Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

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

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

I'm feeling very pleased about that because I love teaching art and because today we're looking at an interesting subject, which is annotation.

Our lesson is called effective annotation, supporting each other to record the process.

This lesson comes from the unit of work, "Second sustained project: working from theme-changing perspectives." 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 participate in collaborative annotation and take ideas forward from synthesized insights.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

Participate, reflect, shared, and synthesize.

So what do these words mean? Participate is to take part in or be actively involved in an activity.

Reflect, to think carefully or deeply about something, often reviewing experiences, ideas, or actions.

Shared: contributed to by more than one person.

And synthesize: combine different ideas or perspectives to form a coherent whole or new understanding.

These are our key words.

Let's look out for them.

Let's listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Today's lesson is called effective annotation, supporting each Other to record the process.

And it has two learning cycles, exploring collaborative annotation and taking collaborative annotations forward.

Let's begin by exploring collaborative annotation.

And let's zoom ahead to the end of the lesson and see what some outcomes for this lesson might be.

Pause here while you take these in.

Let's move on to our lesson.

So here's a question for you.

Why is participating in collaborative artwork beneficial? Pause here and share with someone.

And as well, why not take in this wonderful piece of collaborative artwork that is in front of us.

Thanks for sharing.

Participating in collaborative artwork allows you to share your own ideas while learning from the perspectives of others.

I wonder if you said something like this.

By contributing, you help shape the final piece, creating something bigger than any one person could make alone.

I wonder if you had an answer like this.

Reflecting on your role in a process helps you appreciate both your own creativity and value of working with others.

How does participating in a group artwork and reflecting on your contribution help you grow as an artist? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Individual reflection helps you recognize what you added to a piece.

Reflecting on your participation helps you understand how your decisions affected the overall outcome.

By reflecting, you gain a deeper understanding of your own artistic style.

Reflection helps you gain an appreciation for how collaboration can bring together different perspectives to create something unique.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Reflecting on your contribution to an artwork is important because it helps you to A, understand how your work fits into the whole piece.

B, gain understanding of your own artistic style.

C, understand how your decisions affected the outcome.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected all of these options.

Reflecting helps you understand what you added, why you made certain choices, and how your work fits into the whole piece.

So why do we annotate in art? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

Perhaps you said something like this.

It helps us participate more fully in our creative process, reflect on the choices we made, describe the materials and techniques we used and show how our artwork communicates meaning.

Annotation allows us to reflect upon our own and others' work, making our thinking visible and helping us improve as artists.

Pause here and share with someone your impression of this artwork and these examples of annotation.

Thanks for sharing.

What is collaborative annotation? Pause here and share with someone.

And how wonderful is this image with all of these collaborators? Thanks for sharing.

Collaborative annotation is when a group of people reflect, discuss, or analyze together on a shared image, artwork, or process.

There are many ways to annotate collaboratively, including shared sketchbook or journal, digital tools, photographic annotations, physical notes attached to an artwork, video recording/stop motion.

Pause here and share with someone which of these annotation methods have you used before, either individually or collaboratively? Thanks for sharing.

Why might a shared annotated sketchbook be useful in a collaborative project? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

Each artist involved contributes notes, drawings, and reflections in the same space, so the book itself becomes a shared collaborative work.

A shared sketchbook encourages dialogue.

Students can respond to each other's notes.

It acts as evidence of how people participated, showing both individual and collective learning in one place.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of this shared sketchbook.

Thanks for sharing.

What are drawn annotations.

Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Annotations don't have to be written words only.

Sketches, diagrams and symbols can function as annotations.

Visual or drawn annotations are a powerful way to record, explore, and communicate ideas.

There are a wide variety of software tools that can be used as an annotation method in art.

Examples include digital art and illustration applications, web-based editing software, vector graphics editing software, digital whiteboards.

Pause here and share with someone.

Have you used any of these software tools as an annotation method in art? Thanks for sharing.

How could digital collaborative annotation be beneficial? Pause here and discuss this with someone nearby.

