Lesson video

Hello everyone.

How are you? I hope you're feeling great.

My name's Miss Afsal and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson, which I'm very, very pleased about.

We are going to be exploring a really interesting topic, which is print design.

I wonder how much experience you have with print.

It's one of my favourite, favourite things to do is printing.

Our lesson is called Exploring Print Design and it comes from the unit of work, Textiles and the Creative Industries.

So if you are feeling ready to get printing, to get exploring and get creative, then we'll begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can understand how to use Tataki-zome to make a botanical print.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

Botanical, composition, Tataki-zome, hammer dyeing.

Let's find out what these words mean.

Botanical means containing leaves, flowers, or plants.

Composition is arranging shapes and space in your artwork.

Tataki-zome, this is an ancient Japanese print technique where plants are pounded to transfer patterns onto fabric or paper.

It translates to pounded dye in Japanese and hammer dyeing, a technique where you use plants to make prints by gently hammering them into fabric or paper.

These are our keywords.

I wonder how many of these you've heard of before.

Whether you have heard of them or not, they will certainly be coming up in our lesson today.

So look out for them and listen out for them.

Botanical, composition, Tataki-zome and hammer dyeing.

Our lesson is called Exploring Print Design, and it consists of two learning cycles.

We have exploring Tataki-zome and making your botanical print.

Yes, we are gonna get so creative and practical here and make our own prints.

Let's begin though with exploring Tataki-zome.

And wow, have a look at what some outcomes for today might be.

Don't these look so beautiful and intriguing and colourful and just delightful? I hope you're feeling excited to produce something potentially looking like this.

Tataki-zome means pounded dye in Japanese.

It's a traditional technique where botanicals are hammered onto fabric to leave natural prints.

Used during seasonal festivals, it reflects Japanese values of nature, beauty and simplicity.

Today it is taught in many different communities globally.

Pause the video and share with someone your impressions of this example of Tataki-zome.

Thanks for sharing.

For me there's something very fresh, simple, and invigorating about this print.

Tataki-zome is also known as hammer dyeing or flower pounding.

Artists focus on balance, shape and the delicate textures of nature.

Every print is unique, showing the fragile beauty of real plants.

The plants are hammered gently, not too hard, to transfer their natural colour without damaging the fabric or losing detail.

Let's have a check for understanding, true or false? In Tataki-zome, you should hammer the leaves and flowers as hard as possible to get the best results.

Pause here while you decide if this statement 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.

Hammering too hard can damage the fabric or crush the plant too much, causing it to bleed or smudge.

In Tataki-zome, it's important to tap gently and evenly so the natural colours and delicate shapes of the plants transfer clearly and beautifully.

Well done if you had an answer like this.

Tataki-zome uses simple tools, a hammer or rolling pin to press the plants, cloth or baking paper to protect the plants, tape or glue dots to hold them in place, hardboard underneath to hammer on safely.

Artists who use hammer dyeing techniques or botanical inspiration in their work include India Flint, a pioneer of eco printing and plant dyeing, including hammer dyeing and bundling.

Her work blends craft, sustainability and storytelling through plants.

Textile designer Althea McNish and design manufacturing company, Timourous Beasties both incorporate natural botanical forms that reflect their cultural heritage within their print designs.

Do you know of any local artists who use print techniques? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

And now let's have another check for understanding.

Which of the following are needed for Tataki-zome? A, paintbrush, ink and flowers.

B, botanical forms, cotton and hammer rolling pin.

C, plastic stencil of botanical forms and paper, or D, digital printer, stencils and a rolling pin.

Pause here while you decide which of these are needed for Tataki-zome.

Well done if you selected answer B, indeed botanical forms, cotton and hammer or a rolling pin are needed for Tataki-zome.

In Tataki-zome composition is key.

Botanical forms can be arranged in a way that feels balanced and interesting.

There are different types of composition.

This image uses a radial composition where shapes spread out from the centre like a flower.

Laura and Jacob are talking about different types of composition.

Here's Laura, "A radial composition shape spreads from the centre like spokes on a bicycle wheel.

Radial composition makes a design feel calm and balanced." That's a really good way of putting it, Laura.

