Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

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

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

I'm feeling great about that because I love teaching art and especially because we are getting into something pretty exciting today, which is weaving.

I wonder if you tried weaving before? Well, don't worry if you haven't.

Today, we are gonna be getting really practical and you will be having a go at some weaving.

Our lesson is called Exploring Weaving, and it comes from the unit of work Textiles and the Creative Industries, maybe something you've thought about entering into, the creative industries.

So let's get ready for our lesson.

You need some focus, enthusiasm, later, there'll be a few materials required and I'll let you know all about that when we get to that point.

If you're ready, we'll begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can design a pattern to weave with paper.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

We have weave or weaving, warp and weft, and loom.

So what do these words mean? Well, weave and weaving means joining threads by passing them over and under each other.

Warp and weft, warp, threads go up and down, and weft, threads go across, and loom, a loom is a frame that holds threads tight so you can weave them into patterns or fabric.

So these are our keywords, weave and weaving, warp and weft, and loom.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Let's look out for them and listen out for them.

Today's lesson is called Exploring Weaving, and it has two learning cycles.

First of all, designing a pattern to weave with and then making a paper weaving.

We are going to get right into this and create our own weaving today.

Let's begin by designing a pattern to weave with.

So outcomes for today might be something like this.

Take a look at these fantastic examples of weaving, pause the video and share with someone, which are you most drawn to or most interested in and why? Thanks for sharing your preferences.

I think they all look fantastic.

I must say I'm particularly interested in the one in the centre that has some text incorporated into the weaving.

Weaving is a method of creating fabric by interlacing threads or strips of materials.

Weaving can be functional or artistic.

Weaving is one of the oldest crafts known to humanity with evidence dating back nearly 27,000 years, very long time.

For thousands of years, humans have been creating functional items such as baskets and fabrics.

However, weaving goes beyond just making fabric.

Pause the video and share with someone, do you have anything in your home or about your person that has been created using weaving? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

I have a really nice rug that has been woven.

So beautiful to look at and to think about how it was created.

Weaving is also a form of creative expression.

Artists make choices in how they use the elements of art whilst weaving to create impactful artwork.

Weaving can also be used to tell stories and communicate meaning.

Artists who use weaving in their work include: Anya Paintsil uses traditional rug-making techniques inspired by her heritage, blending craft with contemporary art.

Diedrick Brackens weaves bold figurative artworks that capture the energy of urban life inspired by cultural heritage.

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

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Weaving can be functional and artistic.

Pause the video and decide whether this statement is true or false.

Well done if you selected true, and now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause the video while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this: Weaving can be functional because it's used to make everyday items like clothes, blankets, and baskets, but it can also be artistic when artists use colour, texture, and pattern to create decorative or expressive pieces of artwork.

Well done if you had an answer like this.

Artists and designers can use weaving techniques on a loom to create pieces of cloth or materials to make artwork with.

What do you notice about the materials used to weave with? Pause the video and share with someone.

As you look at these two examples of weaving, what do you notice about materials that have been used? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Perhaps you noticed that on the right, this rug has been woven using fabric, and on the left, this artwork has been created using paper.

Yes, you can use paper to create woven artworks.

Artists who use mixed materials to weave with in their work include: Michelle Grabner is an American artist who creates abstract artworks inspired by everyday materials and paper, blending traditional craft with contemporary art.

And Galen Gibson-Cornell weaves sliced street posters into bold, abstract artworks that capture the energy of urban life.

So we can see two examples of looms in front of us there.

On the left we have a cardboard loom, and on the right, a wooden loom.

A loom is a frame or tool used to hold threads in place while you weave other materials through them.

It helps keep your work neat and tight, making it easier to create patterns and textures.

Looms can be simple like cardboard and paper or more complex like large wooden machines.

A loom holds the vertical threads called the warp in place, and you can weave other horizontal materials called the weft through those vertical threads.

So the horizontal weft is woven through the vertical warp.

Here's Laura: "The straight lines going up and down are called the warp.

The warp might be threads or strips of paper, and the horizontal lines going across are the weft." The warp, and the weft.

