Ministry of Education and

Sports

HOME-STUDY
LEARNING

ART AND DESIGN

August2020
FOREWORD

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, government of Uganda closed all
schools and other educational institutions to minimize the spread of the
coronavirus. This has affected more than 36,314 primary schools, 3129 secondary
schools, 430,778 teachers and 12,777,390 learners.

The COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent closure of all has had drastically impacted
on learning especially curriculum coverage, loss of interest in education and learner
readiness in case schools open. This could result in massive rates of learner
dropouts due to unwanted pregnancies and lack of school fees among others.

To mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the education system in

Uganda, the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) constituted a Sector Response
Taskforce (SRT) to strengthen the sector’s preparedness and response measures.
The SRT and National Curriculum Development Centre developed print home-study
materials, radio and television scripts for some selected subjects for all learners
from Pre-Primary to Advanced Level. The materials will enhance continued learning
and learning for progression during this period of the lockdown, and will still be
relevant when schools resume.

The materials focused on critical competences in all subjects in the curricula to

enable the learners to achieve without the teachers’ guidance. Therefore effort
should be made for all learners to access and use these materials during the
lockdown. Similarly, teachers are advised to get these materials in order to plan
appropriately for further learning when schools resume, while parents/guardians
need to ensure that their children access copies of these materials and use them
appropriately. I recognise the effort of National Curriculum Development Centre in
responding to this emergency through appropriate guidance and the timely
development of these home study materials. I recommend them for use by all
learners during the lockdown.

Alex Kakooza
Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Education and Sports
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) would like to express its

appreciation to all those who worked tirelessly towards the production of home–
study materials for Pre-Primary, Primary and Secondary Levels of Education during
the COVID-19 lockdown in Uganda.

The Centre appreciates the contribution from all those who guided the
development of these materials to make sure they are of quality; Development
partners - SESIL, Save the Children and UNICEF; all the Panel members of the
various subjects; sister institutions - UNEB and DES for their valuable contributions.

NCDC takes the responsibility for any shortcomings that might be identified in this
publication and welcomes suggestions for improvement. The comments and
suggestions may be communicated to NCDC through P.O. Box 7002 Kampala or email
[email protected] or by visiting our website at http://ncdc.go.ug/node/13.

Grace K. Baguma
Director,
National Curriculum Development Centre
ABOUT THIS BOOKLET

Dear learner, you are welcome to this home-study package. This content focuses on
critical competences in the syllabus.

The content is organised into lesson units. Each unit has lesson activities, summary
notes and assessment activities. Some lessons have projects that you need to carry
out at home during this period. You are free to use other reference materials to get
more information for specific topics.

Seek guidance from people at home who are knowledgeable to clarify in case of a
challenge. The knowledge you can acquire from this content can be supplemented
with other learning options that may be offered on radio, television, newspaper
learning programmes. More learning materials can also be accessed by visiting our
website at www.ncdc.go.ug or ncdc-go-ug.digital/. You can access the website using an
internet enabled computer or mobile phone.

We encourage you to present your work to your class teacher when schools resume
so that your teacher is able to know what you learned during the time you have been
away from school. This will form part of your assessment. Your teacher will also
assess the assignments you will have done and do corrections where you might not
have done it right.

The content has been developed with full awareness of the home learning
environment without direct supervision of the teacher. The methods, examples and
activities used in the materials have been carefully selected to facilitate continuity of
learning.

You are therefore in charge of your own learning. You need to give yourself
favourable time for learning. This material can as well be used beyond the home-
study situation. Keep it for reference anytime.

