textile ks3 & gcse art and design learning...

TextileKS3 & GCSE Art and Designlearning pack

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At The Museum

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Contents

Textile information sheets –Information about the 18 handling textiles at the museum

Introduction

Activity ideas for before your visitPre-visit activities Pre-visit worksheets - Patterns and symbolsWeavingWoven crossword and wordsearch

Activities for your visit to the Museum - Handling textiles worksheetsVisit activities

Activity ideas for use after your visit to the MuseumPost-visit activitiesPatterns and symbolsResist dyesStitched textilesEmbroidery TechniquesWeavingTopics for discussion

Bibliography

National Curriculum links

N.B. There is an additional textiles fact files pack available on the schools pages of the website that is referenced in this learning pack. Please visit horniman.ac.uk/learn/learning-packs to download it.

Textile learning packKS3 & GCSE Art and Design

© Horniman Museum and Gardens 2

This learning pack is aimed at teachers and pupils following Key Stage 3 or GCSE Art and Design but is also relevant to further education students of Textiles.

This pack will support teachers in using the Textiles Handling Collection at the Horniman as well as provide pre-and post-visit work for the classroom. It focuses on amassing observational drawings which can be used as the basis for art and textile projects and coursework. It is up to each teacher whether the students complete the tasks on the worksheets or in their own sketchbooks. Where possible, the worksheets should be accompanied by additional observational drawing.

Textiles can be thought of as one of the most democratic art forms – we are all forced to engage with it in some way from the day we start to wear clothes and we carry it around with us everyday. Our choices are both public and personal, revealing details of our identity and the culture we live in.

Textiles are arguably the most tactile art form. Fabric can be dyed beautiful colours, printed with elaborate designs and woven into intricate patterns, to create a feast for the eyes. It can also be embellished with sequins and beads, pleated and rouched, knitted and knotted to create a rich territory of textures for the fingers and skin.

Therefore having the opportunity to handle textiles from around the world and experience them with our hands as well as our eyes, is an extraordinary privilege and one that your students will relish.

Introduction

textile n. A work of art made from cloth.


These are suggestions for classroom work before a visit to the museum. There are 4 main modules – Patterns and symbols, Resist dyeing, Weaving and Embroidery and some additional points for discussion. You may choose to focus on one, several or all of the modules and can tailor your visit to the museum to reflect this. The symbol next to each heading refers to textiles in the Textiles Fact Pack – visit horniman.ac.uk/learn/learning-packs to download it.

Learning outcomes• Wearing symbols and patterns is a form of communication• Patterns and symbols help us to identify with particular groups• Difference between positive and negative space and the

importance of balancing the two in a pattern

Discuss with pupils some of the symbols and patterns which decorate their clothes and its significance with identity. Get them to think about brand names, team colours, school emblems, religious symbols etc.

Ask:• Why do people wear symbols or patterns on their clothes?• Why do they choose to wear some symbols and not others i.e.

Nike rather than Adidas etc.• Are there any symbols or patterns they wear that reflect that they

belong to a particular group or culture i.e. tartan, football strip etc. What about groups of people in the school, wider local community or globally?

• Some patterns have no meaning at all. Why do people wear these?

Get your pupils to complete the Patterns and symbols pre-visit worksheet on page 10.

Pre-visit activities Teachers notes

Patternsand symbols


Get your pupils to create a collage using drawings, photographs etc. of all the symbols and patterns which are on items of clothing they own (or wish they owned). Ask them to talk about some of the symbols they have chosen and why. Repeat this activity after a visit to the museum to include symbols and patterns they have drawn or photographed. What did they chose and why?

Discuss ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ spaces and the fact that strong patterns tend to have a balance of both. Refer to the Adinkra cloth and gourd stamps as an example of printing of positive and negative spaces. Look at some of their meanings (see Adinkra cloth information sheet) and get pupils to design their own symbols to reflect something about their identity.

