Lesson video

Hello, everyone, how are you today? Hope you're feeling 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, which I am feeling very pleased about.

Today, we're going to be reviewing our work.

Our lesson is called, "Review Developed Ideas, Trials and Experiments", and it comes from the unit of work, "Second Sustained Project, Working from a Theme, Changing Perspectives".

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

The outcome for today's lesson is I can refine and reflect on my work to guide it in the right direction.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

Interpretation, perspective and narrative.

So what do these words mean? Interpretation, how we understand and take meaning from an artwork.

Perspective, the way an artist views or sees the subject and narrative, the story or message that an artwork communicates to its audience.

These are our keywords.

Interpretation, perspective and narrative.

Let's look out for them, let's listen out for them.

They will be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called, "Review Developed Ideas, Trials and Experiments".

It has two learning cycles.

Reflect and reconsider your approach and then make refined experiments.

Let's begin with reflect and reconsider your approach.

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

Oh my, take these in.

Pause here while you take a good look at these and perhaps share your impressions of these possible outcomes with someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing.

Take a look at this artwork.

How might this work connect with someone's personality or interests? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

Here's Lucas, "I think it's about how people are perceived and judged.

The person that made this probably feel strongly about being able to express themselves and their identity freely." I wonder if you had an idea similar to this or something else.

How has your personal background and lived experience influenced your initial work? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Can you see any links between what you know about your peers and their projects? Pause here while you consider this.

Thanks for your consideration.

How does our perspective shape our work? Pause here and share with someone nearby.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

Let's hear of some responses.

The Latin root means look through or perceive.

Interesting.

Saying, "From my perspective," describes our worldview or opinion.

It influences how we see and interpret our subject, so it affects the choices we make.

Our personal viewpoint determines what we notice, shaping the story or message our work conveys.

Some really interesting reflections there.

Your unique approach is what makes your work interesting.

Embracing it means, can you finish that sentence? Pause here while you do this.

Let's see some responses.

Embracing it means you create art that is personal.

You communicate your story or message, making work meaningful.

You understand how your experiences might shape your decisions.

A04 specifies a personal meaningful response using visual language.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Embracing your unique approach means always copying other artists' styles to make your work more interesting.

Pause there 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.

Copying or pastiche can help you learn techniques, but to create original work that meets the A04 objective, you must combine these techniques with your own ideas and intentions.

What influences to do with who you are might be shaping your work? Pause here while you consider this.

Let's share some responses.

Here's Sam, "I like going on adventures, like Duke of Edinburgh trips, and I enjoy geography, which influences my interest in maps and places." Izzy, "I love drama, it's my favorite subject, so making costumes feels really exciting and purposeful." And Sophia, "I'm experimenting with different angles in my work, because I enjoy taking pictures of friends and cityscapes." How could you incorporate personal or meaningful references into your project? Pause here and share with someone how you could do this.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's hear from Sam.

"I could include drawings of maps or places I've been to and perhaps trace the trails or include objects I've found on the walking routes." Izzy, "I can make a costume for myself based on a play I know well, like "Midsummer Night's Dream".

And Sophia, "I could layer images of my friends into my work to create a pattern or background to work on." I love these ways of incorporating personal or meaningful references into projects.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of these is a good way to make your work more personal and meaningful? Is it A, copying others' work exactly, B, including or using drawings or photos that relate to your life experiences or C, choosing materials based on disconnected associations and visual language? Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer B.

Indeed, it's including or using drawings or photos that relate to your life experiences.

That's a good way to make your work more personal and meaningful.

Some artifacts that hold cultural or personal significance are Kente cloth, a vibrantly woven textile symbolizing history, status and identity in Ghanaian culture.

Dia de los Meurtos skull, a decorative skull representing remembrance and celebration of ancestors in Mexican tradition.

Family heirlooms, a specific object passed down through generations symbolizing family history and connection.

Navajo rug, a woven textile pattern representing traditional stories, heritage and artistry.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to review your work and reflect on why it is personal to you.

You could consider, what personal experiences or stories are included? Why did I choose the colors, symbols or themes? How does this piece reflect my background or beliefs? What feelings or messages do I want viewers to understand? In what ways does this work express my identity or personality? How does this piece represent something important in my life? What choices did I make that show my unique perspective? How has creating this work helped me better understand myself? So pause here while you review your work and reflect on why it's personal to you.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on with reviewing your work and reflecting on why it's personal to you? You might review your work and say something like this.

Here's Andeep, "I laid out my work and reflected on what I had made.

I've explored time and framing through films, stills and cyanotypes.

Growing up in a busy city, I often ignore what's around me.

I realized capturing fleeting moments helps me notice my environment more." And now I'd like you to think, pair and share.

How could you make it more personal? You could incorporate your own experiences, stories or memories, use colors, symbols or themes that are significant to you, explore topics or ideas that you feel passionate about, include personal items or materials that have meaning to you, connect your work to current social issues, cultures or beliefs, use techniques or styles that you enjoy, share your story or message through your artwork.

So pause here while you have a go at this part of your task, considering how you could make your work more personal.

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? You might have said something like this.

Here's Andeep, "I plan to refine my technique by experimenting with framing places I pass by often, but usually overlook.

This will help me draw attention to those moments in the day we forget almost instantly." And Jun, "I'm going to use textures and patterns that reflect my heritage in my textiles for interior design.

I want them to reflect me and my cultural background." Aah, I love hearing these.

I hope you enjoyed sharing yours and exploring how to make your work more personal.

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

Each time you look at your work, you might see or interpret it in a slightly different way.

It's important to refine your work based on new thoughts to make it stronger and more personal.

Thinking ahead, A04 asks you to realize intentions.

What are your intentions for improving or refining your work? What are you trying to achieve? Pause here while you reflect on these two questions and share your answers with someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's hear from Aisha.

