Fine arts and Crafts

My goals

By the end of this Unit, I will be able to:

⦿ Identify patterns from the surroundings.

⦿ Develop a motif for printing.

⦿ Print patterns on surfaces using stamping and stenciling.

⦿ Share ideas with others about own work.

Introduction

In Unit one, we explored objects from the environment for

drawing and painting. But the same objects can be used

in a different way. Look at the different objects from your

surroundings (such as shirts, dresses, skirts, carpets and

curtains). What patterns can you see? Now look at the examples

in Figure 2.1 and do activity 1.

Figure 2.1: Objects with different patterns

Activity 1

Identifying patterns

1. Look at the designs on the works in Figure 2.1. Identify

the shapes that were used to develop the patterns.

2. Find some other patterns including some which look

really Rwandan, either traditional or modern.

3. Identify the shapes that were used to develop the

patterns.

4. Which shapes are natural and which ones are

geometric?

5. Mention some natural objects from which these patterns

might have been gotten from.

Indeed such interesting patterns can be got from objects from

our environment. These include both natural and artificial

objects. You may pick interest in their shapes, texture and

colour in order to create your own pattern. Now look at some

of the possible sources of patterns from the environment in

figure 2.2

Figure 2.2: Objects with patterns

How to make a motif

The process of making a motif (pattern) is what we call a

design process. In order to make your pattern, you go through

several steps and changes. For example, study the following

steps of creating a motif from a frog.

 Step 1

Identify an interesting

object from your

surroundings. This is

often called a source

of inspiration. Draw

it on a piece of paper

as shown in Figure

2.3.

Figure 2.3 A toad

Step 2

Simplify the shapes into outlines. You could join two of these

shapes facing and touching each other, to create a pattern

as shown in Figure 2. 4. This can be done with the help of a

tracing paper

 Step 3

Shade these shapes into

black patches to create

positives as shown

in Figure 2.5. The

remaining white space

is called negative.

Step 4

This could be repeated

and joined as a reflection

on the same paper, as

shown in Figure 2.6.

Look at the pattern being

formed.

Figure 2.6: Repeating the patterns to enrich the design

Step 5

The design can be repeated to create an interesting pattern

for your motif. Look at Figure 2.7. The black patches form the

positives and the white space forms the negatives.

Activity 2

1. Choose a different natural object, animal, flower or plant

(not a toad).

2. Follow the steps above and develop your own pattern for

printing.

3. Display your work and discuss it with your friends

regarding its attractiveness and movements.

Take note:

·· When you are creating a pattern for printing, try to balance

the positives with negatives.

·· There is no particular way of organising the shapes for your

pattern. The arrangement largely depends on your creativity.

·· While creating a motif, it is very important to follow rhythm

(Movement and balance).

After developing a pattern on a piece of paper, it is your duty

as a designer to transfer it on to another material where it

can be used for other purposes. This can be done by printing.

Printing is a process of reproducing a pattern or design on a

given surface. Printing is done in several ways, but at this

moment we are going to look at impression, stamping and

stenciling.

Printing by impression

Sometimes you can transfer a pattern from one source to

another by impression. In order to use this method, you need

a pattern from a hard surface, such as a stone, tree bark, a

coin, shoe sole, etc. Then you use this pattern to create an

interesting design in colours of your choice. For example, you

can develop a pattern by following the steps below.

 Step 1

Get a surface from

your surroundings,

with an interesting

pattern. For

example, look at

the surfaces in

Figures 2.8 and

2.9.

Figure 2.8: Texture of a

chair seat

Figure 2.9: Texture of a

wire mesh

Step 2

Put the piece of paper on top of the object with the pattern

and rub the surface with a pencil so that the pattern is seen on

the paper. For example, the pattern in Figure 2.10 was taken

from a wire mesh.

Step 3

Repeat this several

times until you cover

the whole space with

the pattern. You could

use different coloured

pencils to enrich your

pattern as shown in

Figure 2.11.

Activity 3

Creating a pattern by impression

1. Pick an object with a pattern from your environment and

create a pattern using the impression printing technique.

Use different colours of your choice.

2. Display and discuss your work with your classmates.

Focus on the choice of colours, neatness and

attractiveness of the pattern.

Take note:

·· Printing by impression is used to create designs on a small

scale and it is better used on paper.

·· Using different colours makes the pattern look more attractive.

Printing by stamping

Probably you have seen stamps with letters and images, used

in different places such as schools, post offices and hospitals.

These are sometimes circular, square or rectangular. Such

stamps are used to pass on the same message to many

sources.

Observe the pictures in Figure 2.12,as well as Figure 2.13

and answer the questions in activity 4.

Activity 4

Creating a pattern by stamping

1. What is unique or special about the letters and images

on these stamps?