Positive space in black Negative space in black

Learning outcomes• Principles of resist dying• That wax can be used as a resist• Different techniques can produce different effects

Explain that dye will often run down the thread of a fabric so it’s very hard to dye only parts of a piece of cloth. Get pupils to create a design on thin paper or in their sketch books using a candle or wax crayon and then washing over it with ink.

Ask: • Why doesn’t the ink colour the areas where the wax has been?• Why can they see the shape which they drew in wax on the

reverse of the paper?

Explain that most resists are not perfect barriers and that this can create interesting effects. Examples of tie dye and batik at the Museum can illustrate how this becomes a feature of these techniques.

Resist dyes


Learning outcomes• Improve understanding of weaving techniques• Learn key vocabulary: loom, warp, weft, selvedge• Reading comprehension

Illustrate what a warp and weft is by using a loom if you have one. If not, you can easily illustrate the concept using wool woven between your fingers (where your fingers are the warps). Get pupils to work out which clothes they are wearing that are woven and compare to knitted garments (that they may confuse with woven).

Ask:• What are the differences between knitted and woven fabrics in

terms of the way they feel?• What types of fabric are normally worn next to the skin? Knitted or

woven?• What types of fabric are normally worn as outer wear? • Which is harder wearing, knitted or woven fabrics?

Get them to work out which are the warp and weft threads by pulling their woven garment in both directions – the weft direction is stretchier.

Introduce them to the word ‘selvedges’ – the tightly woven edge of the fabric where the weft comes back across the loom from the outer warps. Discuss the growing trend for selvedge jeans – jeans which have been woven on a narrow shuttle loom, rather than the modern wider projectile looms – meaning the denim is cut with the selvedges at the outside seam so the outside seam will not fray. This is highly prized amongst denim aficionados and many high street brands are now offering selvedge jeans.

Get your pupils to find some warps in the street or in their homes as homework. They could weave a weft through them a few times and either bring the weave in, draw it or take a photo. Possible warps could be: railings, a fence, the legs of two or more chairs, branches, bicycle wheel spokes, netting, etc. Wefts could include carrier bags, fabric scraps, sticks etc.

Weaving


As a group compare some of the weaves. Notice what happens when the warps are stiffer than the wefts (the wefts bend around the warps) and what happens when the wefts are stiffer than the warps (the warps bend round the wefts). If you don’t have any examples of this, you can use your fingers as warps and compare what happens when you use wool and then a pencil as the weft.

Get your pupils to complete the Weaving pre-visit worksheet on page 12.

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Learning outcomes• Embroidery can add colour and texture to fabrics• Embroidery is often used in Western clothing for small logos

etc. to create permanent designs• The difference between embroidery and stitching

Explain that embroidery is decorative stitching and thatyou can use different stitches to create different effects.

Some show examples of cross stitch compared to, for example, blanket stitch.

Get your students to examine their clothes and findexamples of embroidery.

Ask:• What kinds of things are embroidered?• Why you might choose embroidery rather than printing?• How does embroidered fabric feel compared to non-embroidered fabric?• Why is it generally only small areas which are embroidered?

Embroidery/Stitched textiles


• TradeWhere do most of the clothes we wear come from? Get your students to examine the labels in their clothes.Are these countries rich or poor generally?Explain that textiles have been traded between countries and communities since people first started wearing clothes. Different fibres are only found in certain places and people developed different techniques in order to turn them into clothing.

• Meaning and movement Consider how many things change their meaning when they are taken from the place, community or time where they originated.For example, the brand Carhartt started off as a workwear brand.In the 90s in the UK and Europe, skaters started to wear their jeans and the brand developed as a streetwear label. In the US, this change never happened.

Get your students to compare Carhartt’s UK and US websites. Ask your students to think of examples of clothes which have different meanings in different places.

• Roles of men and women in making and weaving Ask your students who they think does the most clothes making in the world, men or women?Consider different roles within clothing production: growing, making and farming the fibres; industrial fabric production; designing; tailoring etc. Do they think of these as men’s or women’s jobs?Ask them to consider why fashion and textiles aren’t taken as seriously as other art forms? Could this be related to their association with women?

