Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Alton.

Welcome to this lesson on art design.

Today's lesson is all about recording observations from first-hand sources, and this is from the Unit Foundation workshops: Selecting primary sources and inspirational material.

So, let's get started.

I hope that by the end of today's lesson, you can use direct observation to explore different perspectives, applying various materials and approaches in your artwork.

Let's take a look at some keywords for today's lesson.

Observation is the act of noticing or paying attention to details in order to gain information or understanding of something.

Stimulus is a source of inspiration or reference that sparks ideas for artwork, such as a real-life object, scene, or image.

And perspective is the way you see or understand something.

In art, the technique is also used to create depth and space.

The lesson today is broken down into three parts.

The first part is about responding to stimulus, the second, recording from observation, the third, observing different perspectives.

Let's look at section 1, responding to stimulus.

Assessment Objective 2 in art and design is all about creative making.

This includes when you respond to a stimulus in expressive work.

And that keyword stimulus is something that sparks interest.

So, that could be an artist, designer, or craft person, something that inspires new ideas.

It can be something really simple like a word or something more complex like an object, person, place, or even an entire culture.

It's really personal what different stimuluses are to different people, and everything is valued.

The plural form of stimulus is stimuli.

The word stimulus comes from the meanings to urge or provoke and something that causes a response.

So, we're looking at that spark of interest.

Stimulus can be very broad and come from anywhere such as your heritage, so where you're from, the environment that surrounds you, and how that maybe has an impact on the work that you produce.

It might be purely about the enjoyment of working with materials.

Artists use a variety of stimuli in their work.

Lubaina Himid is interested in uncovering marginalised histories.

So, looking at that idea of heritage.

Levon Bliss uses photography to capture tiny overlooked details in nature, a bit like this image you can see here on display.

So, this idea of really looking closely is what his stimulus for his artwork is.

While Chris Ofili is more interested in materials.

So, he uses really interesting materials like elephant dung, glitter, and beads, or map paper, and this is his stimulus for exploring things like his identity, race, and colonial history.

Now over to you for a quick true or false question.

Artists use a variety of stimuli in their work.

Well done if you said true.

Can you think why? Observing a variety of stimuli in new ways can reveal hidden details and inspire new ideas.

What is a stimulus in art and design? Is it A, a tool used by artists to create their work, B, something that inspires new ideas, or C, a finished artwork? Have a think.

Well done if you said B, it's something that inspires new ideas.

Selecting stimuli is an important skill that requires practise.

To understand what makes stimulus interesting, you need to think about it using your artist's eye.

And this is something we develop over time.

It means looking at objects or stimulus through the lens of the art elements.

So, this might be looking for elements of shape, colour, texture, or composition.

It is about training your artist's eye to see the potential in everyday objects and experiences and use them for inspiration in your work.

Now, for our first task.

Choose an object from your belongings or surroundings that could be used as an interesting stimulus in your art.

So, it's about activating your artist's eye by selecting something.

The object that you select or the stimulus might be familiar but often overlooked.

We're often surrounded by the most amazing things that when we see every day, we forget to take notice.

So, this is about training your artist's eye to see the detail and see the interest in these different types of stimulus that you may have surrounding you.

It may be something that you bring to school every day, for instance, or you have on your personal belongings, something that makes you feel secure.

So, it has that personal connection.

It may be something that represents something you really enjoy.

And again, this could be a real stimulus for sparking new ideas.

It's could be something in your bag or immediate surroundings, maybe something on your desk.

Think about the art elements.

What makes this object interesting to study as an artist? Take a real close look and pause the video here while you select your stimulus.

Let's take a look at what you may have selected.

Aisha says, "Items in my bag like my packed lunch could be an exciting stimulus, as they show a range of textures and shapes.

I don't often give them much attention, but they show a lot about me." And Jun says, "At first I chose my phone, but it was really boring, and this is because there aren't many variations of shape." So, he chose his objects and decided to look at art materials instead.

And maybe he put those out on his desk as a different alternative.

Let's take a look at section 2, recording from observation.

Recording from observation starts with learning to notice.

So, taking your time to really look at your chosen stimulus that you have with you now.

Think about what an interesting stimulus means by examining it through the eye of an artist.

So, really developing that skill of looking closely.

What details do you notice that you may have missed before? Take your time to examine the following elements.

Take a close look at the size of the object or stimulus you've chosen and its shape.

Maybe you'll notice the most narrow parts of the object or the widest parts.

Does the shape change any particular angle? Think about this light and shade.

Maybe the light's falling on the object from a particular direction, or maybe there's light and shade in the colours of the object.

Look at its colour and its texture.