Develop your learning timetable to cater for continuity of learning and other
responsibilities given to you at home. Enjoy learning
Senior One
Term 1
Lesson 1
Theme: Art Theory
Topic: Appreciation of Art and design

After reading this topic and practicing its activities, you should be able to:
1. Explore what makes the study of art and design.
2. Discuss the influence of art to the people in the community.
3. Appreciate your environment, culture and its art.
4. Preserve the natural environment as a cultural heritage and as source of inspiration.
Words you will learn

• Appreciation • Natural Environment • Surroundings

• Art forms • Curiosity • Observation
• Artworks

You will need:

• notebook, sketch pad, pencil,
Paint, brushes, glue and section of the Natural environment

Introduction
Art and design is one of the subjects you will learn during your time of secondary education. There
are many areas of creativity in the field of Art and design. You will explore some of these areas as
you continue learning and practicing art and design. You will begin to understand why Art as a
subject is taught and why art works are created.

The learning of art and design will not only develop your creative mind but will also help you to
understand better other subjects like Biology, Agriculture, ICT, Mathematics, English language
and the rest. Studying Art will help you develop the five essential generic skills (soft skills) of;
critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and innovation, communication, cooperation and
self –directed learning, and mathematical computations with ICT proficiency. These soft skills
will allow you to develop into a lifelong learner who can adapt to change as you strive to cope
with the challenges of life in this 21st Century.

Observing and appreciating nature

Art is a language used to communicate and express ideas. In this section you will learn about Art
and design as a language. You will also develop skills used by artists to communicate ideas. Artists
make and use visual images (things we can see and sometimes touch) to communicate ideas. You
will learn to do this after acquiring the skill of observing.

What do you see when you look around your home area? If you take time to look around, you will
pick interest in observing things of different appearances. Do activity 1.1 to start on the journey
of your observation and exploration of your environment.
 Activity 1.1: Getting familiar with your natural environment

1. Take a journey to the nearby environment outside your home.

2. Look at your immediate natural surroundings and identify objects found there.
3. In your notebook/sketch book list objects that have interested you, and give reasons to why?
4. Discuss with people at home the usefulness of the objects identified in your natural
environment to the community.
5. Use half a page of your notebook to write a report of what was discussed.

What do you see around your immediate environment? The surrounding you live in is rich with
things that have beautiful appearances; shapes and colours. Some are natural objects while others
are man-made objects. List what is in your home environment.

Our eyes help us a lot in observing and describing the different objects from nature. By doing so,
you will be showing an appreciation of your natural environment and how you can use it to sustain
your life.

Hint: Appreciating art takes more than just looking at an object. It takes looking-and knowing how
to look-to find meaning. This is called observation.

Studying art will give you the power to challenge your thinking and seeing things with an artistic
eye. Your interest to know why things look like the way they are is what is called artistic curiosity.
On your journey through the world of art, you will learn how to “see” art. Through practice, you
will learn how to perceive artistically.

Why study Art?

Learning art will help you develop understanding of self and the world around you. Art engages
the body, mind and the spirit to communicate and express ideas, and feelings that often cannot be
done by any other means. You will learn and develop a language of artistic expression of ideas,
feelings, emotions and moods through a variety of art experiences (creative growth). You will have
opportunities to make meaningful literacy choices and to produce new forms of texts by
combining literacy resources. Studying art is an opportunity for you to develop the most needed
generic skills in this 21st century as listed in the introduction. Art will open career opportunities
for you as an artist. Artists get jobs by practicing one or more of the fields of art to solve peoples’
needs. In your area whom do you know does art as a job?

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 Art is made by people to
communicate ideas, express feelings
and to make well-designed objects to
use in our daily life.

Art has disciplines such as painting,

drawing, sculpture, printmaking,
Jewelry and many more.

List any other disciplines of art that

is not mentioned. Study Figure 1.1
and do Activity 1.2.

Figure 1.1: Art disciplines

Activity 1.2: The value of Art and design

Study Figure 1.1 and the accompanying notes in the box.
1. List the Art disciplines given in Figure 1.1.
2. In your notebook/sketch book, list objects or artworks that are made by artists who practice some
of the given disciplines.
3. Discuss with people at home the professions that you can take as a result of studying art and its

related disciplines.
4. Use half a page of your note book to explain at least three ways by which Art is useful in solving
peoples’ daily problems.

