Lesson video

Hello, my name is Ms. Budroo.

I hope that you are all doing well.

I'm really looking forward to teaching and learning with you today.

Our learning outcome for this lesson is, I can take part in a critique to reflect and refine my response.

(no audio) (no audio) Our keywords for this lesson are reflective, critique and complexity.

Let's explore each keyword in turn and find out what they mean.

Reflective, thinking carefully about your own work or ideas, learning from what you've done or seen.

Critique, giving helpful feedback about someone's art, what works well or what could be improved.

Complexity, containing many parts or details, making it interesting or challenging to understand.

So those are our key words for this lesson.

Reflective, critique and complexity.

(no audio) Okay, our lesson outline, personal response, reflect and refine the response.

So let's begin with our first learning cycle, which is take part in a critique.

(no audio) Let's bring our focus to take part in a critique section of our lesson.

How do you know if your visual language is effective? Does it communicate your ideas? So Sofia says, "I try to get feedback sometimes from a friend or teacher so I know what my viewers think." How do you make sure you are getting constructive and meaningful feedback when presenting your work? It can be hard.

If I ask a friend or someone at home, sometimes they'll say nice things because they think that's what I want to hear.

Often artists and designers use critiques.

Critiques, or crits are structured opportunities to share, observe and discuss work and listen to feedback.

Critiques often happen mid-project to help artists, designers, or creators to refine their work before it's finished.

For example, a graphic designer might get feedback on a logo draft, or a filmmaker might review a rough cut of a scene to improve pacing or visuals.

Let's have a check in here for understanding with the following true or false statement.

A critique is a structured session when you can get feedback on your work and use this to help you make changes and refinements.

Now, is this statement true or false? So pause for a moment here and resume when you are ready.

(no audio) Okay, what did you think? Let's take a look.

The answer is true and why might that be? Taking part in a critique or crit means giving helpful and constructive feedback about someone's art and getting feedback from others on your own work.

(no audio) A critique is a safe space.

You should feel free to express your ideas and opinions.

Everyone brings their work and ideas, which means everyone is feeling equally vulnerable.

We respect this by being constructive, thoughtful, and supportive in our feedback.

Here are some suggestions on how to approach a critique.

Let's take a look.

Be honest, but kind.

Focus on how the work can improve, not just flaws.

Be specific, explain why.

Justify your comments and suggest solutions.

Be open-minded.

Listen to different perspectives for growth.

Be respectful.

Approach feedback with care and empathy.

So Jacob says, "I love group crits as I get to see everyone's work, hear lots of new ideas, and usually leave with new ideas for my own work too." What questions might you ask someone presenting work in a critique? Let's take a look.

How did approach the theme? What are you most interested in? Why did you decide on these materials? What mood or feeling are you trying to communicate? What are you most unhappy with in this piece and why? What questions might you ask the audience when you present? What are your first impressions of this work? Are there any elements that feel distracting or unnecessary? Does the composition feel balanced, or does anything seem out of place? Is there anything you are curious about or would like to know more about in this piece? Try to ask open questions, i.

e those not answered yes or no.

Okay, let's have a check in here for understanding.

What are useful ways to discuss work in a critique? Is it A, ask open questions leading to more insightful answers, or B, always offer things you dislike immediately, C, ask lots of questions with quick yes or no answers, or D, be constructive when sharing something potentially negative add something you would do to improve it.

So pause for a moment here and think about your answer and we'll resume when you are ready.

(no audio) Okay, so what are useful ways to discuss work in a critique? Let's take a look.

Oh, we have two answers.

So A, ask open questions leading to more insightful answers.

And D, be constructive when sharing something potentially negative add something you would do to improve it.

Let's bring our focus and attention to task A, take part in a critique.

You should, present your own work to a small group.

Describe things you are finding challenging.

Ask for suggestions for improvement.

Listen actively and respond to others even if just in a supportive way.

Share observations, suggestions and ideas.

Pause the video here to complete this practical task and resume when you are ready.

(no audio) Let's draw our focus on feedback for task A, take part in a critique.

You could have presented your ideas, drawings, sketchbook work and key experiments to explain your ideas for your response.

You should also have suggested ideas, connections, and constructive criticism for others when they presented their work.

It might sound like according to Izzy, "I'm working on a piece inspired by Hippolyta.

I've been experimenting with different techniques like smocking and embroidery.

I've also been exploring various leaf shapes to add a natural, organic feel to the design with a color scheme of greens and purples to reflect her regal and powerful presence." She also adds, "I'm working on incorporating textures and shapes into a cohesive piece and how the surface treatments can highlight her royal qualities.

I'm considering different materials and how to layer them to give some complexity and movement to the neckpiece." So Izzy goes on to say, "During this crit, I'm hoping to get some suggestions on how I can improve the design, ideas for more surface textures or ways to make the shapes more dynamic.

I'd also like to hear your thoughts on how I can refine my concept to make it more impactful." So Jun says, "I really like your idea! You could experiment with adding some beading or sequins to the embroidery to make it stand out more.

Also, try playing around with different leaf sizes and shapes to add more variety and movement." So let's focus now on our second learning cycle, which is review and refine your planned response.

(no audio) Let's begin with this question.

What surprised you when listening to the feedback? Let's take a look at potential answers.

"I was surprised that people liked my lighting in my photos.

I thought it might be too dark," says one student.

"They loved the fabric mix, I was worried it was too busy." "They noticed the texture, but I didn't think it stood out." "They didn't agree with me, and I don't think they understood my work or vision." Critiques can be challenging.

They should make you stop and think about your work in new ways.