Are there any particular things you notice? Are there areas of roughness or smoothness? Are the bright colours consistent or do change gradually? Can you see any uneven parts or unique features to this stimulus that you've chosen? Looking closely like this at an object or stimulus can really help us see an object in a new light and draw us into its most interesting features.

In art, recording from observation means working directly from real objects or scenes, not photos or imagination or other images.

In this illustration, we can see the students outside working from direct observation, looking at nature.

Can you think of an example when you have recorded from observation? Jacob says, "I drew my garden from a window directly from observation." Quick check for understanding.

In art, what does direct observation mean? Is it A, drawing from imagination, B, drawing from real objects or scenes, C, drawing using your dominant hand, or D, drawing a copy of somebody else's artwork? Well done if you said B, drawing from real objects or scenes.

it is important to remember that there is no right way or approach to recording from observation.

Artists record from observation in a variety of styles, and this might be from really detailed, realistic forms to very playful and experimental approaches.

Some examples of this can be seen in the work of Barbara Walker, who creates really highly realistic portraits.

Thierry Despont is an artist and architect known for creating rubbings that create and capture the intricate textures of architectural elements.

So, a completely different way of working from observation.

Ana Tereza Barboza is a contemporary embroidery artist who uses a unique mix of media to create these embroidered paintings full of threads and feelings.

So, this variety of approaches shows us that drawing from observation can be done in many different approaches.

Sometimes we can rely on familiar ways of recording from observation, and this can limit our creativity and lead to repetition.

Take a think about the way that you might approach a drawing.

Do you have any habits when you draw? Lucas notices that he always uses pencils because it's the most comfortable and familiar, but maybe that he relies on that approach a bit too much.

And this can make your work look quite similar.

Sam says that he has a habit of outlining his drawings, "And using the same shading style to make my drawings realistic." And these can be common ways of recording from observation.

Quick true of false question.

Relying too much on familiar ways of recording can limit creativity and lead to repetition.

Is this true or false? Well done if you said true.

Can you think why? Trying different techniques helps us keep things fresh and encourages this idea of new ideas.

So, now for our second task, drawing your chosen stimulus directly from observation.

You're gonna set up your stimulus in front of you and observe it closely using your artist's eye.

Notice points of interest that are often overlooked.

So, this might be the changes in the surface textures or the scratches, patterns, or reflections.

Anything you notice from our previous discussion.

Record using your preferred materials.

And this task is about noticing those habits that you may have.

So, use a media or material that you feel really confident with, something you're familiar with.

And after the drawing, we're gonna think about what these habits might be.

So, pause the video here while you record from observation in a familiar way.

So, how did you find that? Did you discover some habits of drawing? Maybe like these examples where we can see tonal studies of the objects that they've drawn.

Now we're going to reflect on your approach.

Note any repetitive patterns or habits in the way that you approached recording from observation.

Did you focus on particular aspects? So, was it a realistic drawing or maybe like the example we just saw, you went straight to recording the tone, shape, or line? Did you record your stimulus from a familiar angle? So, was it directly in your eye line, for instance, or did you play around with the objects? Did you find it challenging to use your artist's eye? So, really looking to find those points of interest in the observation that you were doing.

Reflect on how this drawing went for you.

And pause the video here while you discuss that with a partner.

Izzy said, "I recorded apples from my lunchbox in my usual way using a side angle to capture every detail and make it as realistic as I could using shading." And Laura says that she observed the keys from her bag.

She noticed that she has a habit of drawing using dark outlines, and it was challenging to use her artist's eye to look for the most interesting elements to draw and not just drawing exactly what it looked like.

Let's take a look at learning cycle 3, observing different perspectives.

Take a look at this image.

Can you recognise any of their techniques used to create perspective in this drawing? Well done if you notice the vanishing point and the horizon line.

Perspective shapes how we see the world.

Traditionally, perspective refers to creating the illusion of depth and space by making objects smaller as they get further away, often using vanishing points and horizon lines, like we can see in this image.

But perspective can also mean our personal viewpoint and interpretation of a subject.

True or false? In art, perspective has different meanings.

Well done if you said true.

In art, perspective refers both to the techniques for creating depth and space and to a personal viewpoint or interpretation of a subject.

So, in this part of the lesson, we're gonna be exploring perspective by positioning yourself in different ways in front of your subject.

So, that might include viewing from different angles, so maybe above like a bird's eye view or below or to the side.

You're going to vary your distance.

So, you could zoom in for close-ups or even use a magnifying glass, or you could step back to capture more of your stimulus.

Changing the angle and the distance from your subject can make the composition more dramatic.

Sometimes artists vary their techniques to create new perspectives and ways of seeing.

So, these are conscious decisions about how they want to represent their chosen stimulus.

