Lesson video

Hello everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling good.

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I am your art teacher for today.

Our lesson is called Abstract Marks Respond to Stimuli by Painting.

So there's quite a few interesting things going on here.

We're gonna be looking at abstraction, mark-making, painting, and exploring some particularly interesting stimuli.

Our lesson comes from the unit, Abstract Painting Sustainable Materials.

So hopefully you have some focus and enthusiasm and are all set for this lesson.

Let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can understand what mark-making is and can use it to respond to different stimuli by painting.

Sounds interesting.

Let's find out what are the key words in our lesson today.

We have texture, gestural, and layering.

Texture is the way something feels or looks.

Texture can be real.

You can feel it with your hands or visual.

It looks textured, but is actually smooth.

Gestural is the physical motion of applying paint, creating dynamic and energetic marks.

Layering is building up different marks, colours and textures to add depth and meaning.

These are our keywords, texture, gestural, and layering.

Our lesson is called Abstract marks: Respond to stimuli by painting.

It has three learning cycles.

What is mark-making? Learn about different types of mark-making and use mark-making to respond to stimuli by painting.

Let's begin with what is mark-making? Take a look at these two paintings.

Which of these paintings shows lots of varied mark-making? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

You might have answered that they both show marks, but the one on the left has a variety of mark-making techniques.

Pause the video and share with someone nearby what kind of techniques would you say have been used on the image on the left? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Mark-making is the way an artist applies materials to a surface, creating different lines, textures, layers.

They are two of our key words and patterns.

Artists use different marks to express emotions, create mood, and bring their artwork to life.

Check for understanding true or false.

Mark-making is the way an artist applies materials to create different ideas, thoughts, and portraits.

Pause the video, 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 the video while you do this.

Mark-making is the way an artist applies materials to create different lines, textures, layers, and patterns.

Perhaps you said something like this.

Mark-making can be done by drawing with pencils, charcoal or ink, silk screen printing, or even cutting and layering materials.

Some artists use digital tools to make marks and others explore texture and gestural marks with unconventional material like thread and clay.

Whatever the tool or technique using varied mark-making techniques helps artists express ideas, energy and emotion.

Pause the video and share with someone as you look at this painting on the screen, what do you think the artist is expressing here? What kind of ideas, energy or emotion? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Sofia, Jacob, and Lucas are discussing what types of marks artists use.

Sofia talks about lines.

It could be straight, wavy, jagged or curved, gestural to suggest energy or calmness.

Jacob says that artists can make marks using shapes, organic or geometric forming patterns or breaking space.

And Lucas talks about textures.

It could be thick, smooth, layered or rough brushstrokes.

There are many types of marks that artists use.

Artists use a variety of techniques and tools when making their artwork.

If they know how to use many different techniques, they're able to choose the correct types of marks to help them achieve the effect they want in their work.

And we can see a variety of paint brushes and a sponge.

Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Can you think of any other tool or item that you could use to create marks in your artwork? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

I've used bottle tops and other kind of packaging to help create marks in some of my artwork.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following helps artists have choice about how they achieve the effect they want to in their work? A, knowing which artists to copy.

B, knowing the right people.

C, knowing how to use many different tools and techniques.

Pause the video while you select your answer.

Well done if you selected C, knowing how to use many different tools and techniques will help artists have choice about how they achieve the effect they want in their work.

Artists like Katharina Grosse use bold gestural mark-making often using industrial spray guns to create immersive, colourful artworks.

Wook-Kyung Choi, on the other hand, embraces a more intuitive and layered approach combining expressive brushstrokes and abstract forms. Meanwhile, Barbara Takenaga employs precise, repetitive patterns and dots, creating dynamic, almost cosmic landscapes that convey a sense of controlled movement and infinite space.

It's time for your first task.

I would like you to analyse this artwork.

Look closely at the painting and make a list of the different types of marks the artist has used.

Then, discuss how these marks affect the overall mood, texture, or feeling of the artwork.

What might the artist have been trying to express through these choices? Pause the video while you have a go at this task.

Great to be back with you.

So how did you get on with analysing this artwork? There are many possible outcomes, but you might have said something like this.

Here's Jacob.

"I think the artist has chosen to use gestural lines and dripping effects to make it look like there are more trees in the background of the painting.

Good observation, Jacob, and Sofia.

"I think the dripping marks also create a magical atmosphere in the forest." Yes, I feel that too.

Sofia.

And here's some more responses.

Dots and circles on the tree bark create a woody texture on the tree trunk.