• Materials and methods of productionExplain that traditional techniques normally use materials which are readily available and can be found locally. People developed techniques to decorate and customise fabrics and passed these down from generation to generation. Before people could travelas easily as they can now, most clothing in the UK was madefrom wool.

Show examples of traditional British techniques such as fair isle, cable knitting, Welsh blankets etc. What are they made from?Get your students to find out where cotton and silk originated.When did people in Europe start wearing cotton?

Additionaldiscussion

points


Imagine you are a costume designer working ona comedy film set in your school.

The Director asks you to create a visual dictionary of the patterns and symbols which all the different groups would wear, to help audiences understand who is who.

In the box on the left, draw a pattern or symbol. In the box on the right, write the name of the group who would wear it (you might have to invent a name). Try to put into words what you think this symbol or pattern says about the wearer.

One of the examples must be about you and a group you (orother people) feel you belong to. Remember, it’s a comedy, sostereotypes are ok.

Pre-visit worksheets

Patternsand symbols

WHO WEARS IT?

Scottish peopleWHAT DOES IT SAY?

“I’m proud to be Scottish. Please don’t mistake me for an English person”TARTAN

WHO WEARS IT? WHAT DOES IT SAY?




Read this factsheet and answer the questions below to create a woven crossword and wordsearch!

All over the world, woven fabrics are worn and used - from shirts to bed sheets to denim.

Woven fabrics can be very hard wearing. They are much less stretchy than knitted fabrics and normally not as soft.

To weave a fabric, you use a loom, which is a rigid frame. You string the loom with lots of threads running vertically up and down so it looks like a harp. These are called the warp threads.

Then you take another long thread and start to weave it under and over the warp threads from left to right and then pass it back under and over from right to left. This is called the weft. You continue in this way building up the fabric from the bottom.

You can remember the difference between warps and weftswith the rhyme:

“Warps go south to north, wefts go right to left”

Before the 18th Century, most weaving was done by hand, but in 1733 the first machine loom was invented. When weaving by hand, you can only create narrow strips of fabric as you have to be able to pass the weft thread from one side to the other. However, a machine loom can pass the weft thread much longer distances which means you can make wider fabrics. Machine looms also increase the speed at which fabrics are made. Many traditional fabrics are still woven by hand.

Weaving


Grid 1

1 down All over the world, woven fabrics are _ _ _ _ and used. (4 letters)

2 down The frame that you weave on is called a _ _ _ _. (4 letters)

3 down As you weave the weft from left to right and right to left, you start to build up the _ _ _ _ _ from the bottom. (5 letters)

4 down The weft passes over then _ _ _ _ _ the warp threads. (5 letters)

Grid 2

1 across Many of the fabrics we wear and use are woven - from shirts to bed _ _ _ _ _ _ to denim. (6 letters)

2 across Before 1733 all weaving was done by _ _ _ _. (4 letters)

3 across Machine looms allow you to pass the weft thread longer distances so you can make much _ _ _ _ _ fabrics. (5 letters)

4 across Machine looms not only increase the width of fabrics, they also increase

the _ _ _ _ _ at which they can be made. (5 letters)

Once you’ve written all your answers into grid 1 and 2, fold grid 1 in half, lining up the top with the bottom with the print on the outside. Use scissors to carefully cut vertical slits from the fold following the thick lines of the grid. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP OR BOTTOM OF THE PAPER. Unfold the paper.

Next cut grid 2 into strips along the thick lines all the way across. You are going to weave these strips over and under using grid 1 as a ‘loom’.

Take strip 1 from grid 2 and weave it in and out of grid 1 so that you can only see the black squares at the top.

Take strip 2 from grid 2 and alternate the weave so that you can’t see any of the arrows in the next line down on grid 1.Continue in order until you have woven all the strips.

