Project 2: Exotic Flora
Artists and Movements
Icons key:
For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation
Flash activity. These activities are not editable.
Web addresses
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Teacher’s notes included in the Notes Page
Sound
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Learning objectives
Who was William Morris?
What influenced the work of William
Morris?
How can you create a repeating
pattern in the style of William Morris?
How can you print your design?
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Artists and movements
Who created this
image?
What do you know
about the artist?
Seaweed Wallpaper Design,
designed by William Morris
(1834–96), printed by John
Henry Dearle (1860–1932), 1901
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William Morris
William Morris was born in England
in 1834 and died in 1896.
He is widely known for his elaborate
wallpaper and fabric designs, but he
was also a poet, novelist, illustrator,
architect and political thinker.
He was a founder of the Arts and
Crafts Movement which valued
nature and craftsmanship over the
mass production of the time.
His designs are still being reproduced today and many
artists have been influenced by his work.
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The life and work of William Morris
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What influenced William Morris?
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William Morris designs
This wallpaper is called Seaweed. It was hand printed by
Morris’s design company.
Look at the image carefully.
What are the most important features?
The design has a clear repeating
pattern.
The pattern is based on organic
forms – there are no straight lines.
There is a lot of detail.
The colours are all muted greens
and blues.
Morris believed that beauty, imagination and order
were the essential components of a successful design.
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William Morris task
Use what you have learned so far about the work of
William Morris for this piece of work.
1. Stick an A4-sized copy of a Morris wallpaper design
to one side of an A3-sized sheet of paper.
2. Extend the Morris design across onto the blank paper.
3. At first, try to make your additions as similar as
possible to Morris’s pattern. As you progress across
the page, use your imagination to change the
colours and pattern.
4. Begin your design in pencil, then add colour, using
coloured pencil or pens.
5. Use the examples on the following slide to help you.
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William Morris inspired drawings
Student gallery: William Morris inspired drawings.
Students have
studied a design by
William Morris and
used their
imaginations to
adapt and change
the design.
Criteria for success:
imaginative
organic shapes
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clear colour
scheme
dense
pattern
texture
and detail
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Create your own repeating wallpaper
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William Morris printing
Once you have created a repeating tile, you can reproduce
it using a polyester, vinyl or other soft printing plate.
Tape your design to a
printing plate. Use a
sharp pencil to prick
through the design.
Peel off the design.
Using the pricks as a
guide, create indentations
onto the printing plate
with a pencil.
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William Morris printing
Ink your printing plate using
several thin layers of ink,
rather than one thick one.
The subtleties of your design
will be lost if there is too
much ink.
Print your design onto paper,
using a clean, dry roller to
apply pressure to the back of
your printing plate.
You will need to apply your printing plate a number
of times to create a larger repeating pattern.
Take care to line the patterns up carefully!
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William Morris printing
Student gallery: William Morris inspired prints.
To create
multi-coloured
prints, cut out
sections of
your printing
block and add
extra detail
before printing
on top of your
original print.
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Other artists
Other artists who have used
exotic flora as an inspiration
include:
Imogen Cunningham
Karl Blossfeldt
Tina Modotti
Donna Schaffer
Ruth Moilliet
Olivia Parker
Henri Rousseau
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Key vocabulary
You should understand all of the techniques and
materials listed below.
Create a glossary in the back of your sketchbook,
listing these words and their meanings.
Repeating pattern
Printmaking
Design
Printing plate
Printing ink
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Useful websites
The life and works of William Morris:
http://www.morrissociety.org/
http://www1.walthamforest.gov.uk/wmg/
http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/furniture/Wallpaper/
William_Morris/index.html
Tiling and tessellation:
http://www.cromp.com/tess/
http://www.tessellation.info/?open=general/artistinfo.
php&lang=english&style=layout&people_ID=5
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