Practice
1. While putting on a mask, visit a person in your locality who practices any form of art and
study the type of art he/she does. (make notes)
2. Engage the people at home in a discussion on the topic “why a person should study Art”.
3. In your note book list the usefulness of art in solving peoples’ problems.

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Lesson 2
Theme: Art Theory
Topic: Exploring line, space and shape

After reading this topic and practicing its activities, you should be able to:
1. Identifying the basic elements of art.
2. Exploring and learning to describe elements of art and design.
3. Discussing the effectiveness of the elements applied in the artworks.
Words you will learn:
• Artist
• Elements and principles of art
• Form

You will need:

• Note book, sketch book, pencil, Paint, brushes, glue and
A section of the Natural environment

Introduction
People who practice art are generally called artists. Artists communicate to people without using
words. In verbal communication, we join words to make a meaning of communication. They create
images. In art, elements and principles are like words in verbal languages which artists use to say
something, while creating a visual form.

The elements and principles of art are the building blocks or foundations upon which a work of art
is created. You will not use all of them all the time but you will use some of them most of the time.
In this chapter you are going to learn how to use the visual words (elements and principles) to
make and study artworks.

Elements of Art
The elements and principles of art and design are the
foundation of the language used in art. The elements
of art are the visual tools that the artist uses to create a
composition. These are line, shape, colour, value,
form, texture, and space. The principles
of art represent how the artist uses the elements of
art to create an effect and to help convey the artist's
intent. Observe Figure 2.1 and identify the different
elements used.

Figure 2.1: Elements of art in an Art work

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The principles of art and design are balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm,
and unity/variety. The use of these principles can help you determine whether the work is
successful, and whether or not the work is finished.

The artist decides what principles of art he or she wants to use in the work. While an artist might
not use all the principles of design in one piece, the principles are intertwined and the use of one
will often depend on another.

Activity 2.1 Identifying elements of Art

Study Figure 2.1 and
1. Name the elements used in the pictures.
2. Describe the difference in use of line in the image
3. Write a brief description on the use of space, line and shape in the image.

Line
Line is a basic element of the visual objects and can be manipulated in several ways. Lines are the
path of a moving point. They define the edges of shapes and forms. A line may be straight or
curved, light or dark, separated or joined, thin or thick, crisscrossed in either regular or irregular
patterns. We will learn a bit more about lines in other forthcoming chapters.

Shape or form in Space

A shape is created when a line returns to its point of origin. Shape, form, and space are closely tied
to one another because we see them at ago. A shape may have an outline or a boundary which
defines it e.g. circle is round. Shape is a two-dimensional object. Form like shapes has length and
width. But forms go a step further. Forms can be actual or implied, they have depth. A form is an
object with three dimensions. Space is the distance or an area between, around, above, below, and
within things. All objects take up space.

Activity 2.2: Experimenting elements of Art

In your sketch book, divide a page into three equal boxes and do the following:

1. Draw an object of your choice in the first box using line to define its
shape.
2. In the second box use lines and or colour to give your object form
3. In the third box consider the space being part of the object of study
4. Present your work to your classmates for discussion.

In an effort to create a shape of the object you studied, you have experienced difference in
registering different thickness of line to capture your intentions. Different line registration
communicates a message to the viewer. Somewhere you might have used a straight line, zig- zag,
cross hatched, or curved. Your communication was to register boldness, smoothness, and light
effects on the object or its form. Space was used to capture the intended image.
Lesson 3
Theme: Drawing and Painting
Topic: Exploring the Natural Environment

After reading this topic and practicing its activities, you should be able to:
1. Explore what makes your natural environment.
2. Discuss the influence of the natural environment to the making of art in the community.
3. Use materials from the environment responsibly.
4. Preserve the natural environment as a cultural heritage and as source of inspiration.

