Title of scheme: No. of lessons: 8 Group: 2nd years
Developing an imaginative
composition inspired by Irish
legends and incorporating the Total time: 5 hours 20 minutes No. of pupils: 12
figure, landscape and symbols,
through the methods of fabric
painting, dip-dying and batik.
Aims:
To develop students’ knowledge of design and the process of visualising, translating and
communicating a given story.
To encourage students’ to analyse information and develop ideas through written language and
drawing.
To enable students’ to expand their imaginations by giving them the choice to create their own
imagery and worlds based on a text.
To give students’ the opportunity to learn and develop ideas by looking for source material in
books, magazines and online.
To develop students’ knowledge and skills in drawing and techniques in the area of batik in order
to create compositions based on information and imagination.
To give students’ the opportunity to learn about artists who make work related to batik and
encourage them to discuss the techniques and concepts in order to inform their own work.
Overall learning outcomes for the scheme:
Students will be able to:
Develop an understanding of design process’ including experimentation with materials, scale,
positioning of elements, narrative etc.
Analyse the subject matter and create diagrams and preparatory drawings which will illustrate the
factors needed to tell the story.
List the key elements of their given story which will inform their batik. These will include the
character, the place in which they are located, what activity is taking place and other important
elements to the understanding of the narrative.
Develop an ability to be creative by use of their imagination in regards to drawing and other areas
of Art, Craft and Design.
Obtain imagery from sources such as books and magazines in order to inform their design work.
Understand the tools, materials and techniques involved in creating a batik based on their
developed ideas.
Be aware of the work of artists who use similar methods, tools and forms in order to inform the
work they will make.
Investigating/exploring/creating:
Subject matter:
Students will be given a section of text based on Irish legends and folklore. For example the story of Tir
na nog.
It happened that on a misty summer morning as Finn and Oisin with many companions were hunting on
the shores of Loch Lena they saw coming towards them a maiden, exceedingly beautiful, riding on a
snow-white steed. She wore the garb of a queen; a crown of gold was on her head, and a dark-brown
mantle of silk, set with stars of red gold, fell around her and trailed on the ground. Silver shoes were on
her horse's hoofs, and a crest of gold nodded on his head. When she came near she said to Finn, "From
very far away I have come, and now at last I have found you, Finn son of Cumhal."
Then Finn said, "What is your land and race, maiden, and what do you seek from me?
"My name," she said, "is Niamh of the Golden Hair. I am the daughter of the King of the Land of Youth,
and that which has brought me here is the love of your son Oisin."
Then she turned to Oisin, and she spoke to him in the voice of one who has never asked anything but it
was granted to her.
"Will you go with me, Oisin, to my father's land?"
And Oisin said, "That will I, and to the world's end," for the fairy spell had so wrought upon his heart that
he cared no more for any earthly thing but to have the love of Niamh of the Head of Gold.
Then the maiden spoke of the Land Oversea to which she had summoned her lover, and as she spoke a
dreamy stillness fell on all things, nor did a horse shake his bit, nor a hound bay, nor the least breath of
wind stir in the forest trees till she had made an end.
And what she said seemed sweeter and more wonderful as she spoke it than anything they could
afterwards remember to have heard, but so far as they could remember it
was this:
"Delightful is the land beyond all dreams,
Fairer than anything your eyes have ever seen.
There all the year the fruit is on the tree,
And all the year the bloom is on the flower.
"There with wild honey drip the forest trees;
The stores of wine and mead shall never fail.
Nor pain nor sickness knows the dweller there,
Death and decay come near him never more.
"The feast shall cloy not, nor the chase shall tire,
Nor music cease for ever through the hall;
The gold and jewels of the Land of Youth
Outshine all splendors ever dreamed by man.
"You will have horses of the fairy breed,
You will have hounds that can outrun the wind;
A hundred chiefs shall follow you in war,
A hundred maidens sing thee to your sleep.
"A crown of sovereignty your brow shall wear,
And by your side a magic blade shall hang,
And you will be lord of all the Land of Youth,
And lord of Niamh of the Head of Gold."
As the magic song ended the Fians beheld Oisin mount the fairy steed and hold the maiden in his arms,
and ere they could stir or speak she turned her horse's head and shook the ringing bridle, and down the
forest glade they fled, as a beam of light flies over the land when clouds drive across the sun; and never
did the Fianna behold Oisin son of Finn on earth again.
Exploring/creating:
Students will be given a hand out containing a story of an Irish legend. We will discuss the objectives of
the project in relation to reading and translating a text in order to communicate the story through drawing
and batik.
Students will begin by reading the text and writing down the key elements of the story i.e.
character, place, objects, events etc.
In their initial drawings students will use their imaginations and imagery from various sources to
exemplify the narrative.
Students will be encouraged to make compositional drawings in which they experiment with the
layout and positioning of each component.
Students’ will experiment with form, space, scale and colour in order to communicate the story
successfully.
To enhance their understanding of the project students will take part in a demonstration on batik
methods and tools. Each stage will be demonstrated and explained and worksheets will be handed
out to highlight important areas of the project.
The batik process will involve dipping processes such as mixing dyes, testing colours, hanging
and drying fabric, painting processes such as fabric paints, brushes and use of water. Also integral
to batik is the use of wax, application and techniques of etching and crackling.
Students will partake in group discussions of each others work in order to develop understanding
and enable them to communicate their opinions on material, forms, composition and imagination
etc.