That's how I felt when I'm looking at this example and also the previous example.

Here's Jacob.

"A scattered composition is more loose and random.

The effect is that it seems less ordered and more playful or wild.

I can't see one main focal point." That is true, I can't either.

They're really, really rather random and lovely.

And here's Laura again.

"Asymmetrical composition is when both sides look the same.

They're usually organised and calm." Artists will often sketch compositional ideas to explore space and balance in an artwork.

Take a look at this symmetrical, radial and scattered design and pause here and decide which of these are you most drawn towards looking at or indeed creating? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

I quite like looking at the radial design, but I think I might enjoy creating the scattered design.

Laura is thinking about creating a composition for her Tataki-zome.

"When I draw my compositions, I need to think about how to arrange the leaves or petals using symmetry and negative space to make it balanced and interesting." Let's have a check for understanding, true or false? Tataki-zome is also known as hammer washing.

Pause here and decide if the statement is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to a little more about your answer.

Pause here while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this.

Tataki-zome is an ancient Japanese print technique where plants are pounded to transfer patterns onto fabric or paper.

It is also known as hammer dyeing or flower pounding.

Well done if you had an answer like this.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to explore composition using botanical forms as inspiration.

So first of all, create three compositional thumbnails that explore use of space and balance.

Experiment with radial composition, where everything radiates out from the centre like spokes on a bicycle wheel, symmetrical composition where each side is a mirror of the other side and scattered composition where it's entirely random and wild.

So pause here while you have a go at creating three compositional thumbnails that explore use of space and balance.

I'll see you when you're finished.

And now I'd like you to reflect on your compositional thumbnails, discuss, which creates the most balanced or interesting result? What changes would you like to make before developing your design for your Tataki-zome? So pause here while you reflect on your compositional thumbnails.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with exploring composition using botanical forms as inspiration? There are many possible outcomes and you may have created something like this.

And let's hear Laura's reflection.

"I would like my Tataki-zome to have a scattered composition, so I sketched lots of overlapping petals.

I explored the other composition types too, but scattered was most interesting to me as it felt more organic.

I could use more negative space when I create the Tataki-zome print." Great reflection from Laura.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle, making your botanical print.

Artists who work with botanical materials often forage in nature, collecting leaves, flowers, bark, and seeds from local parks, gardens or woodlands.

They choose plants for their shape, texture and natural colour, using them to create prints, dyes or pattern compositions that connect their artwork to their natural world.

Pause the video.

Have you ever been foraging before and collected leaves, flowers, seeds, or any such things? Thanks for sharing your foraging experiences, is definitely something I've enjoyed doing for many, many years.

Let's take a look at some artists who use botanical material for their art.

They include Ajit Kumar Das uses natural dyes to paint on fabric using the traditional Kalam, or handcrafted bamboo reed.

Kazuhito Takadoi uses nature as inspiration and as a source material to create delicate sculptural work using natural dyes.

Alice Fox uses foraged plant materials in combination with stitch, print and natural dyes to create earthy textured artworks.

So we can see there are a number of artists using botanical material for their art.

Let's have a check for understanding, which of these best describes what foraging means in art? Is it A, buying natural materials from an art shop? B, using only recycled floral paper.

C, collecting natural materials like leaves and flowers from the environment, or D, painting plants and leaves from memory.

Pause here while you decide which of these best describes what foraging means in art.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed, collecting natural materials like leaves and flowers from the environment is what foraging means in art.

You can get different effects with botanical printing.

Which do you prefer? Printing on paper, which gives a textured look with more subtle colour or printing on fabric and printing on fabric creates more vibrant colours.

Pause the video and share with someone which effect you prefer, that of printing on paper or on fabric.

Thanks for sharing your preference.

When working with botanical material, you must ensure the following, work in a well ventilated area.

Check you're not allergic to plants.

Check the plant you have chosen is not an irritant to skin.

Check that the plant is not toxic.

Avoid touching your mouth or eyes when you're printing and wash your hands and tools with soap and water when you're finished.

Really important that we take good care of ourselves from working with botanical material.

Making a botanical print can look like this.

Begin by looking back at your sketched composition for inspiration.