"I want my work to be powerful and communicate how strongly I feel about changing our world." Resources influence your understanding and interpretation of an artwork or design.

The materials, images or tools you pick can affect how others see your work.

Choosing the right resources helps you communicate your ideas clearly.

A04 also asks you to demonstrate an understanding of visual language.

How effective is your use of visual language so far? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

And now I'd like you to reflect, does it communicate your ideas, the visual language you've used so far? Pause here and consider this.

Thanks for your consideration.

Here's Sophia, "It's a bit all over the place.

The colors don't reflect my landscapes and the map isn't incorporated creatively yet." Fair enough, good to recognize that.

Let's have a check for understanding.

A04 includes reference to, A, a personal meaningful response, B, realizing intentions, C, demonstrating and understanding of visual language.

Pause here while you decide what A04 includes reference to? Well done if you've selected all three of these answers.

Indeed, A04 includes reference to all of them.

Take a look at what we can see on the screen.

How might these convey a narrative when used together? Pause here and share about this.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's hear from Jun.

"The pin is sharp and associated with punk rock and disorder, symbolizing rebellion or defiance.

Red frequently represents danger, warning or passion.

The ribbon is used by charities in the military to raise awareness or to show solidarity." I wonder if you had ideas like these.

What associations did these materials have with the theme growth? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's hear from Izzy, "The wool makes me think of lambs or eggs.

The green fabric is soft like moss and the wire is like a nest." That's just what I was thinking too.

Would different textures or colors change how viewers interpret this work? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

Here's Aisha, "It's like something from a Victorian workhouse, rusty nails and dirty coarse fabric.

Bright colors or soft fabric would completely change it." Great response.

In art, a narrative is the story, meaning or message.

The narrative helps give meaning to the work.

It can make it more engaging.

It can encourage viewers to think about what's happening, why it's happening and what the artist wants to say.

Pause here and share with someone, what do you think the artist wants to say with this artwork that we can see on the screen? Thanks for sharing.

What visual language has Aisha experimented with to create a narrative in her design work? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Here's Aisha, "I used red on black to attract attention.

The broken mirror conveys my desire to change society immediately." Love that, love your passion for this, Aisha.

Examples of how artists review and refine their work.

Chris Ofili steps back from his work to assess the composition, making adjustments to ensure the final piece conveys the intended narrative.

Zarina Bhimji carefully edits her material and experiments with ways of presenting her work, such as large scale prints or immersive installations.

Gerhard Richter's refinement process is highly iterative, with many of his abstract works undergoing multiple layers of paint and scraping.

Cindy Sherman reviews her work by photographing multiple iterations of each character.

She refines her experiments by adjusting the lighting, props, composition and facial expressions to fine tune the narrative effect.

And these are just some examples of how artists review and refine their work.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to get feedback on your use of visual language.

You could ask a relative, carer, friend or teacher, what narrative do you think my work conveys? How do the colors, shapes and textures make you feel? What do you notice first when you look at it? Do you see any symbols or themes? Is there anything in the work that confuses or surprises you? What personal connections do you interpret from it? How would you describe the mood of my work? So pause here while you gather some feedback on your use of visual language.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Great to be back with you.

How did you get on with getting feedback on your use of visual language? Let's hear from Jacob.

So the question was, "What do you think?" And here's Izzy's response.

"Your work conveys a feeling of age.

It feels worn and possibly related to industry.

I love the contrast of the dirty fabric with the metallic rust-colored thread glistening in light.

It picks up on the erratic stitching." Andeep's keen to hear from Jun and here's Jun's response.

"The narrative or theme could be looking or perhaps beyond.

The colors are making it hard for me to judge mood.

Some are much more light and hopeful than others.

The black and white images are more contemplative." So interesting.

And now I'd like you to share your intentions for refinements.

You could describe, what do you want to communicate, what you want to change, what visual language you'll use, what materials you'll use to convey your ideas.

So pause here while you now share your intentions for refinements.

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, sharing your intentions for refinements? Let's hear from Andeep.

"I'm going to try to make a new photo shoot of places I see each day on my way to school, but that I barely notice.

My project is about framing and time, so I'll try to capture motion and frame my photos so they're viewed through other elements.

For now, I'll reduce the color and saturation to focus on other parts of the visual language." For the next part of your task, I'd like you to make refined personal experiments.

There are many possible options, but you could add layers to create meaning, incorporate your own images or themes, add symbols, messages or personal items, add sketches or photos that relate to you, connect your work to current social issues, cultures or beliefs, use techniques or styles that you enjoy.

So pause here while you have a go at this part of your task, making refined personal experiments.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Great to be back with you.

How did you get on with making refined personal experiments? You might have made something like this and said, "They didn't all work, but I'm pleased with these stills overall.

They capture overlooked places and feel evocative.

I used framing to create a sense of looking beyond and being observed." And Aisha, "I combined hopeful colors and a sunrise effect, mimicking a stained glass window with its associations of faith and light to create a new design for my typography graphics project." Here's Sam, "I incorporated maps and distorted photos of the landscape from above into layered cardboard representations of the places I visited on my Duke of Edinburgh expedition." Really quite captivating.

In our lesson, "Review Developed Ideas, Trials and Experiments", we've covered the following.

Your background shapes your perspective.

Be mindful of this when making work.

Incorporating visual elements like sketches and photos related to your experiences can enhance your responses and provide additional context.

Resources influence your understanding and interpretation, so you should think critically when making selections.

New insights may emerge that enrich your narrative.

Revise your response as you reflect on your experiences.

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

I have loved this review, looking at perspective, visual language and continuing to make your work more and more personal.

It's my favorite kind of work, and I love this lesson.

I hope you've enjoyed it too and I look forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.