Words you will learn:

• Appreciation • Artworks • Observation
• Art forms • Nature • Surroundings
• Natural Environment
You will need:
• Notebook, sketch pad, pencil,
• Paint, brushes, glue and a section of the natural environment

Introduction
In this topic you are going to explore the world around you. You will also appreciate the usefulness
of the natural environment to the people. You will capture what makes your natural environment
through drawing or painting. Do you know why you are surrounded by different things of nature?
What is the importance of plants, birds or animals to you? Why do you think people living in
different geographical areas express themselves differently? The way you make aesthetic/artistic
choices is reflected in artworks which are influenced by family, culture, and community.

Observing and appreciating the natural environment

You will pick interest in observing things of different appearances. The availability of plants,
insects and animals found in a given area determine the artworks and culture of people living there.
Do activity 3.1 to start on the journey of your exploration and observing your environment.

Activity 3.1 Getting familiar with our natural environment

1. Observe the nearby environment around your home area and identify objects found there.
2. In your notebook/sketch book list objects that have interested you, and give reasons to why?
3. List down at least two reasons as to why the identified objects in natural environment are useful
to the community.
4. Use a new page of your note/sketch book to sketch an object from your natural environment that
has interested you most.
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Examining and responding to the natural environment
You have enjoyed a tour around your surrounding environment. You must have seen objects of
different appearance in shapes, sizes and colour. Can you describe objects you have seen? To
describe an object requires an interpretation as a response. You need to know what to use to
describe or interpret an object. After going through Section one, you realized that the natural
environment provides us with the materials we need to make life enjoyable.

Various art works can be made from natural materials to serve different purposes in our societies.
Since we cannot do without the environment it is our personal responsibility to responsibly use,
maintain and improve on it.

Activity 3.2 Drawing from what I see

1. In your art book make a representation of the details of an object you have observed
from your surroundings.
2. Study the lines and use them to formulate shapes of the objects observed.

The contribution of the natural environment to Art and design

The natural environment offers a lot of resources for artistic ideas. Materials from the natural
environment can be either used directly from their source or worked upon to change their colours
and strength in order to serve the purpose. For example, look at the images in figure 3.1 and do
the activity that follows.

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 3.1: Crafts made from materials of the natural environment

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 Activity 3.3 Use of materials from the environment

1. List down the different materials that you think were used to create the artworks in the pictures
shown the Figure 3.1.
2. Describe how such materials are prepared from the natural environment before they are used
in the artworks.
3. Which of these materials can be got from your local area?
4. Discuss the purpose of the artworks in Figure 3.1 in the society.
5. Give at least three reasons as to why should people protect the natural environment?

The use of nature in art making

In this section you will observe that nature is a major source in art making. Observe the pictures
in Figure 3.2 and answer Activity 3.3.

Figure 3.2: Using nature to make artworks

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 Activity 3.4 Responding to the arts in the natural environment

1. What is taking place in the picture?

2. Identify the materials used during the presentations of the art forms in the pictures.

List them in your book.

3. Discuss the factors that are likely to have been considered to select these particular materials?
4. Suggest measures that can be applied to make sure that such materials are always
available?
5. How is the natural environment influencing the culture and artworks shown in the
pictures above?

Summary
In this chapter you have learned to:
1. observe and appreciate the Natural environment.
2. recognize the importance of art, identify artworks from the society that are
made from materials of the natural environment.
3. use materials from the environment responsibly.
4. preserve the natural environment as a cultural heritage and as source of
inspiration.
Lesson 4
Theme: Graphic Design
Topic: Introduction to Graphic Design

After reading this topic and practicing its activities, you should be able to:
1. Making a research on graphic design as a visual language.
2. Defining and explaining the term graphic design.
3. Discussing the ways in which artworks can be presented to different audiences.
4. Use elements and principles of design to create a non-illustrated poster.