So, instead of capturing every detail, one technique, continuous line drawing, is where you draw without lifting your tool off the page.

And this results in very fluid, quick, and confident lines, like you can see on this example.

It also results in you observing the subject more than you are drawing.

We can sometimes get so focused on what we're doing and what we're drawing, we can forget to look up.

And that idea of observation is all about training the eye to see those small details.

So, we must remember to look up and not take for granted that we know what something looks like.

Here is an example of me recording using continuous line technique with the object in front of me.

And on this occasion, it was an apple.

We're gonna take a moment here for you to try recording from direct observation using this continuous line technique.

Take a moment to think about how you are positioned in front of your object and maybe those different perspectives that we've talked about.

Practise looking at your stimulus more than your paper.

So, you should think of roughly 2/3 looking at the object and only glancing really down at what you're doing.

And just remember that this is a warmup drawing.

So, just like you would do in gymnastics, where you need to warm up before the final event, this is very similar.

So, this is not a final outcome.

So, just be really free with what you're doing and spend no more than one minute doing this activity.

Pause the video here while you record using continuous line drawing.

Take a look at this image.

What do you notice about the lines? The weight of line refers to the thickness or thinness of a line, which can create emphasis, depth, or texture in artwork.

Weight of line can be created by varying the pressure or qualities of materials.

So, that might include using different types of pen, like in this example.

And there's also been some ink applied too.

It may be that you are using stitch and you can use different weights of thread into your work.

So, creating those different weights of line.

Maybe it's with charcoal, so using charcoal on its side or pressing more firmly or trying to create the thinnest, most delicate line would be creating different weights of line too.

In paint, maybe you could think about using all different shape shapes and sizes of brushes using them on their side or pressing them flat, and how would that create this idea of quality of line in your work.

The same with ink, a lot more water could be added to make it more transparent.

And then thinking about those brushes too and how you might apply it.

And this is really fun to do with digital tools, how you might manipulate your drawing materials as you work digitally.

Bound tool technique can be a creative way to experiment with different qualities of line.

This is where you tape or secure two materials together.

What materials might you use for this activity? And you might want to think of dry materials such as pens or pencils or chalks and wet materials.

These are some examples.

Aisha says, "Binding and dipping objects like feathers or sticks into ink might give really unusual qualities of line." And in these examples, the students have made their own brushes from found objects.

So, we're gonna have a quick check for understanding.

In this example, I play with binding materials to explore the weight of line.

First, I bound two dry materials together, a pen and a pencil.

And secondly, I'm experimenting with ink with two types of brushes.

You are gonna take a moment to play with binding materials to explore the weight of line.

Experiment with unusual combinations of materials.

So, pause a video here while you experiment with different weights of line.

How did you find that? I hope you explored some interesting materials.

Now to our last task, we're gonna combine all these different ideas that we've talked about during the lesson together.

So, you're going to record from your stimulus from direct observation, so it's gonna be there in front of you, but you're going to use a new perspective.

So, you're gonna choose your perspective by deciding on a viewpoint.

Try to think of a different angle that you can draw from that maybe you haven't explored before.

Maybe it means like I've done with this fruit, you cut something in half or just look at it differently.

You're gonna use a technique of continuous line.

And you're gonna experiment with binding materials together.

So, maybe you had favourites from the previous activity we just tried.

Pause the video here while you experiment with drawing from observation using these different approaches.

So, I wonder how you found that.

That may have been tricky to combine those techniques together.

So, your work may have looked like this example.

And remember, it doesn't need to be a final outcome.

It's about experimenting with different approaches, stepping out of our habits into new techniques and ideas.

So, Laura said, "I cut my apple and use continuous line with a pencil and pen taped together to create a more unexpected and abstract drawing." So, just take a moment to reflect on differences between your first and second recordings from observation.

How does changing your perspective affect how your chosen stimulus is represented? Is one of your drawings maybe highly realistic like Barbara Walker? And maybe your work, you may have zoomed into a section a bit like the way Levon Bliss zooms into his stimulus.

Or is it more about the media and exploring its qualities like Chris Ofili? Have your drawings side by side and take a moment here to reflect on the different qualities of your drawing.

So, you may have said, like Izzy did, experimenting with different ways to record from observation helped me realise I can explore various perspective through my position, my approach, and the materials that she chose.

And here are the different examples of the drawings from this task.

Let's take a look at the summary for this lesson.

A stimulus can be anything that sparks creativity.

Artists explored new ideas, techniques, and approaches through varied perspectives.

Perspective involves our physical position and interpretation of the subject.

Exploring different perspectives pushes creativity and enhances observational skills.

Breaking free from repetitive patterns when recording from observation encourages new ideas.

Thank you for joining me today, and I hope to see you soon.