Visual Arts
KS3
Within Key Stage 3 Visual Arts we operate a rotation system alongside Design and Technology that allows groups of students to move within the different areas of the department on a rotation. Students will complete work that covers all strands of Design and Technology and Visual Arts including: Fine Art, Textiles, Photography, Construction, Resistant Materials and Catering. The students move between staff in the department who have different skills and areas of expertise. This allows students to have the best possible teaching and learning experience in each distinct area of the department. Each student will leave Key Stage 3 Design, Technology, and Visual Arts with a broad range of knowledge and expertise. All students’ progress will be tracked over their various KS3 rotations. The results from which will be used to guide their choices when selecting their options at the end of KS3.
Year 7
We are focusing on the basics and ensuring that every student has a good grounding to build on. Our project is called 'Colour, Shape and Stitch' and sees students exploring colour theory, the idea of shape/form and an introduction the the basics of textiles and sewing. Students will work collaboratively to create large scale mixed media paintings in the style of the German Expressionist painter, Franz Marc.
Year 8
Our theme is 'Myselfie Portrait'. During this project students will learn about a broad range of artists across all disciplines and how they capture 'who they are' through their self portraits. After learning the basics of proportion and drawing their facial features accurately, students will then be expected to work in different media across art/textiles/photography in order to find something that they can relate to. At the end of the project students will work in the media or mixed media they feel is most suited to representing who they are as a person to create their own self portrait.
Year 9
The main purpose of the project for Year 9 students is to consolidate the previous learning in earlier years and prepare students for the GCSE courses that follow. Each subject area is explored in more depth to ensure that students can fully appreciate the different aspects of Fine Art/Textiles/Photography before making choices when it comes to 'options' time. The theme this is centralised around is 'Surfaces' and the project gives students more creative freedom to be independent in preparation for their GCSEs. Observational drawing skills, Photoshop and digital photography skills and mixed media/drawing with stitch are all developed whilst students look at the interesting textures of different surfaces.
AQA Art and Design - Fine Art
Students will be introduced to a variety of experiences exploring a range of fine art media, techniques and processes, including both traditional and new technologies. They will explore relevant images, artefacts and resources relating to a range of Fine Art, from the past and from recent times, including European and non-European examples which will be integral to the investigating and making process. Responses to these examples will be shown through practical and critical activities which demonstrate the students’ understanding of different styles, genres and traditions.
Students are aware of the four assessment objectives that must be evidenced in the context of the content and skills presented and of the importance of process as well as product.
Year 11
The GCSE course offers students a solid platform within the visual arts to learn, create and build specific portfolios of work.
The GCSE course is made up of two key units of work
- Unit 1 - Coursework (60% of final grade)
- Unit 2 - Exam (40% of final grade)
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/art-and-design/gcse/art-and-design-8201-8206
Year 10
The creative sector
The skills developed through an education in art and design are integral to many roles within the creative sector, which is a collection of exciting and vibrant industries including the fashion industry, the games industry, advertising, graphics and publishing, craft and product design, interior design and architecture. Collectively the creative industries contributed £4.1 billion to the UK economy in 2015, outpacing the overall growth of the economy by 2.5 per cent.
What does this qualification cover?
This qualification, which is 120 GLH, is the same size and level as a GCSE and is ideal for you if you are a pre-16 student who enjoys art and design and are interested in developing your skills and finding out about future career opportunities that would enable you to utilise those skills. Perhaps you would like to work as a fashion designer creating and making new clothes and accessories or maybe you want to create characters and designs for animations and computer games, or graphics for books, magazines and advertising. If so, this qualification will offer you the opportunity to build the knowledge, understanding and practical skills you need to progress to further learning, and will also give you an engaging and stimulating introduction to the world of art and design. You will explore some of the key areas within the creative industries, learning how to address the needs of clients by ensuring that your art and design work meets the requirements of a creative project brief.
How will I be assessed?
You will carry out tasks and mini-projects throughout the course. Your teacher will mark these, and so you will receive regular feedback as to how you are getting on. Towards the end of the course, your knowledge of art and design practice will be assessed through a task that is set and marked by Pearson. All of the work that you do throughout the course will prepare you for this final task.
EDEXCEL A level Art and Design
Year 12 & 13
Art and Design-Fine Art
Introduction
Fine art requires engagement with aesthetic and intellectual concepts through the use of traditional and/or digital media, materials, techniques and processes for the purpose of self-expression, free of external constraints. Fine art may be created to communicate ideas and messages about the observed world, the qualities of materials, perceptions, or preconceptions. It can also be used to explore personal and cultural identity, society and how we live, visual language, and technology. Fine Art allows us to consider and reflect on our place in the world, both as individuals and collectively.