2. How do these stamps operate?

You may have observed that these stamps have images which

stick out but they are inverted, that is the reverse of the stamp

you want. When a stamp is pressed on to an ink pad, it picks

up ink and when it is pressed on a piece of paper, it releases the

ink following the protruding or sticking out images.

The same idea can be used to create patterns through a process

called stamping. This was briefly introduced to you in Senior

One. You can use soft materials such as irish potatoes, or

sweet potatoes and a cutter. You need the following materials;

materials for printing, photo cutter, printing ink as shown in

Figure 2.14.

Consider the following steps.

Step 1

Draw a simple pattern on paper as shown in Figure 2.15. This

can be developed from objects from your surroundings.

Step 2

Slice the sweet

potato into two parts

as shown in Figure

2.16. (Make sure

the sliced part is

flat)

Step 3

Sketch the pattern on

the flat surface of the

potato with a pencil.

Look at figure 2.17.

 Step 4

Then use a cutter to

cut away the negative

space to retain the

pattern on the surface.

Your pattern should

be left protruding as

shown in Figure 2.18.

Figure 2.18: Cutting the pattern on a potato

Step 5

Dip the pattern in

colour or ink as shown

in Figure 2.19. Make

sure that it is only the

pattern which touches

the colour and the rest

of the potato remains

clean.

Step 5

Print your pattern on another

surface (such as cloth or

paper). The printing is repeated

to form a complete design on

the surface as shown in Figure

2.20.

Figure 2.20: The printed pattern

The final work appears as shown in figure below

Figure 2.21: The printed pattern

Activity 5

1. Follow the steps above and create your own design.

2. Display your work and discuss it with your classmate.

Printing by stenciling

Stenciling as a printing technique, comes from the use of

a stencil to transfer a given design on a given surface. A

stencil can be made from a hard material (Figure 2.18) such

as manilla paper or transparences. You need the following

materials in place, then follow the steps given to make your

print.

Step 1: The design process

Making a print usually begins with the design process. At this

stage you make sketches of an object which inspires you from

your surroundings as studied in Unit 1. The process continues

until you prepare your motif or design on a piece of paper

such as the one in Figure 2.23. Remember always to develop

a well-balanced motif.

Step 2: Fixing the stencil on to the motif

If your stencil is transparent, use a masking tape to fix it on

top of your motif on paper, along a flat surface. This can be on

top of a table or desk as shown in Figure 2.24. This is done

so that you can observe the design from underneath. If you are

using an opaque stencil such as a manilla paper, use a tracing

paper to transfer your design on to the stencil.

Figure 2.24 Fixing a stencil on the motif

Step 3: Cutting out the

positives

Use a cutter to cut out

the pattern on the stencil

as shown in Figure 2.25.

When cutting the stencil,

you should only cut out

the positives and leave out

the negatives. Take care to

avoid hurting yourself

Figure 2.25 Cutting the pattern on a stencil

Step 4: Stretching out the

cloth

Stretch the cloth on top of the

table. You can use tacks to fix

it in the same position. Look

at Figure 2.26. Remember

before printing the cloth has to

be washed, dried and ironed

in order for your printing paste

to register well.

Figure 2.26 A cloth stretched on a table ready for printing

Step 5: Fixing the stencil on

the cloth

Place your stencil on the

surface of the material you

are going to print on as shown

in Figure 2.27. You could use

pins to fix the motif in position.

Figure 2.27: Fitting the motif on the cloth for printing

Step 6: Printing with a sponge

Use a sponge to print your design

as shown in Figure 2.28. Repeat

the process until the whole cloth

is covered with the design. Take

care as you print; when you apply

a lot of force, the printing ink can

easily spread beyond the intended

lines. On the other hand, if you

print with too gently, the design

becomes faint.

Figure 2.28: Printing the pattern on a cloth with a sponge

Activity 6

1. Design your pattern on cloth by following the steps

given.

2. Display your work and discuss it with friends regarding

balance, rhythm and neatness.

Assessment

1. Get a source of inspiration from your surrounding and

develop a motif.

2. Choose a method of your choice (either stamping or

stencilling) and print your motif on a cloth of half a square

meter.

3. What is the use of a stencil in the process of printing?

4. What is the difference between stamping and stenciling in

printing?

Take note: Your design should be balanced and flowing.

Glossary

Balance: a state of equilibrium where elements of art are seen

to agree with each other in a work of art.

Design process: steps taken to develop a design or motif. This usually

involves sketching of the ideas as they are developed.

Flow: movement of patterns in a design.

Motif: a set of patterns in a design.

Pattern: a repeated form or design mainly used to decorate

something.

Rhythm: repeated art elements to form an interesting movement.

Source of inspiration: something from which an idea is got.

Stencil: a thin material with a design cut into it for printing

purposes.

Design: the art of making arrangements or patterns to produce

a decorative work of art.

Stamping: a technique of creating patterns by pressing a motif

with ink on a given surface.

Stenciling: creating a design by use of a stencil.