Let's have a check-in here for understanding with a true or false statement.

A critique is always positive and immediately useful.

Is this true or false? So pause for a moment here and think about your answer and we'll resume together again shortly.

(no audio) So what do you think? The answer is false.

Oh, why might this be? Sometimes critiques are hard.

You'll hear criticism and discover a variety of opinions.

Although this might feel confusing, it's what you do next that counts the most.

How will this feedback help you move forward? (no audio) How do you review your work following a critique and use your reflections to make refinements? So one student says, "I think carefully about what's been said, but I don't necessarily act on everything they've said." It's important to review a critique and make sure any refinements align with your own artistic vision.

After a critique, it's important to reflect on the feedback and what you observed.

How can the suggestions help me to actually improve? You should review the key points, identify what worked well and what needs improvement.

Use feedback to make targeted changes, whether it's a adjusting composition, refining details, or clarifying your concept.

Whose work did you see in that crit that was innovative and experimental? You might, try new techniques, materials, or approaches.

Experiment to discover unexpected and exciting results.

Test out new ideas in preparatory work before applying them to your final response.

Consider simplicity.

Whose work did you see in the crit that was both simple and really effective? You might, recognize that sometimes less is more.

Remove elements that distract from the main focus or overwhelm it.

Simplify to help your work feel more intentional and allow the concept to shine.

Consider complexity.

Has anyone used layers or texture to great effect? You might, add layers of meaning, texture, or detail to deepen your work both visually and conceptually.

Consider where complexity might enhance your response.

Use intricate patterns, layered storytelling, or mixed media.

(no audio) Okay, let's have a check in here for understanding with the following question.

How can you add complexity, depth and interest to your work? A, layer images and materials to deepen the meaning, or B, remove elements that distract from the main idea, or C, use texture to create depth and intrigue.

So pause for a moment here and think about your answer to this question and we'll resume together again shortly.

(no audio) Let's have a look.

What did you think? So the answer is, we have two responses.

We have A, layer images and materials to deepen the meaning and C, use texture to create depth and intrigue.

So these are some of the ways that you can add complexity, depth, and interest to your work.

(no audio) Consider your technical proficiency.

Which of your classmates is using techniques really well? Does it impact their outcomes? Pay attention to the technical aspects.

Practice and refine these skills to elevate the overall quality of your work.

Refine your technique to help you make a more polished response.

Respond to your own artistic voice, whose work feels individual and unique? Feedback is valuable, but don't lose sight of your own unique style.

You should, strive to balance the suggestions with your personal artistic voice.

Acknowledge and embrace that individuality is what makes your work stand out.

Artists who revisit, refine, contextualize and update artwork include, Hurvin Anderson first painted a Birmingham-based barbershop in 2006.

Over the last 15 years, Anderson has repeatedly reworked the same barbershop in a multitude of ways to explore key painting styles.

Shilpa Gupta's, "100 Hand-Drawn Maps of My Country" series has been revisited and updated to reflect change in political boundaries and personal perceptions of belonging.

She adds new layers of context and meaning.

Sherrie Levine is known for her work in the appropriation art movement.

She recontextualizes and represents artworks to challenge notions of originality and a male-dominated approach to art history.

Artists who revisit, refine, contextualize and update artwork include, Marcel Duchamp, turned everyday objects into art, calling them readymades.

He challenged the very core of what could be art.

Francis Bacon's Pope series, inspired by Diego Velazquez's "Portrait of Pope Innocent X," spanned decades.

He revisited the theme multiple times and creating variations that distorted the pope's figure in increasingly grotesque and expressive ways.

Yayoi Kusama's "Infinity Mirror Rooms" have been a recurring theme in her work since the 1960s.

Over the decades, she has created new versions of these immersive installations, updating them with new materials, technologies, and themes.

Okay, so let's bring our focus and attention to task B.

Number one, review the critique and summarize the key points.

Pause the video here to undertake this task and resume when you are ready.

(no audio) Let's come together now and focus on feedback.

So you were tasked to review the critique and summarize the key points.

There are many ways to record your ideas, but you may have, "My crit was really useful," says Izzy.

"They understood most of my ideas.

They said I needed more variety of shape, size, and form in my leaves.

They also said I could practice incorporating more detail and texture into my embroidery, such as metallic threads or sequins.

I'm not sure if I want it to feel shiny though.

Metallic materials feel futuristic and not the kind of natural opulence I am going for." Let's bring our focus and attention here for number two of task B, and that is create a refined plan for your response.

You could, make a new design, plan, drawing, maquette or model, refine or update an old version of your idea, record your ideas in notes, paragraphs or verbally.

You should, consider incorporating additional layers or textures, consider removing details that don't align with your ideas.

Pause the video here to undertake this task and resume when you are ready.

(no audio) Let's come together and look at feedback in response to this task.

So you were ask to create a refined plan for your response, and there are many ways to record your ideas, but you may have, so Izzy says, "I refined my original design based on the feedback from my critique.

I used my samples on the page to illustrate my techniques." And Laura says, "I added more visual complexity through texture and layers to add depth to my original design." We have now arrived at our summary for personal response, reflect and refine the response.

Experimenting with layering techniques and texture adds depth, complexity, and interest to your practical response.

Sharing your work with peers in a critique helps gather constructive feedback and gain different perspectives on your response.

Reflecting on the process and outcome supports refinement and the creation of a cohesive response that demonstrates good understanding of visual language.

I hope that you have enjoyed this lesson.

I look forward to seeing you again.

In the meantime, take care and see you soon.

Bye for now.

(no audio).