And here's Jacob: "Weaving happens when the weft goes over and under the warp to create a fabric or pattern." Some weaving techniques used by artists include: twill, weave in diagonal over-under lines to create a diagonal pattern, circular, weave in a spiral over-under manner to create a circular weave, and plain, weave over and under to make a grid pattern.

So these are three weaving techniques used by artists: twill, circular, and plain.

Let's have a check for understanding.

With plain weaving, artists work by: A, weaving over and under in a spiral to make a circle, B, weaving over and under to form a grid, C, adding pieces of fabric to create texture, or D, weaving over and under diagonally to make a pattern.

Pause the video while you decide which one of these describes how artists work with plain weaving.

Well done if you chose answer B.

Indeed, plain weaving is when artists work by weaving over and under to form a grid.

Paper weaving is a technique where strips of paper are woven over and under each other to create a pattern or design, similar to how fabric is made on a loom.

Some artists design their weaving on paper first.

Anni Albers often began her weaving projects by designing patterns on paper first.

She used graph paper to plan how the threads would move.

These paper designs were a way to test out ideas and explore structure, just like a sketchbook for a painter.

Anni Albers drew patterns on paper using grids to plan the over and under structure of the weaving and explore rhythm, texture, and balance.

And now it's over to you.

It's time for your first task.

I would like you to use grid paper to make a plain weave design.

You may choose to follow these steps to guide you: use grid paper to help you plan your design, decide on how many colours your design will have, use a ruler to draw your design onto the grid, colour in the warp and weft on the weaving design.

So pause here while you have a go at this part of your task using grid paper to make a plain weave design.

I'll see you when you're finished.

All right.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that part of your task? If you're using grid paper to make a plain weave design, there are many possible outcomes, but you may have created something like this.

I love this use of text.

Here's Alex: "Your design is a plain weave, but it looks interesting because of the materials you are planning on using." Absolutely.

Me and Alex are on the same page.

Agree with that.

And Aisha: "I'm going to use envelopes and newspaper pieces to make my plain weave design.

I want to recycle materials." I love that, Aisha.

Love that commitment to being eco-friendly.

And now it's time for our next learning cycle.

We'll be making a paper weaving.

Can you remember about the warp and weft threads when creating a weaving? Pause the video and tell someone what do you remember about the warp and the weft? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Let's have a look.

So the weft strips are woven in an over and under pattern to make a plain weave.

And the vertical warp strips stay still and the horizontal weft strips go over and under to form a grid.

Well done if you'd remembered something like that.

Weaving with paper lets artists do more than just make flat patterns.

They can also build exciting 3D forms and sculptural artworks.

Interesting materials can be used like paper, cardboard, fabric, and plastic to make woven artworks.

Pause the video and share with someone which of these woven artworks are you most interested in? Thanks for sharing your preferences.

I think they all look fantastic.

Quite interested in the cone on the left-hand side.

Contemporary artists and designers can use weaving to create 3D art.

Ernesto Neto creates large-scale artworks that explore weaving in playful and experimental ways through creating dynamic sculptural forms. Many artists use bold colours, textures, and personal storytelling in their weaves with irregularities that add character and meaning such as Ernesto Neto.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What does weaving with paper allow artists to do? Is it, A, only make traditional fabric patterns? B, paint flat pictures with woven lines? C, create both flat and 3D sculptural artworks? Or D, use looms made only from metal? Pause video while you decide what weaving with paper allows artists to do.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed, weaving with paper allows artists to create both flat and 3D sculptural artworks.

So many possibilities.

Oh, wow.

Take a look at this.

So beautiful and intriguing.

Woven designs don't always need to be neat and perfectly patterned.

Weaving can be expressive, so it doesn't have to be flat, symmetrical, or precise.

I love that.

Let's have another check for understanding.

Which of the following statements are true about weaving techniques? A, all weaving designs must be perfectly neat and symmetrical, B, artists can use weaving to express ideas using colour, texture, and pattern, C, weaving is only used to make clothes, or D, mistakes in weaving mean the work has to be redone.