Words you will learn:

• Graphic design • Font • Descender
• Illustration • Ascenders • Baseline
• Image
You will need:
Notebook, sketch pad, pencil paint, brushes, glue and a section of the natural
environment

Introduction
Graphic design is one of the branches of art commonly found around us. It includes use of letters
and images with colour. Look around your home to find out whether you have a wall calendar or
a newspaper. These items are works of graphic art. Can you find and least five other graphic
design works you can identify in your home?

Graphic design language

Graphic design is an art of combining lettering and
illustration to communicate a message to others.
Lettering refers to the written alphabet (upper and
lower case). The styles of writing are called letter
fonts. Illustration refers to the image that is used along
with the lettering (words). An eye catching graphic
design shows good judgement in selecting a letter type
and image or illustration suited to the message you
wish to send. More attention should be given to the use
of elements and principles of art and design in creating
a composition of graphic design. In this chapter, you
are going to learn how to communicate in graphic
form.

Figure 5.1: Image and letters in a poster

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Graphic design the art of is found all around us. They include maps and diagrams, logos, signs,
billboards, newsletters, advertisements and posters. The message of a graphic design must be clear,
cost effective and relevant. When used effectively, a graphic design can become a very powerful
tool for sending a message to others. What can you learn from figure 5.1?
Have you ever seen any work of graphic design? Do activity 5.1 to learn more what graphic design
is all about.

Activity 5.1 Discovering the art of Graphic designs

.
1. Search for graphic design works in old newspapers and magazines.
2. Where possible, use a computer or a cellular phone to get a definition of Graphic design.
3. In your art book document, the key information you have got from your research about
Graphic design in your art book.
4. Identify examples in your research of graphic art you consider being common and
effective to use in your home area.

Observing basic elements of graphic design

Look at Figure 5.2 showing the elements of an effective graphic design. Do you have similar
elements with the ones you got from your research? How can you make use of these elements to
make your own artwork? You need to first discuss these elements one by one to gain confidence
on how to use them.

Figure 5.2: Seven elements of graphic design

The seven basic elements of Graphic design
1. Colour
The modern colour wheel consists of three primary colours -- red, yellow, and blue -- which can
theoretically be mixed in varying ratios to produce secondary and intermediate colours. Figure 5.3
gives you an idea of how Newton's colour wheel appeared. The colour may even be the most
important element of a design, because it offers the most powerful visual impact at a single glance.

Figure 5.3: The colour wheel

2. Value
Value is closely related to colour, because value is more general and represents how dark or light
a colour is. The concentration of colour is called ‘intensity’. Value is used to describe the
concentration of a colour.

3. Line
Lines are more than just dividers -- the right lines can convey movement and emotion, tying
together your composition and making it looked polished and professional.

4. Scale
The scale of different elements in a design will have a big impact on how the audience views and
makes sense of a composition. Playing with the relative size of different components in your design
allows you to set a focal point, highlight areas of importance, and ultimately guide viewers' eyes
through the piece. Scale isn't quite the same thing as size (though many people tend to incorrectly
use them interchangeably when discussing design, i.e., "Make the logo bigger!"). Size refers to an
absolute measurement (e.g., the sheet of paper 8'' by 11'') while scale refers to the direct
relationship between elements in a design (e.g., the circle is twice as big as the square).

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5. Shape Shapes: they're not just for pre-schoolers. A shape can be loosely explained as anything
defined by boundaries. There are two categories of shapes to consider:
Geometric shapes (Figure 5.4), which are defined by perfect, uniform proportions (such as a circle,
square, triangle), and organic shapes, which have less well-defined edges, freeflowing proportions,
and essentially no rules (such as wiggly, blob-like things that don't fit into any real category).

Figure 5.4 Shapes

6. Space
Space is exactly what it sounds like: the empty areas between elements in your design. When it comes to
creating professional-looking designs on your own, sometimes what you don't include is just as important
as what you do.