Now you have woven yourself a word search in which you can find the answers to these questions:

What is the name of the threads which run right to left and left to right in a weave?

_ _ _ _Circle the direction this word is written in - across or down

What is the name of the threads which run from south to north in a weave?

_ _ _ _Circle the direction this word is written in - across or down

Woven crossword and wordsearch Fill in the white blanks in grids 1 and 2.


Grid 1 -answers down

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Grid 2 -answers across

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The textiles featured in the information sheets of this pack are available for handling by school groups. To book a tutor-led textiles session please contact the Schools Learning Team on 020 8691 8686 or email [email protected]. Texture is key to appreciating textiles therefore being able to touch examples from the Museum’s collection will give your pupils a greater understanding of their creation and use.The session covers a huge range of textiles from around the world including examples of Indian Ikat, Ghanaian Kente and Indonesian Batik fabrics.

Learn about the key elements of colour, pattern, shape and texture and what they tell you about the textiles.Learn about different techniques for making and decorating textiles.Learn about handling textiles and how close examination can give you new insights into how they are made and used.Record observations.

There is plenty of opportunity for colour, pattern, shape and texture sketch work in the museum galleries, particularly around the masks collection in the African Worlds, Centenary and Music Galleries. The museum also has a Natural History Gallery, Aquarium and 16 and a half acres of Gardens. To find out about temporary exhibitions and the permanent collections visit horniman.ac.uk/visit.

Please refer to the individual handling textile information sheets to see a list of objects on display in the permanent museum galleries that pupils may want to refer to for comparison.

As well as general sketchbook work, encourage pupils to collect patterns and symbols. Their drawings can be used as inspiration for creating patterns.

Whilst drawing in the museum, you might suggest they try this technique to draw objects in order to give them sketches which will give strong shapes, perfect for creating patterns.

• Look at the object from afar• Choose an angle where you can see a clear outline. Squint at the

object so that it goes blurry – could you still tell what it was? If no, choose another angle.• Draw just the space around the object – the negative space.

Visit activities Teachers notes

Textile handling session

Session learning outcomes

Around the museum

KEY:

Embroidery

Pattern

Resist Dye

Trade

Weaving


Teachers notes

These are suggestions for classroom work after a visit to the museum. There are 4 main modules – Symbols and patterns, Resist dyeing, Embroidery and Weaving. Each of them use the observational drawings made at the museum as a starting point, but you may well want your students to develop and refine these before embarking on one of the practical activities as part of a project or coursework.

A fifth module is suggested as topics for discussion or further research. This module would be useful for Geography, History or Citizenship, particularly during Black History Month.

Discuss:• Pattern made for decoration (Shisha, Bogolanfini)• Colour symbolism (Kente cloth)• Symbols associated with special meaning (Adinkra)• Patterns from nature (Chakla, Adire eleko)

Learning Outcomes• Symbols and patterns can reveal things about the wearer and

their culture• Different countries and areas create symbols in different ways

Create an Adinkra-style printed clothUse polystyrene board to create adinkra-style stamps. These canbe used for individual projects or to create a collaborative wall forthe class.

Materials• Polystyrene board (sometimes called press print) – available from

GLS and other art suppliers• Emulsion-based printing ink• Printing trays and rollers etc.• Sugar paper or calico cut into strips approx 30cm x 60cm or any

other printable material

Post-visit activities

Patternsand symbols


Patterns and Symbols continued... Process

Use the observational drawings completed at the museum, other drawings the students have completed, and the collages to create an adinkra-style symbol illustrating something which is important to the students and helps define their identity.

Work the drawings to simplify and clean them up to create symbols with a good balance of positive and negative space.

Consider the different ways in which you can create patterns: repetition, rotation, translation and get pupils to experiment in their sketch books using grids like the one below. You can use the symbol once or many times in each box.

Once they have developed their drawings into a strong symbol and experimented with pattern repeats, use polystyrene board to create a block for printing.