Perhaps you said something like this.

Unlike a sketchbook, which is physical, digital annotation happens in a shared space.

Each artist can add reflections, links, sketches, or voice clips in real time or whenever it suits them.

What is photographic collaborative annotation.

Pause here and discuss this with someone nearby.

Perhaps you said something like this.

It's when a group uses photos of their artwork, then add reflections, labels, or drawings onto the photos to document individual contributions and collective meaning.

Why is collaborative photographic annotation effective? Pause here and share about this.

Thanks for sharing.

Maybe you said something like this.

It captures the process and outcome.

Photos freeze moments in time, including sketches, experiments and final outcomes.

It can be made with printouts and pens or digitally with tools.

What are physical note annotations? Pause there and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Artists walk around a finished collaborative artwork and attach notes directly onto or near it.

Artists could participate by placing notes on each other's contributions in a collaborative piece for peer feedback.

What is video collaborative annotation? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

When artists record themselves talking through a collaborative artwork.

Artists can participate in video feedback by responding to each other's contributions.

Video collaboration can take several forms, including live group discussion recorded on video, voiceover narration added to photos or clips of the work.

Screen recording annotation where artists digitally mark up images or videos of the artwork while explaining.

Here's Sam.

"These are stills from our video recorded annotation.

We took turns to do the voiceover, explaining how we made the paper structures." Let's have a check for understanding.

Why might video or voice notes be useful for digital annotation? Is it A, they allow artists to explain ideas in more detail and with tone of voice.

B, they stop others from responding.

C, they are only useful for people who can't write.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you chose answer A.

What is stop motion annotation.

Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

It combines the visual sequencing of stop motion frames with notes, labels, or commentary to explain the shared contributions of each participant.

Many artists annotate their collaborative artwork, including Connor Devlin-Powell whose practice spans illustration, filmmaking and writing, often exploring themes of neurodiversity, social norms and identity.

He has collaborated with institutions such as Theatre 503, The Royal Court, and Autograph Gallery.

David Emmanuel Noel who has collaborated with architects, designers, and institutions for public art projects.

He uses annotations and preliminary drawings to translate collaborative discussions into final visual artworks.

And Melissandre Varin who publicly annotates collaborative projects to record the roles, events and emotions involved.

They engage in projects and performances that interrogate love and transformation within cultural spaces.

And now it's time for your task.

I'd like you to reflect upon and document your group artwork through collaborative annotation.

Use a shared sketchbook, camera, video notes, or a digital tool.

Observe the collaboration.

Identify your own contributions and annotate them.

Label materials, techniques, and any special effects you added.

Reflect on your choices.

Respond to at least one other group member's annotation.

Pause here while you have a go at this task.

Good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task? You might have reflected like this.

Here's Izzy.

"Some of us participated in a shared sketchbook with annotations, photos and peer feedback.

This really helped us with ideas for moving forward." And here's Sam.

"A few of us started a collaborative digital document.

We add to it when new ideas crop up or if we want to share feedback.

It's been a useful tool." And now it's time for our next learning cycle, taking collaborative annotations forward.

Are collaborative annotations finished after sharing? Pause here and discuss.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

Here's Jun.

"I can't think how else the collaborative annotations could benefit the development of my work." Sofia, "The collaborative annotations can help guide the next stage of the project." And Alex, "Each person could take one idea from the shared annotations and push it further in their own direction." Let's have a check for understanding.

Once collaborative notes have been shared, what should happen next? A, they're disposed of as the reflection process is complete.

B, they sit in a sketchbook and are never used again.

C, they're used to identify key themes and inspire new work.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed, they're used To identify key themes and inspire new work.

Synthesizing insights is a crucial step after collaborative annotation.

What does this mean? Moving from raw notes and marks, to patterns, connections and themes.

Taking multiple perspectives and weaving them into your own visual language.

Identifying what is useful, inspiring, or surprising from collaboration and discarding what doesn't fit.

Are there any key themes repeated in the collaborative annotation? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

Look back at the notes and notice repeated words, ideas, or symbols.