Drawing and other materials processes
Drawing in fine art forms an essential part of the development process from initial idea to finished work; from rough sketches, to diagrams setting out compositions, to digital drawings used for installations or as part of three-dimensional work. Students should use a variety of tools, materials and techniques, as appropriate, for recording their surroundings and source materials. Students should consider the application and implications of new and emerging technologies that can be used in conjunction with traditional and digital fine art materials.
Contectual understanding and professional practice
Contexts for fine art can be found in a wide range of sources; for example, from historical works in museums, contemporary art shows and fairs, an exhibition at a local gallery, films, architecture, music, literature and nature. When undertaking work in fine art, students should also engage with:
- Concepts such as figuration, representation and abstraction
- Various forms or presentation in fine art and the ways that audiences may respond to or interact with them
- How the formal elements evoke responses in the viewer
- Sustainable materials and production processes in the construction of work
- The potential of collaborative working methodologies in the creative process
Disciplines within fine art
For the purposes of this qualification, fine art is sub-divided into the following four disciplines:
- Painting and drawing
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- Lens-based image making
Students will be required to work in one or more of the disciplines to communicate their ideas. By working across disciplines, they will extend their understanding of the scope of fine art; by focusing on one discipline, they will gain a deeper understanding of specific processes within fine art.
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-levels/art-and-design-2015.html
Art and Design-Photography
Introduction
Photography has been used by practitioners to record, document and present examples of everyday life, in ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. It has also been used as the vehicle for artistic expression, communicating personal ideas about the world around us. It is used to convey personal identity more widely than any other art form, is applied in the creative process across art, craft and design and is widely used in social, commercial and scientific contexts. The development of affordable lens-based technology has changed the way that both professionals and the public use photography.
Drawing and other materials processes
The word photography could be taken to mean ‘a graphic representation with light’. In this way a photograph can take on the qualities of a drawing. In the context of this endorsed title, drawing forms an essential element of both development and final product. A camera can record the observed world but is not able on its own to explore ideas. Students must reflect on, refine and apply the observations they make with a camera, and determine which tools or techniques are most appropriate in their exploration of ideas. Drawing methods such as pen or pencil on paper may enhance their development and understanding of photographic ideas, for example to plan shots, analyse and deconstruct their own imagery, or record ways in which practitioners have used formal elements and visual language. Students should use a variety of tools and materials, as appropriate, for recording their surroundings and source materials. Photography includes works in film, video, digital imaging and light-sensitive materials. Sometimes specific techniques and processes are used to convey messages and create works related to other disciplines, such as web-based animations, photographic images in printed journals, and light projections within theatrical or architectural spaces. Many practitioners define their image before it has even been taken by scouting locations and by planning a shot around specific weather conditions or time of day, using filters, studio lighting, reflectors, soft boxes, props, makeup, or backgrounds to control each element within the frame. Students should consider the application and implications of new and emerging technologies that can be used in conjunction with traditional and digital photography materials.
Contextual understanding and professional practice
Contexts for photography can be found in a wide range of sources; for example, from galleries and museums, contemporary photography shows, web-based sources, films, architecture, music, literature and nature.
Students must consider the issues, opportunities and constraints involved in image and content copyright. They should be aware of the circumstances and conditions in which it is acceptable to incorporate images and content originated by others, and of the appropriate steps to take to ensure permission to reproduce their own work is suitably managed. Students should be familiar with contemporary and emerging concepts and learn how to analyse and critically evaluate photography, demonstrating an understanding of purposes, meanings and contexts. When undertaking work in photography, students should also engage with:
- The operations and principles of creating a photographic image, including the use of available and controlled light, lenses, cameras and light-sensitive materials, including digital and non-digital
- A range of materials used in photography, including print and screen-based materials
- How the formal elements evoke responses in the viewer
- The processes for production of digital and print-based photographs
- Methods of presentation of photographic images ● sustainable materials and production processes in the construction of work ● the potential of collaborative working methodologies in the creative process.
Disciplines within photography For the purposes of this qualification, photography is sub-divided into the following three disciplines:
- Film-based photography
- Digital photography
- Film and video
Students will be required to work in one or more of the disciplines to communicate their ideas. By working across disciplines, they will extend their understanding of the scope of photography; by focusing on one discipline, they will gain a deeper understanding of specific processes within photography.
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-levels/art-and-design-2015.html
Art & Design
Watercolour Painting