Cut the block into squares at least 10cm x 10cm. Transfer the symbol onto the polystyrene board, filling it as completely as possible. Using a biro or blunt instrument, they should completely fill in the negative space around the symbol, pressing the block down flat.

Tips for creating good block prints:• Make sure the negative space is completely pressed down• Work slowly as the block can split, creating untidy edges• The outline of the symbol can be cut out to create a neater outline• Mount the board on some cardboard to keep it rigid and make it

last longer• Attach a loop of paper to the back with strong tape to make sure

you can lift it easily after printing• Use a roller to apply an even layer of ink to the printing block


Print a strip of paper or cloth. Experiment with different techniques for creating a pattern (rotation, translation).

Each of the strips made by the different students can be joined together to create a wall hanging. Fabric can be stitched together using a whip stitch or baseball stitch. Paper strips can be pinned to the wall using coloured staples (available from Ordning & Reda) or coloured string.

The students should write a description of the meaning of the symbol in a shared ‘visual dictionary’ for the class.

E.g.• What does this symbolise?• Who would wear this symbol?• What groups would they belong to?

Other possible projects:• Print onto cardboard and cut into strips then weave together (see

weaving activity)• Decorate a T-shirt• Decorate a tote bag• Print onto paper and used for origami or collage etc. • Printed fabric could be used for simple sewing projects. e.g.:

A tote bagA cushion – use 3 different colours of fabric. Print the symbol on each in different coloured ink. Join together using whip stitch or baseball stitch.

• Symbols can be over-printed in different colours to create a more interesting effect:

Print symbol here

Patterns and symbols continued...


BatikBatik can easily be integrated into almost any other project, as this still life shows. It can be a great way of introducing a new technique and stretching students.

Nor does batik have to be the end of the project as this quiltedpiece shows.

MaterialsThe equipment needed for batik is quite affordable. • Wax, tjantings and cold water dye, all available from GLS

Educational Supplies• A wax pot. This can be quite expensive but a home deep fat fryer

will do the job just as well and can cost as little as £20• A lot of innovative products exist on the market including cold wax

and many ingenious methods of applying hot wax. The cold wax is not as strong a resist as hot wax

• Light calico or another closely woven fabric (knitted jerseys etc. will not work as well)

Resist dyes


Resist dyes continued...

Tips:

Possible projects:

Tips:

Possible projects:

ProcessUse the drawings completed in the museum to create a design. The design should be simplified to create blocks of colour, as shading is difficult. Transfer the design onto a square of calico using a light pencil (pencil marks will be visible in lighter areas). Use the wax to fill in any areas which should remain white. Once the wax is dry, paint over with the lightest colour dye first. Block out the areas which should remain this colour. Paint over with the next darkest colour. Continue in this way. Once finished and the dye is dry, sandwich the fabric between pieces of plain paper and press with an iron. The iron will melt the wax and the paper will absorb it. This will need to be repeated until as much of the wax is removed as possible.

• Tjantings give the best results once you’ve mastered them but a paintbrush will work well

• The wax should be as cool as it can be. Hot wax can be dangerous and will ‘flood’ the fabric, meaning that it’s hard to keep it within the lines you want

• Careful planning is necessary as you have to start with the lightest colour dye first

• Paint on the dye (rather than dipping) to avoid cracks (although some cracking is a nice feature of the technique)

• Wax can easily be removed using a hot iron and plain paper• Batik should be carried out on a flat surface which has been

covered with plain paper (it will pick up newspaper print)

• Transfer drawings made in the museum to cloth using batik• Create an Indonesian-style batik using symbols and appropriate

colour combinations• Create an Adire eleko style print by first dying the fabric light blue

and then using batik to create the pattern

Tie DyeTie dye is very easy to reproduce in the classroom and can bedone with cold water dyes. T-shirt fabric will work, but thinnercottons work best.

