only take inspiration from textile art that is exactly like ours in imagery, theme and technique.

Pause here and decide if this is 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.

You can select the elements of a textile work that inspire you and consider how you might use similar elements in your work.

You could find a technique inspirational, even if the artwork has different concept or theme to your own work.

There are a number of things which can cause us to have a personal connection with the textile work, such as techniques or themes.

We can identify and interpret symbolism or narratives in a textile work to examine our personal connection to the themes of the work.

What symbolism or narratives are in this work? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think? I wonder if you had any ideas like these.

The beads act as a barrier between a subject and a viewer.

Objects like a sculpture and mask can be seen as stereotypical symbols often linked to generic ideas of African culture.

Surrounded by folded, decorative fabric and standing tall, the figure suggests a proud, confident narrative.

Have you noticed different symbolism or narratives? Or perhaps something like this? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Different people find different personal connections to art, leading to varied ways of developing ideas from the same work.

How could this work link either thematically or technically to your theme? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Here's Andeep.

"This work could inspire my theme of emotion and loneliness through the subject's hidden gaze." And Jun, "My theme is roles in society, so I could explore how clothing, pose, and objects are symbols of status, identity, or cultural pride." And Izzy, "My theme is real life.

I wanna focus on my grandparents' objects and experiences when they migrated." Can you think of other thematic interpretations? Pause here while you do this.

Thanks for thinking about this.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Why can the same textile work inspire varied themes and ideas for different people? Is it A, Artists usually follow one shared way of thinking, B, Everyone interprets artwork in exactly the same way, C, People form a connection based on their own experiences, D, There is only one correct theme in any given artwork.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer C.

And now, it's time for your final task.

I would like you to select one artwork and consider your personal connection.

What themes, symbols, or ideas does this textile art explore? Are there any symbols, imagery, or connections that help create a narrative or show meaning? Which techniques, processes, or creative decisions in this textile work inspire you? And how might you use them in your own work? You could record this as an idea shower around an image of the artwork or write it as a paragraph.

Pause here while you have a go at this task.

Great to be back with you.

How did you get on with this task? You may have said something like this.

Theme, dreams and memory.

Thread wrapped around pins gives a constellation-star like effect, showing time passing and adding meaning.

The upward gaze and hand on the chest suggest hope for the future.

I'll use map pins to plot special moments around a stitched image of myself today.

You may have said something like this.

The theme: Identity and belonging.

I'm drawn to the colours and stitched blocks that loosely suggest the portrait.

The hair details and colour choices hint at mood or personality.

The direct gaze creates a strong connection with the viewer.

I will use loose stitched marks in a similar way, but with an upward gaze to suggest dreams and a hope for the future.

In adolescent portraits and figures in textiles, we've covered the following.

Portraits can show a subject's identity, including culture, gender, age, social status, and background.

Portraits can tell stories about people's lives and experiences reflecting relationships, emotions, or history.

Textile artists often use portraiture and art of the figure to tell real or imagined stories.

This is called a narrative.

Textile artists often use their work to share views on society, culture, or important issues.

Portraits can go beyond what someone looks like.

They can show who they are and what they stand for, sometimes using symbolism.

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

It was great to explore portraits and figures in textiles, looking at subject's identities and all the different things that textile artists can do and portray through their work.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson.

I really did.

And I look forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.