Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you? I hope you're doing really, really well today.

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

I'm very pleased about that because I love teaching art, and especially what we're going to be looking at today, which is printing.

Our lesson is called Artists That Print From Objects.

And guess what? We're gonna be printing from objects as well, which I hope you're really going to enjoy.

Our lesson comes from the unit of work Being Curious About Printing.

So I hope you're feeling curious.

I hope you're feeling ready to get into some printing.

Let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can describe the benefits of printmaking and experiment with different techniques to create unique textures.

We're going to be getting practical in this lesson today.

I hope you're looking forward to that.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

First of all, we have printmaking.

This is the process of making a work of art by making or taking the impression of one surface onto another.

And texture, how something feels when it is touched or how it looks like it would feel when touched.

So these are our two keywords, printmaking and texture.

Our lesson is called Artists That Print From Objects.

It has two parts to it, describing the benefits of printing and experimenting with print to create textures.

Let's begin with describing the benefits of printing.

Printmaking is the process of making a work of art by making or taking the impression of one surface onto another.

I wonder if you've come across printmaking before, and if so, what types of printmaking can you name? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

I wonder what you came up with.

Here's Lucas.

"I remember pressing into a poly tile to make indents and printing from that." That is such a fun process.

I love that you remember that.

Here's Sam.

"Books have prints called etchings, but I don't know how to make one." Thank you, Sam.

And Alex.

"Is screen printing on a T-shirt still called printmaking?" Great question, Alex.

I'd say yes.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false.

Printmaking is the process of making a work of art by making or taking the impression of one surface onto another.

Pause the video while you decide, is this true or false? Well done if you selected true.

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

Can you give a little explanation for your answer? Pause the video while you do this.

Maybe you said something like this.

Printmaking is the process of making a work of art by making or taking the impression of one surface onto another and include techniques like lino printing, monoprinting, screen printing, wood cut, and collograph printing.

Where have you seen printmaking before? Pause the video and share with someone nearby any places where you have seen printmaking.

Let's gather together some ideas.

Here's Aisha.

"Old books and newspapers used printmaking." Good one.

Here's Izzy.

"In museums, galleries, and the town hall." Jun is seeing these in an art fair where local artists sell their work.

Great ideas.

Printmaking has been used for a long time and has many forms. Artists use traditional printing to connect with the past while adding their own style.

And here's some examples of prints made with traditional influence.

Pause the video and tell someone nearby your impressions of these prints.

Thanks for sharing.

Artists who employ traditional printing to connect with the past while adding their own style include Atta Kwami, who creates lino print based on his sketches which are bold and colourful.

Elizabeth Catlett created a body of printmaking which examined and documented the lives of Black women in America.

Wuon-Gean Ho made "Covid Tales," 2020, a print series documenting her lockdown experiences, later developed into a film.

Check for understanding.

Why do artists use traditional printing? Is it a, to connect with the past while adding their own style, b, to follow strict traditional rules without creativity, c, to imitate historical techniques without any changes, or D, to recreate old artworks exactly as they were.

Pause the video while you decide why artists use traditional printing.

Well done if you selected a.

They do this to connect with the past while adding their own style.

Printing can allow artists to create multiple copies of an artwork.

Repetition of a print can be important to artists as it allows them to test colours or compositions.

Are there any other benefits of being able to make multiple copies for artists? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

I wonder what ideas you came up with.

Let's hear a few.

Here's Andeep.

"Being able to test out colours and compositions would mean the work could be refined and improved." Yeah, good thinking.

And Sofia.

It's more profitable as they could sell each print more than once and it's accessible.

And Andeep again.

"Maybe it's good if the process allows them to gain consistent work." Yeah, really, really good thinking there.

And Jacob.

"Yes, but some types of printing can create unexpected outcomes which is creative." Another great point.

And thanks for sharing your ideas.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to discuss the benefits of printmaking.

Answer the following questions as part of your conversation.

Why has printmaking been a popular choice among artists throughout history? In what ways can printmaking be a financially smart option for artists? Who might purchase prints and in what different ways can they be used or sold? So pause the video here while you have a discussion about the benefits of printmaking, and you can use these questions to form part of your conversation.

I'll see you when you're finished.

So I hope you enjoyed that discussion about the benefits of printmaking and why it's been a popular choice among artists throughout history.

You may have said something like this.

Here's Laura.

"It let artists, before cameras and computers existed, make multiple copies of their work instead of just one, which could help spread ideas and art." In terms of how printmaking could be a financially smart option for artists, you may have said something like Lucas.

"Instead of selling just one drawing, they make many copies and sell more.

It's quicker than making lots of sketches.

More people can afford a print than an expensive original artwork." Really good point, Lucas.

And we had this question.

Who might purchase prints and in what different ways can they be used or sold? You may have said something like Sam.

"People who want art but can't afford paintings.

Books and magazines use prints for illustrations.

Companies that put art on their products.

Businesses that want art for their offices." Yeah, we can see there's quite a market for print.

Thank you for sharing your ideas.

And now we're onto the next part of our lesson, experimenting with print to create textures.

We are going to get practical.

We're gonna get into some printing.

What is this? Turn to someone nearby and tell them.

Pause the video while you share, what can you see in this image? This is a printing press, and it was invented in 1440.

And wood cuts have been traced back to the fifth century in China.

These processes allow for many copies of a work to be made.

Some people believe printmaking is only about making copies, not about creativity.