• The key to tie dye is to get really tight ties• Cable ties work well as you can get them very tight, but for finer

results, strong cotton or string is best• You can use small marbles or cotton reels to make circular patterns

• Create a tie dye T-shirt


Shisha/Kalaga inspired felt

The technique of attaching mirrors is very difficult to master. A simpler technique is illustrated here. The artist has used washers and curtain rings to create a shisha-like effect. The rings are covered in blanket stitch using metallic thread to completely hide the ring (see close up below). They are then attached to the background with a washer behind. Felt is used to create the blocks of colour, rather than satin stitches.

Other techniques such as sequins and couching can easily be incorporated from the Kalaga. Figures can be cut from felt to illustrate a story scene as is the case with a Kalaga.

• Foil or wire mesh can be cut and inserted behind the rings to create a reflective surface similar to the shisha mirror. A metal button reversed also works well. See left.

• A running stitch all over the felt creates texture and a quilted effect• Individual leaves and petals will be difficult to attach but if they can

be cut in one piece, this will be easier

Stitched textiles

Tips:


Cut pileThe embroiderer makes very small tight stitches and cuts them with a razor blade to create a ‘pile’ – a furry feel to the fabric.

Satin StitchThis stitch is worked in loops. It looks the same on the back of the fabric as on the front.

Surface Satin StitchThis is similar to the satin stitch but it is onlyworked on one side of the fabric meaning thatit is a flatter stitch and cannot be seen on theback of the fabric.

CouchingA thick thread or cord is laid across a fabric and stitched onto it.

EmbellishingObjects such as sequins and beads are sewn onto the fabric with simple running stitches.

ShishaMirrors are sewn onto the fabric using a complicated series of stitches. The mirrors are said to protect against the evil eye.

Counted Thread EmbroideryThis uses the threads of the weave beneath the embroidery tocreate very even, very regular stitches. The stitches run diagonallyto the weave.

Embroidery techniques


Weaving Most schools do not have looms to teach weaving so this module is based around a weaving project using cardboard. If you do have looms in your school, this module will act as an introduction to weaving.Replicate some of the patterns which the pupils drew at the museum on large sheets of corrugated cardboard using any technique or medium.

Examples:• Wax pastels• A simple resist technique using wax crayons and ink• Acrylic paint (the paint needs to be flexible)• Print using polystyrene foam block

Create two sheets using contrasting patterns. The more abstract the pattern the better.

Use a guillotine to cut the cardboard into 2cm strips. Cut them very carefully as they need to be an even width.

Weave a simple square leaving uneven ends.

‘Creative Basket Making’ by Lois Walpole will show you how toweave the basket pictured. It’s actually very simple and creates a fantastic effect.


Topics fordiscussion • Trade

Use the information sheets for Adire eleko, Adire alabare, Bogolanfini, Kente cloth, Adinkra and Shoowa embroidery to discuss the trade in textiles in Africa and its relation to the slave trade. Points for discussion and further research:

How were the textile trade and slave trade inter-linked? Although cotton grew in Africa, Britain tried to make Africans use cotton from the Americas which had been woven in British mills. Why?Find out about high street stores and sweat shops. Where are they found?Many traditional textiles are made for tourists. This can be very lucrative for people in developing countries.

Split your class into groups and give each group the following statements. They must debate these issues as a class and each group should research evidence to back up their point of view.

People should boycott brands which use sweat shops

Just because I stop buying a brand, doesn’t mean they’ll stop using sweat shops

Selling goods to tourists is a good way for families in poor countries to make money

Tourists rob people of their heritage and culture


Topics for discussioncontinued... • Meaning and movement

When textiles move from their country of origin, their meaning and significance can change. For example, within Ghana, Kente cloth is associated with the Ashanti people and is used for ceremonial dress. In the rest of the world, for many people it signifies Africa, and the specific meaning is lost. Read the relevant sections on the information sheets for Bandhani, Bogolanfini, Kente cloth and Shoowa cut pile embroidery to find out about the original cultural significance to the people that make and wear them. Find out how and why these textile traditions have moved around the world and their meanings adopted or altered for different groups of people.