Love this scattered composition, and then gather your botanical material.

This could include leaves, flower petal or any type of botanical material that you find interesting.

And then arrange your composition onto fabric or paper using your botanical forms. Place your fabric on top of the petals so they don't move and create a mess.

And then using a rolling pin or hammer to gently apply pressure to the botanical pieces.

Making a botanical print can look like this.

We then peel the top layer of fabric off.

Peel the petals off, the bottom layer of fabric or paper.

And there we go.

Allow the natural dyes in your botanical print to dry.

There we have it, so beautiful.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Why do we cover the botanical pieces before hammering? Is it A, to stop the hammer from breaking, B, to protect the leaves.

C, to keep the botanical pieces still and tidy.

Or D, to keep the botanical pieces warm.

Pause here while you decide why we cover the botanical pieces before hammering.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed, we cover the botanical pieces before hammering to keep the botanical pieces still and tidy.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to review the surface choices for your botanical print, think about an answer.

Do you want your print to stand out? Do you want your print to be subtle, with softer colours? Will you print on cloth or paper or both? So pause here while you review the surface choices for your botanical print by answering these questions.

Okay, so how did you get on reviewing the surface choices for your botanical print? There are of course different outcomes and you might have thought of something like this, here's Laura.

"I'm going to try my printing on both of the surfaces.

If I print onto fabric, the design might be a bit softer in colour because the fabric might not absorb so much of the natural dye.

If I print on thin paper, the colours might be stronger and I might see more detail.

The natural dye will react differently to paper and fabric, and I want to see what happens." I love that curious attitude.

And next I'd like you to gather and prepare your materials for your botanical print.

You will need a selection of botanical forms, a hammer or rolling pin to press the plants, fabric or baking paper to protect the plants, tape or glue dots to hold them in place.

Hardboard underneath to hammer on safely and a neutral, light coloured paper or fabric to print on.

So pause here while you gather and prepare your materials for your botanical print.

I'll see you when you have everything ready.

Okay, it's great to be back with you.

You might have gathered and prepared the following, a selection of botanical materials.

You've got your paper or fabric to print on, tape to keep the pieces in place, stickers or adhesive tack to keep the pieces in place.

A hammer or rolling pin, and a hard surface to work on.

You are all set to go.

And now I'd like you to make a botanical print using your chosen background.

You should arrange your composition onto fabric or paper using your botanical forms. Place fabric on top of the petal so they don't move and create a mess.

Use a rolling pin or hammer to gently apply pressure to the botanical pieces.

Peel the top layer of fabric off.

Peel the petals of the bottom layer of fabric or paper, and then allow the natural dyes in your botanical print to dry.

So pause here while you now make your botanical print using your chosen background.

Enjoy this part of your task and I'll see you when you're finished.

All right, it's great to be back with you.

How did it get on making your botanical print? There are many possible outcomes and you may have created something wonderful like this.

Let's hear from Laura.

"I used a very small wooden hammer to hammer my petals.

I used fabric and the colour of my print was very close to the colour of the petals.

Some of them did blur a bit as I hammered the petals too hard." Don't worry, I even quite like that effect.

And here's Laura again.

I also tried my printout on paper, but this time I used a rolling pin and I was much more gentle with the pressure I applied.

The colour of the petal print on paper is so different to how it reacted on the fabric.

This was so interesting to see.

It really is interesting.

Thank you for sharing, Laura, and I hope you've all had an interesting time creating your botanical prints.

In our lesson, exploring print design, we've covered the following.

Tataki-zome or hammer dyeing is a technique where botanical materials like leaves and flowers are placed onto fabric or paper and gently hammered to transfer their natural colours and shapes.

Artists think about composition and how the shapes, sizes and spaces work together to make their prints feel balanced and expressive.

Many artists explore botanical forms, natural colour and texture in their work to create environmentally friendly art.

Artists use culturally traditional techniques to connect with the past whilst adding their own style.

Well, I think you certainly did a great job of adding your own style to this technique of Tataki-zome or hammer dyeing.

I hope you've enjoyed creating these wonderful botanical prints and I'm really impressed with what you've come up with today.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson.

I really have, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.