When working on a design, consider not only the elements you're including (such as images and text) but
how they're arranged and grouped in the composition. It can be tempting to fill every inch of your digital
canvas with something, but try to give your elements some room to breathe.

7. Contrast
Contrast refers to the juxtaposition of elements that strongly differ
(big vs. small, light vs. dark, etc.) to create visual interest or draw
attention to particular elements. Without contrast, our designs aren't
just dull or boring to look at, they're also difficult to
understand. A lack of contrast is often what separates
mediocre design work from designs that look professional,
polished, and clear.

Study Figure 5.4 to find out the use of principles of design.

Figure 5.4: A coloured poster

Design your poster

Posters are commonly used to advertise information for a specific purpose. Sometimes letters might not
work alone to communicate a desired message. They always combine lettering with an image (illustration).
Illustrations are images that support or supplement the visual image in graphic design. We often see that in
newspapers and magazines.

Activity 5.2 Poster making

1. Search for graphic design works in old newspapers and magazines.

2. Study the use of letter fonts and illustrations to design your poster informing your village
Community about the dangers of Corona Virus.
3. Make use of colours that are eye catching.
Lesson Six
Theme: Decorative Arts
Topic: Multi Media Collage

After reading this chapter and practicing its activities, you will be able to creatively use found materials
from the surrounding environment to make articles for decorative purposes through:
1. Understanding the natural environment and how it influences the work of art and the community
2. Integration of the traditional and contemporary art elements to create decorative art works.
3. Applying knowledge and skills to appreciate the making of decorative art using the natural
environment to preserve cultural heritage.

Words you will learn:

• Decorative art
• Mosaic
You will need:
found objects, adhesives, cutting tools, paints, stitches, needles, pins and threads

Introduction
The art of decorating articles or built
environment is what we refer to as
decorative art. This type of art has been
around for centuries, and it typically
involves making items that are not only
attractive, but useful as well. In many
instances, crafts are generally made
from raw natural materials.

Decorative art techniques

include painting, drawing, and printing,
sticking, carving, cutting, etching,
folding, staining, stamping or stitching.

Decorative art may be applied to walls,

furniture, or any other object. Figure
6.1 shows an example of decorative Figure 6.1: Multimedia Collage arts.

Decorative art making techniques

Decorative art is a craft making technique which may be done as an original work or on a surface of another
artwork. There are other methods of making decorative arts but in this chapter you are going to learn about
multi-media collage. Can you identify a decorative artwork in your home? If there is none, this is an
opportunity to create one and enhance the beauty of your home through collage.
Collage
The art of collage originates from an idea of gluing or pasting. When you paste or glue different materials
to come up with the same work is what referred to as multi-media collage. Collage techniques include:
Overlapping-pasting or gluing a second layer of material over a first so that parts of the first layers are
exposed while other parts are not. (For example, a cloth or paper on top of another material)
Gradation-the subtle shifts in elements of art used in design for example, the use of tones of a colour from
dark to light.
Process: you have to spare ample time to do multi- media collage. Materials are collected from the
environment as you sort their usefulness based on material, colour and texture.

Activity 6.1 Making multi- media collage

1. Collect materials of different nature from to your environment to make collage work.
2. Sketch what you intend to do as your composition of decoration in your art book.
3. Get a hard surface to work as your base and trace your composition
4. Using the technique of your choice, create a multi –media collage. See that all of
the edges are well stuck; avoid glue or paint to go where they are not needed.
5. Keep flat and in dry place, pinned to a flat surface, and allow drying before you exhibit
it.