What are the different meanings of the above textiles in Africa and outside Africa?Fashion depends on the ability of clothing to take on different meanings over time and in different places. Does it matter if the original meaning is lost, or is it just part of a multi-cultural society?

• Roles of men and women in making and wearing In nearly all cultures, there is a gender division of labour. One anthropologist called Sheree B. Ortner put forward the theorythat ‘Men are to women as public is to private’ – i.e. that women work in the home whereas men work in public.

Does this theory work in the societies that you’ve looked at?Does this theory work in contemporary Britain?

• Materials and methods of productionRead the relevant sections on the information sheets. The textile handling box at the museum contains samples of cotton bolls, non-carded and carded wool, silk cocoons, gourd adinkra stamps, tjantings and wax for batik. You may also choose to visit the gardens to see some gourds growing in the Materials Garden.


Adinkra symbols:http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/adinkra_index.htm

Foxx, Jeffery; Schevill, Margot and Asturias de Barrios, Linda, 1997, ‘The Maya Textile Tradition’, Harry N. AbramsGillow, John, 2003, ‘ African Textiles: Colour and Creativity Across a Continent’, Thames and Hudson.Gillow, John and Bryan Sentence, 1999, ‘World Textiles: A Visual Guide to Traditional Techniques’, Thames and Hudson.Gillow, John and Nicholas Barnard, 1991, ‘Traditional Indian Textiles’, Thames and Hudson.Kerlogue, Fiona, 2004, ‘Batik, - Design, Style and History’, Thames and Hudson.Meurant, George, 1986, ‘Shoowa Design: African Textiles from the Kingdom of Kuba’ Thames and Hudson.Prodan, Mariao, 1958, ‘An Introduction to Chinese Art’ Spring Books.Walpole, Lois, 1989, ‘Creative Basket Making’, CollinsWilson, Verity, 2005, ‘Chinese Textiles’, V&A Publications.

Selected Bibliography


The activities in this pack can easily be integrated into projects which meet the requirements of the National Curriculum or exam specifications. The worksheets and activities contained within the pack will encourage your students to: • Observe closely and record their observations. Theseobservational drawings should be developed into creative pieces,• Critically engage and to interpret evidence• Explore the different codes and conventions in different textile practices• Explore how different cultures use textiles to convey ideas and emotions• Deepen understanding of how different techniques achieve different effects• Focus on tactile properties of textiles• Compare a range of examples from different cultural contexts

These activities will help teachers to achieve the following objectives of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 3:

• produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences

• evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design

• know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Pupils should be taught: • to use a range of techniques to record their observations in

sketchbooks, journals and other media as a basis for exploring their ideas

• to use a range of techniques and media, including painting • to analyse and evaluate their own work, and that of others, in order to

strengthen the visual impact or applications of their work • about the history of art, craft, design and architecture, including

periods, styles and major movements from ancient times up to the present day.

Curriculum links

Key Stage 3 Art and Design National Curriculum Links



GCSE Art and Design Specifications

Textile DesignCandidates should produce practical and critical/contextual work in one or more area(s) including fashion and costume, printed and/or dyed fabrics and materials, domestic textiles, constructed and/or stitched and/or embellished textiles.

This pack will help pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding of:• how ideas, feelings and meanings are conveyed in images, artefacts

and products in their chosen area(s) of study in Textile Design• a range of art, craft and design processes including two and/or

three dimensions and traditional and new media technologies• how images, artefacts and products relate to social, historical,

vocational and cultural contexts• a variety of approaches, methods and intentions of contemporary

and historical artists, craftspeople and designers from different cultures and their contribution to continuity and change in society in their chosen area(s) of study within Textile Design.

• a working vocabulary and knowledge of specialist terms relevant to their chosen area(s) of study within Textile Design.

textile ks3 & gcse art and design learning...

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