Here's Aisha.

"I noticed in our collaborative sketchbook that words from the newspaper panels were highlighted several times.

This could be an area for me to develop in graphics." Love your thinking.

Annotations often reveal what hasn't been explored yet.

Here's Lucas.

"I like the idea which several people wrote about trapping text.

It could be an interesting technique to explore in graphics, trying out different paper transparencies." Have any of the annotations sparked new concepts? Pause here and share about this.

Thanks for sharing.

Here's Izzy.

"It was noted several times that the wasp nest structures could also resemble rosettes or flower clusters on a costume.

This could be something for me to explore." Take note of any interesting questions or observations within the collaborative annotations.

Here's Jacob.

"I noticed these words in a shared sketchbook, which have inspired me.

I'm keen to explore artwork which incorporates at least one of these elements." Interesting, hanging whole shape space.

I'm sure there's some really interesting things you can do with those words.

Why is synthesizing annotation valuable? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

It prevents collaborative annotation from being just notes.

Builds critical thinking: artists learn to filter, prioritize, and adapt ideas.

Encourages ownership: even though ideas come from peers, the synthesis makes them personal.

Develops a bridge from annotation to sketching to exploring ideas.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Synthesizing insights means looking for patterns, themes, or links between different annotations.

Pause here and decide.

Is this true or false? Well done if you selected true.

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 helps artists see connections between what multiple people have written or drawn, and then use those links to shape their own creative direction.

Many artists use sketches, notes, or diagrams, which they then synthesize into larger creative directions, including Ava Hesse who uses sketches, diagrams, and notations to plan complex sculptural works, mapping out materials and forms. Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri who created complex paintings based on songlines and stories; preparatory sketches and symbolic mapping were part of his process.

Sarah Ezekiel, who utilizes Eye Gaze technology to control a computer cursor and paint with her eyes.

Her creative process involves planning her compositions through sketches and notes, which she then translates into digital paintings.

When synthesizing annotation, links to broader themes, such as identity, environment, or community might emerge.

For example, identity.

A student might annotate their section of a collaborative piece by writing how they chose patterns from their cultural background.

This connects the artwork to themes of heritage and personal identity.

Environment: an annotation about using recycled materials to show waste and pollution links the group's artwork to environmental issues.

Community: by combining everyone's paper shapes into one still life, the work represents how communities outside the classroom rely on shared effort and connection.

How might this artwork link to community, identity or environment? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Here's Jun.

"There are some keywords within this piece, including retro, daughter, magistrate, and archives.

These words could be linked to different people's identities." And Andeep, "Hand-drawn marks and swirls could indicate personalities, while the uniform stitched framework could show how everyone in a community is connected through the grid-like structures of towns." Laura, "Some areas resemble landscapes, foliage, or even architectural lines, hinting at interaction between human communities and their environment." And now it's time for your task.

I would like you to synthesize the insights from the collaborative annotations.

You could look back at the collaborative annotations made on the still life or experimental samples.

Develop a visual map, diagram or digital space that highlights the most important ideas and annotations.

Consider how those insights can be carried forward into the creative process.

Pause here while you have a go at this task.

Great feedback with you.

How did you get on with that task? Here's Jacob.

"I noted the main insights from our collaborative digital sketchbook.

I focused on keywords noted by us as a group and loved the idea of taking negative space forward as a concept." And Sofia, "I noted the points in a collaborative annotation that resonated with me the most.

I then created a visual and written document with several ideas of how the structures could be developed." In our lesson "Effective annotation: "supporting each other to record the process," we've covered the following: participants reflect on ideas together, share observations, and contribute to a shared dialogue, building on each other's perspectives and exploring different viewpoints.

Through this process, artists can synthesize insights to develop a deeper understanding and take their ideas forward.

Well done, everyone for joining in with this lesson.

It was all about collaboration and synthesis, and so it was wonderful to have you joining in in the way that you have done.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson.

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

Until then, stay creative.