Pause the video while you decide which of these statements are true about weaving techniques.

Well done If you selected answer B.

Indeed, artists can use weaving to express ideas using colour, texture, and pattern.

There are different effects that you can achieve with weaving.

Which do you prefer, method one or method two? Pause the video and share with someone nearby which of these effects you prefer.

Thanks for sharing your preferences.

Making a paper weaving can look like this.

Begin by looking back at your paper design for inspiration.

Collect your paper to weave with.

I love the fact that Aisha is recycling old envelopes here, great idea.

Fold your loom paper in half and cut halfway to create warp lines.

Open the paper to reveal your loom with your vertical warp plains.

And then start weaving the wefts, which are your paper strips, which go across in a horizontal manner.

Weave the weft through the warp, the cuts in your loom.

Weave over and under to form a plain weave.

Alternate between an under or over motion for starting each row.

Making a paper weaving can also look like this.

Prepare your strips of paper and then use masking tape to secure your warp strips to the table.

Weave your weft pieces into your weave.

And now it's time for your next task.

First of all, I would like you to decide which weaving technique you would like to use based on your paper design.

Think about an answer.

Do you want your weave to be simple or detailed? Will your strips be all the same size or different widths? Do you want your design to look neat and even or wild and experimental? So pause here while you decide which weaving technique you would like to use based on your paper design.

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

So how did you get on deciding which weaving technique you'd like to use based on your paper design? There are different outcomes, but you might have chosen something like this.

Here's Aisha: "I chose the weaving technique which allows me to create a more textured and uneven woven piece.

I liked that there was more texture and the edges are rougher.

If I was to make a 3D form, the edges would create a fringe effect.

I also changed my ideas a bit from my paper design as I realised I prefer the textured look more." And that's great.

It's fine to let your design evolve as you go along.

That's all part of the creative process.

Now, for the next part of your task, I'd like you to gather and prepare your paper materials.

So make your loom out of paper or cut your paper strips for the warp.

Look at your paper design for inspiration and prepare your weft strips.

So pause here while you gather and prepare your materials, your warp and weft.

Okay, how did you get on with gathering and preparing your paper materials? You might have gathered a range of papers considering texture, colour, and surface qualities.

You might have prepared a paper loom for a more structured and regular design.

And now onto the next part of our task.

Now I'd like you to make a paper weaving with a plain form using your chosen structure.

So weave a plain weave by overlaying your weft over and under your warp.

And you could go for method one where you have a loom, or method two, where you've stuck down the warp strips.

Pause here while you have a go at creating your paper weaving with a plain form using your chosen structure.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Enjoy your weaving.

How did you get on with making your paper weaving with a plain form using your chosen structure? There are many possible outcomes and you may have created something wonderful like this.

Here's Izzy: "I like the weaving technique Aisha has chosen.

It's a little looser than the first method, so allows for more movement and texture in her weaving." Here's another outcome.

And Jacob: "I like that weaving technique, too.

It's a smaller amount of weaving and I've left some strips different sizes to create variety." Great thinking.

And here's Alex.

Oh wow, this is so intriguing.

"I chose to weave with a paper loom as I wanted it to be a bit more structured.

I used found materials like Gibson-Cornell, and mixed text with image." I love it, Alex.

These are some fantastic examples of paper weaving with a plain form, and I really hope you've enjoyed creating your own paper weavings with a plain form.

In our lesson today, Exploring Weaving, we've covered the following: weaving is a technique where materials are woven together by passing strips over and under each other.

In paper weaving, the warp strips, which go up and down, are held still on the loom, while the weft strips, which go side to side, are woven through them.

Many artists use weaving to explore pattern, colour, and texture.

Weaving might include unusual materials like newspaper or plastic to create expressive and imaginative artwork.

Well done everyone for how you've joined in with this lesson.

I've loved exploring what weaving is with you, the warp, the weft, the looms, and then really enjoyed you getting into creating your own woven pieces of artwork.

These are looking great.

I love your exploration and your commitment to this, and I hope you've enjoyed this lesson too.

I look forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

And in the meantime, stay creative.