To enable them to understand the broader context of batik techniques the class will be shown and
discuss work of artists who use similar methods
Understanding/evaluating (include illustrations)
At key periods during the class, allow the students to show their work and encourage a discussion
in relation to composition, imagination and form. Engage students on a discussion of the
effectiveness of initial designs and how these can be changed to improve the understanding of the
piece.
How have the preliminary drawings succeeded in narrating the given story of an Irish legend?
How will positioning of the key elements change how we read the image? Will the use of colour
effect the mood of the image? How will their drawings inform their batik?
Discuss other artists’ and their use of similar techniques and materials, ensuring that the chosen
artists are relevant to the work being made in the classroom.
ICT:
Use the computer and overhead projector in the classroom to show images of artists work.
Use the computer and overhead projector to demonstrate batik techniques and materials through
YouTube tutorials.
Photocopiers in the school to print out worksheets highlighting important aspects of the project
such as the steps involved in making a batik.
Key words/phrases:
Reading, analysing, drawing, imagination, figures, landscape, colour, composition, experimentation,
communication, brainstorming, research, decision making, painting, dying, waxing, safety, critique,
enjoyment.
Teaching/learning strategies:
Show the students’ examples of imagery developed from a narrative to explain how they will
proceed with the project. Highlight the importance of experimentation and development of ideas.
Give PowerPoint presentation of artists and discuss in relation to methods, form and how they
express subject matter.
Give video demonstration of batik processes using YouTube.
Set students up with a section of text and inform them to take note of the key elements to the story.
This will include character(s), the place in which the story is set, the mood of the text and other
decorative factors needed to effectively communicate the story.
Allow the students to brainstorm and develop ideas using their imaginations and also visual
resources within the classroom. This will include magazines, books and internet sources.
Display students work at various stages and prompt them to discuss their work in relation to how
they are visually composed and how they could develop the image further to capture the narrative
and mood of the text.
Materials:
Paper, pencils, biros, colouring pencils, watercolours, fabric, basin, water, kettle, fabric dyes, fabric
paints, paint brushes, palettes, wax, news print, hair dryer, wax pots, iron, etching tools.
Safety precautions:
Give the students a demonstration on how to properly use all materials involved in dying and batik
fabric.
Insure sufficient ventilation when using wax pots and positioning them near open windows.
Create stations for each activity in the project to avoid clutter and possibilities for accidents.
Remind students of the art room cleaning and safety rules.
Count all borrowed materials before the class begins, reminding the students that they must return
them at the end of the class.
Differentiation:
Create a plan which outlines everything that will be covered and the time allocated to each task.
For students who develop difficulties, one must simplify the brief so that each student had the
opportunity for success. If some students’ struggle with literacy, read the passage to the entire
class and get them to answer questions on the key elements i.e. characters, place etc. Perhaps these
students could use the computer in the class room to visually research aspects of the story.
For students who are excelling, one must develop the brief to accommodate their speed at
achieving the task. Get these students’ to further develop their ideas before moving onto batik.
Week 1
Lesson 1 :
Intro to project ( developing ideas, designs and making a batik), demonstration of constructing imagery
from narrative i.e. my design work, students begin to develop ideas relating to narrating a story through
brainstorming activity, developing imagery by using imagination and looking at source material(books
magazines etc.)
Homework: develop ideas further and bring in source material specific to the elements they have
highlighted.
Lesson 2:
Discuss homework and the progression of ideas. Discuss how to move forward by experimenting with
layout, size, shape and space. Students will begin experimenting with elements such as layout etc. Show
students video on YouTube of batik. Give students hand out on batik, methods techniques etc.
Homework: students’ to familiarise themselves with handout.
Week 2
Lesson 1:
Discuss homework. Continue to develop designs in preparation for batik. Put up drawings done so far and
discuss how they work as a design piece. Do they communicate they story successfully? What elements
need to be changed to achieve coherency? Finalise design.
Homework: research batik online, using YouTube in particular to understand the method. Students will
need to know the tools involved including tjanting tools, brushes, wax and irons.
Lesson 2:
Discuss homework. Continue to develop designs in preparation for batik. Put up drawings done so far and
discuss how they work as a design piece. Do they communicate they story successfully? What elements
need to be changed to achieve coherency? Finalise design.
Homework: decide on painting or dying process. Create a plan outlining each stage you will go through
i.e. If dying, wax out white areas first and dye the lightest colour, dry and wax out first colour area.
Week 3:
Lesson 1:
Discuss homework and the relevance of wax in the batik process. Demonstrate batik techniques, how to
mix dyes, test strips of fabric by dipping and timing to achieve accurate colour, working from the lightest
colour to the darkest and drying methods. Also give the option to use fabric paints. Demonstrate how to
dilute them using water and what will happen when applied to fabric. Emphasis issues with paints
bleeding and insuring the paint is dry before adding new areas of paint. Use examples of students’ work to
discuss how each stage will be achieved. Show students’ how to transfer their images onto fabric and
attach to frames using thumbtacks. Students will begin transferring images.
Lesson 2:
Discuss homework and use examples of students work to discuss each stage of batik. Students will
continue to transfer images onto fabric. Students will decide whether they want to use fabric paints of
dyes to create their compositions. Students will use their plans to help them begin batik. Those who will
be painting will get relevant materials and begin on their compositions and those who are dip-dying will
begin by waxing out the white areas.
Discuss work so far
Week 4:
Lesson 1:
Presentation on artists and refreshing information on batik by showing YouTube video
Continue to create batik by dying, painting and waxing.
Show work
Lesson 2:
Continue to create batik by dying, painting and waxing.
Show work