"Every child is an artist, the challenge is to remain an artist as you grow older."
Pablo Picasso
Three reasons to take fine art
You will experience a wide range of work by a variety of artists and gain an understanding of the creative techniques that they use.
You will have the opportunity to develop your creativity, explore your own ideas and will gain a great deal of satisfaction from working in a subject where there are no right or wrong answers.
You will develop a wide range of transferable skills including visual communication and creative problem solving. These skills will open up opportunities whether you pursue a career within the creative arts sector or choose to follow another path.
What students have to say about fine art
“I enjoyed having the freedom to explore my own ideas and learn about materials and techniques I hadn't used before.”
“I enjoyed the pencil portrait. I didn't think I could draw people but portraits are now a big part of my work.”
“I like that we were told what to do at first but got more choice and freedom as the course went on.”
“You need to do little and often to make sure you don't fall behind.”
Course content
Unit 1: Portfolio = 60%
Unit 2: Externally Set Assignment = 40%
Project 1: My World - Experiment with drawing and explore a wide range of media before developing a personal project inspired by your interests, whilst developing core skills across all 4 assessment objectives.
Project 2: Mock Exam - Develop a project based on the themes from the previous years exam paper. You will receive the same amount of time and support as for your final exam.
Project 3: Externally Set Assignment - Develop a project based on one of the themes on the exam paper.
You will be assessed on your ability to develop, refine, record and present a personal response.
Future career/progression possibilities
Students studying GCSE art would be able to progress onto A Level courses as well as creative BTEC and Diploma courses, leading to either art foundation course and/or a variety of creative degree level courses.
These in turn would lead to a wide range of career options, including: architecture, advertising, film, media and marketing, photo journalism, fashion, graphic design, furniture design, interior design, jewellery design, web-site design, animation, game design, illustration, product design, art therapy, art education, stage crafts, costume design, gallery or museum work, etc. Artists may also become self employed as painters, sculptors, ceramicists, mural designers, etc. or as artists in residence within the public and private sectors.