However, printmaking is a form of artistic expression.

Artists can use printmaking to create unique, creative works where textures, colours, and styles can vary greatly.

Check for understanding.

True or false.

Printmaking is only about making copies, not about creativity.

Pause the video while you 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.

Can you give more of an explanation for your answer? Pause the video while you do this.

Maybe you said something like this.

Printmaking is a form of artistic expression.

Artists can use printmaking to create unique, creative works where textures, colours, and styles can vary greatly.

Well, take a look at these prints on your screen.

Pause the video and share with someone nearby your impression of these prints.

Thanks for sharing.

Printing techniques create unique textures that are difficult to achieve through other media.

And remember, textures is one of our keywords.

It means how something feels or how something looks like it might feel.

How would you describe these textures? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing your description of these textures.

Some artists print directly from objects, putting ink or paint onto objects and printing with this to create different textures.

A traditional Japanese example is Gyotaku, where prints are taken directly from fish, which dates back to the mid 1800s.

What objects do you think would have an interesting texture to print from? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing.

I wonder what you came up with.

I've just looked around me and seen a few things that I thought could be interesting, like a comb might be interesting.

And also, I was thinking that bubble wrap would be quite interesting to print from.

I wonder what you came up with.

Other artists using direct printing techniques include Lynn Bailey, who layers monoprints of natural forms in the border and overlapping her aquatint prints.

Geoffrey Ricardo is known for taking prints from soft toys, often selecting white ink and black paper so it looks like an x-ray.

That's a really interesting idea.

I would never have thought of that, taking prints from soft toys.

And Emma-France Raff creates fabrics adorned with prints taken from manhole covers.

Oh my goodness, I love the creativity here.

Check for understanding.

How do some artists directly capture textures in their printmaking? A, by carving textures into metal plates before printing, b, by drawing textures by hand instead of printing, c, by printing from objects covered in ink or paint, d, by using screen printing to build up textured layers.

Pause the video while you decide how some artists directly capture textures in their printmaking.

Well done if you selected c, by printing objects covered in ink or paint.

And here we can see this student has used Gyotaku in their work.

How has she employed traditional printing while adding their own style? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Maybe you said something about the colours that she has used, that she's chosen a range of colours.

Also, perhaps something about the the way that she has positioned the fish each time, swimming off in different directions.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to experiment with printing directly from objects to capture textures.

Yep, this is it.

We are getting into the printing.

So first of all, I would like you to gather your equipment and objects.

So there's a lot to think about here.

I would like you to think about objects with different textures.

So let's start there.

Pause the video and share with someone nearby which objects will you use with different textures to print from.

Thanks for sharing.

Next important thing to consider is what will you print on? Pause the video and share what you might like to print on.

Thanks for sharing.

And finally, will you be using ink or paint? And what colours will you use? Share with someone nearby.

So now you've had a good think about what you will gather.

It's time to go off and gather all of the equipment, the objects you'll need.

Are you going to be using objects with different textures that are everyday objects? Are you gonna use objects from nature? Off you go.

Find whatever you need and then we'll gather together again once you have all of your equipment and objects.

Okay, good to be back with you.

You may have gathered ink or paint, brushes or rollers, thin paper, tissue, leaves, flowers, or feathers, string, threads, or fabric, textured papers or card.

Looks like you've got everything you need to move onto the next part of your task, where you're gonna be experimenting with printing directly from objects to capture textures.

So I would let you to experiment with printing.

You should use the roller to add ink to the object.

Press the paper firmly over the inked object so that the ink is facing the paper.

You could test cutting textured papers and printing these shapes.

Use the object to block a layer of ink to create a silhouette.

So you could roll ink onto both sheets of acetate.

Place objects onto the acetate against the ink.

Place acetate on top with ink down and apply pressure.

And then sandwich the objects which are now coated with ink between paper and apply pressure.

So pause the video while you have a go at experimenting with this printing technique to capture textures.

And I'll see you when you're finished.

Great to be back with you.

How did you get on with your experiment with printing? You may have captured lots of different types of printed textures like this.

And finally, I would like you to reflect on your outcomes.

Use these questions to help you reflect on your work.

Did any of the textures you captured surprise you? How did the amount of ink or paint affect your prints? Which prints turned out the best? What did you do differently to make them successful? Did you have a favourite object to print with and why? So pause here while you reflect on your outcomes and use these questions to help you with your reflection.

I hope you enjoyed reflecting on your outcomes.

You may have said something like this.

Here's Izzy.

"The rope was thicker than everything else and therefore the other items were not clear." Oh, yeah, okay, I can see that in your print there.

And Alex.

"My most successful print used the leaf as it picked up lots of texture and it's recognisable." Yes, I can see what you're saying there as well.

And I like how some areas are really, really inky and then there's others, we can see the fine details on some of the sections of the leaf.

Well done, everyone, for having a go at this task, and I hope you enjoyed experimenting with print to create textures.

In our lesson Artists That Print From Objects, we have covered the following.

Printmaking is the process of making a work of art by making or taking the impression of one surface onto another.

Artists use traditional printing to connect with the past while adding their own style.

Printing can allow artists to create multiple copies of an artwork.

Printing techniques create unique textures that are difficult to achieve through other media.

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

It was great to explore printmaking, looking a little bit at the history of printmaking, traditional printing, and then of course to get into creating your own prints and unique textures using objects that you have chosen.

I hope you enjoyed the lesson.

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

Stay creative until then.