Summary
In this chapter you have learned to:
1. Explain the term multi-media collage
2. Follow stages for creating a decorative craft
3. Use techniques to further develop your skill in creating a decorative craft.
4. Apply your knowledge and understanding to speak and write effectively about
decorative art.
 Term 2

Lesson 7
Theme: Three Dimensional Art Making
Topic: Introduction to Pottery

After reading this topic and practicing its activities, you should be able to:
1. Use local materials suitable for making a three dimensional earthen ware that serves a purpose. You
will:
2. Research on the creative use of natural resources.
3. Discover that the production and presentation of artworks can affect the environment, so that you
apply responsible practices.
4. Adapt African styles into own artworks.

Words you will learn:

clay, three dimensions, two dimensions, sculpture, earthen ware

You will need:

sketch pad, pencils, clay, clay tools, hard board, computer with internet access

Introduction
Artworks or objects that can be viewed from all round is what we call three-dimensional art. Pottery is
one of the craft that fall under three-dimensional arts. Three-dimensional artworks can be viewed all round-
in three dimensions of length, width and height or depth. In this chapter you are going to learn how to
creatively use clay to make pottery products.

Discovering Clay Material Clay is the most common and cheap material to use. Clay is part of the
soil, is made workable with water, dried
by air and is made durable with fire.
Clay is a natural resource used by people
to make earthen wares for
example, pots for various uses, cups,
plates, etc. Have you ever known where
clay is found? Can you try other soils
to find out how it can be used as a
natural resource for making
earthen- ware?
Figure 8.1: Pinch pots
Clay Methods
There are three common methods to creating basic clay products: Carve, coil and slab. The technique of
pinch is used to easily form a shape. Slab is a method of rolling pieces of clay flat, joining the pieces to
form a shape. Coiling is where clay is rolled into long, smooth snakes which are joined together in layers
to build up a form. Carving is referred to where tools are used to cut out shapes. In this exercise you are
going to start with the technique of pinching to create a pinch pot.

Making a pinch pot

Pinch pots are used for different purposes. Figure 8.2 shows pinch pots being used in different ways.

Figure: 8.2: Examples of pinch pots serving different purposes

Can you think of making pinch pots to serve a community problem? The size, shape and decorations they
all depend on the artist. In fact, the beauty of the pinch pot technique is that the only limiting factor is your
imagination. Let’s follow the process of making one.
1. Clay preparation
Clay got straight from the ground need to be prepared to be used for a given work. The clay will need
to be prepared, sieved to remove unwanted material such as stones, twigs, and roots. Cleaning can be
done either of two ways. The clay can be crushed when dry and then sieved, or dried, slaked down in
water, then sieved. You can also use fingers to feel any hard object in small bits.
2. Forming a pinch pot
Begin by forming a lump of clay into a smooth sphere that fits the size of the hand or less, and stick
your thumb in the center, making a hole half-way to the bottom. Then apply pressure with your fingers
on the outside and thumb on the inside, creating a rounded bowl shape. This method is similar to the
way some people eat food traditionally. (See Figure 6.3). While revolving the ball in one hand, press
the walls out evenly with the thumb into the inside and the fingers on the outside. Smooth the surface
with a damp sponge.
3. Decorating
Decorating an art work is an influence of the people’s environment and their culture. This develops
peoples’ creative mind by making various surface decorations.

Did you observe the difference in surface decorations of pinch pots in figure 6.2? It is therefore very
important to preserve our environment as a source of raw materials and inspiration for art making. You
should learn to responsibly make use of the environment in the making of artworks to preserve it.
 Figure 8.3: Stages of forming a pinch pot

Activity: Making a Pinch Pot

1. Roll the kneaded clay into a ball

2. Use your thumb to create a hole in the centre of the ball
3. Use your thumb and fingers to pinch the clay from the centre hole outwards to form
walls of the pot
4. Decorate your pot by making marks in clay inspired by the natural environment
5. Once you finish, let your pinch pot air dry

Summary
In this chapter you have learned to:
1. Use clay and any suitable local soils to make a clay product.
2. Make responsible use of the environment in the making of artworks to preserve the
environment.
3. Familiarize African styles into own artworks.
National Curriculum