Different size circles and gestural lines help to make the bracken look like it's moving.

Dripping marks help to make soft texture and overlapping them helps to create a magical atmosphere.

If you learn how to use lots of different marks, you'll be able to create wonderful pieces of artwork just like this one.

And now we are onto our next learning cycle.

Learn about different types of mark-making.

How does mark-making help an artist create a painting? Pause the video, and share with someone nearby.

Each type of mark, whether it's a bold brushstroke, a delicate line, a quick flick, or a layered texture can communicate different feelings, ideas, or moods.

Aisha and Lucas are discussing how artists use mark-making.

Aisha talks about Barbara Takenaga, who creates bright, swirling abstract paintings that look like explosions, galaxies, or ripples in water.

She uses tiny dots, gestural lines and patterns to build up her paintings.

And Lucas, "If an artist is painting an old crumbling wall, they might use rough, stippled marks to show its texture." These artworks all contain different types of marks that help them convey a type of meaning.

So on the left, we have that movement coming from those broad gestural sweeping marks.

These more intricate marks in the central image contributing to giving us a sense of emotion.

And on the right, these marks are helping to provide a sense of depth.

Let's have a check for understanding.

If I'm painting a painting of a storm, what types of marks might I use? A, straight lines, B, gestural marks, C, neat marks.

Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected gestural marks.

They best capture the energy, movement, and drama of a storm.

Jacob, Sofia, and June are going to make different marks.

I want to make marks that feel energetic and represent confusion.

So I'll use bold, fast, gestural marks.

I won't use my paintbrush.

Instead, I'll collect other tools like a bottle top, toothbrush and a straw.

Great ideas.

Here's Jun.

"I want to make marks that represent happiness.

So I think I'll use bright colours like yellow and orange.

I'll use my paintbrush and use lots of circular marks with some dots." Another lovely idea.

Choosing the right marks is essential in art because different strokes, textures, and patterns help convey emotion, depth and movement.

Jacob says, "I think the way marks interact, whether through contrast, repetition, layering, or gesture, helps bring a composition to life and communicate the artist's intent effectively." So let's return to these three paintings we looked at earlier.

So on the left we can see these swirling brushstrokes show the movement of the octopus's tentacles.

In centre, sharp shapes and dark colours show moody emotion in this piece.

And on the right, soft textured patterns layered over each other show the depth of the sea in this piece.

Pause the video and share with someone which of these three are you more drawn towards? The swirling brushstrokes to create movement, the sharp shapes and dark colours to give the moody motion or the soft textured layered patterns to give the sense of depth? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

I quite like the depth of the C.

Now it's time for your next task.

I'd like you to divide your page up into 16 boxes and experiment for 10 minutes.

You could first of all, create mark-making using paint and different tools, brushes, toothbrushes, sponges, ticks.

And secondly, experiment with colour palettes that reflect emotion.

So pause the video while you do this.

So how did you get on with your task? Creating mark-making using paint and different tools.

Jacob used a bottle top, straw, and a toothbrush to make marks.

You could collect three tools that are not a paintbrush to experiment with and make marks.

Sofia used small lines, dots, and gestural brushstrokes with her paintbrush to make her piece feel energetic and lively.

And how about the next part of your task? Experimenting with colour palettes that reflect emotion.

Jun used colours to express mood, bright colours to create a happier, more playful mood.

You could use layered textures and muted colours to create a calm mood.

And now we are onto the final learning cycle.

Use mark-making to respond to stimuli by painting.

Responding to things such as sounds, images, or words can inspire the marks an artist makes.

This is known as responding to stimuli.

Which of the stimuli on the screen are you most drawn to responding to? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

I'm quite drawn to the juiciness of the citrus root in the centre there.

Check for understanding true or false.

Artists only respond to visual stimuli.

Pause the video 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 the video while you do this.

You may have said something like this.

Artists are inspired by many different types of stimuli like music, writing, dance, and many more things from the world around them.

Maggi Hambling is a contemporary artist known for her dramatic and expressive sea paintings, which are inspired by the stimulus and the raw energy of the ocean, often focusing on the North Sea.

The painter Hurvin Anderson creates colourful, layered paintings, which are often a response to places like barbershops, gardens, or Caribbean homes.

Cooper is an artist, who often paints everyday objects like speakers, record players, headphones, and even sound waves.

He often says that music gives his work movement and flow, like the painting is dancing along to a beat.

Musicians are also inspired by stimuli to make their music.

Benjamin Britten, a British classical composer, would listen to the sea every day and turned its sounds into orchestral music.

Lin Manuel Miranda, a modern songwriter, worked with musicians from the Pacific Islands to capture the sea's spirit.

He mixes traditional island rhythms with modern melodies to reflect the connection between people and the ocean.

And also he created an amazing musical called Hamilton, which you must go and see one day or watch online if you can.

Artists often create mood boards to collect and explore visual stimuli such as images, colours, textures, and ideas that will inspire their work.

Pause the video and share with someone what is the theme of this mood board? Something very special.

Yes you've guest it.

It's the C.

And so for the first part of our final task, we are going to make a mood board, and this is going to be our visual stimuli, the sea.

So make a mood board or collage of lots of images that represent the sea.

You could collect lots of images related to the sea.

Pause the video while you do this.

Enjoy this part of your task.

So how did you get on with making a mood board or collage of lots of images that represent the sea? There are many possible outcomes, but you might have collected images of the waves in the sea, bubbles in water, coral reefs, sea creatures.

So many amazing things to do with the sea.

Artists can use music or sounds as a stimulus to inspire their artwork.

Sofia has tried to find music that has been inspired by the sea, and she has recorded her own sounds of water and ocean waves.

These will be a musical stimuli.

She is looking pretty good sitting at her drum kit there.

Sofia is going to create four abstract responses inspired by her sea mood board and musical stimuli.

She says, "I've divided my large A2 page into four.

And in each of the boxes, one by one I'll listen to a short piece of the music or watery sea sounds to acquaint myself.

Then when the music is repeated, I will paint what I hear.

I will only use mark-making textures and colours.

No realism." I love that, so she's not trying to make something that looks like the sea, but she's just going with this intuitive mark-making.

So for the next part of your task, I would like you to create four abstract responses inspired by your sea mood board and musical stimuli inspired by the sea.

So gather your materials.

You could look at your mood board of the sea, collect a variety of different tools, select watercolour or acrylic paint, and prepare a colour palette to reflect the different moods.

Listen to sounds made by water or pieces of music which have been inspired by the sea.

And now let's link together some of the possible sounds and responses that you could come up with.

So for gentle waves breaking, you could use flowing lines and soft textures to describe the sounds of soft rhythmic water.

Mm, I'm feeling calm and soothed just thinking about that.

Soft rhythmic water waves lapping gently at the shoreline.

Wind and sea spray use flowing lines and soft textures to describe the sounds of gusty winds and splashes.

A stormy sea use bold, fast marks to describe the sounds of thunder and heavy crashing waves, exciting.

And harbour sounds, use abstract contrasting shapes to describe the sounds of foghorns, ropes crashing, and seagulls.

So much to inspire you here.

So pause the video and have a go at this part of your task.

So how did you get on with creating four abstract responses inspired by your sea and music stimuli using a variety of mark-making techniques.

You might have chosen your visual stimuli of the sea and responded to it thoughtfully.

Listened to musical stimulus inspired by the sea and responded to the music when making marks.

Used a variety of tools to make gestural marks.

Added colours that reflect the mood of the piece of music and the see images you collected.

So here we can see gentle waves breaking and some dragging marks, creating gestural lines with a sponge to replicate the soft sounds.

The sponge is dipped in more than one colour to create this layer.

For the wind and sea spray, we've got scratching into the paint to create sharp marks over the layered paint.

These marks suggest the energetic sound of the waves and soft diffuse marks made with a sponge indicate the trough on a breaking wave.

Here's a stormy sea.

A bottle top was used to create a stamp like mark mimicking droplets of water on the surface of the sea and the shimmering sounds and then dripping gold paint onto the blue.

First layer of paint helped to create the effect of the moon's reflection.

Love that and harbour sounds.

Oval shapes repeated lots of times suggests that energetic movement and noise the seagulls make and shapes layered over thick paint create an energetic group of marks.

In our lesson, abstract marks respond to stimuli by painting.

We have covered the following.

Mark-making helps artists create texture, depth, movement, and emotion in their work.

Using different tools helps artists create marks.

Texture is important in art 'cause it adds depth and realism.

It can make surfaces look rough, smooth, soft, or hard enhancing visual interest and engagement.

Layering in art adds depth, texture, and complexity to a piece.

By building up layers of marks, colours or materials, artists create a sense of dimension and atmosphere.

Oh my goodness, you have covered so much in this lesson.

Well done everyone, for all of your focus and enthusiasm, energy, mark-making and responding to stimuli.

It was great to be with you here today, and I hope to see you at another art lesson soon.

In the meantime, stay creative.