WEEK 3

At this stage you will have a clear idea of where you are heading in your journey in paint this year. This leaves you in a position to begin to make artworks. To complete the course in 3.2 which is what you doing this term you need to use a variety of diverse media to begin exploring your topic. You will also need some concrete - absolute - guaranteed you are happy with images and or objects to draw from in class.

Ways of collecting visual reference material to draw from:

• Photographs (your own!!). If you use photographs to draw from I prefer always if we use our own images we have photographed as a development of our research. We have significant photographic resources at your disposal to make excellent reference photographs with, such as the photo studio, so be sure to book ahead to secure it as it is used by multiple classes. See the booking sheet on the art office door for the still life studio and the large studio.
• Digital or physical collage. Use digital manipulation to devise compositions for your to work from, or be old school and use good old fashioned scissors and glue and cut and stick images to create new references for your compositions.
• From life. If you are drawing from objects you could bring these into class, along with a cheap office lamp for good lighting. Set up a still life in class to draw from. Maybe your theme is your domestic environment, so draw directly from the environments you inhabit, home, school, the car, places that you are familiar with to inform your drawing investigation.

Media choices for this part of the assessment:

This early stage of your year should be spent using drawing as a primary process for your investigation. However this does not mean you are limited to pencil! Think of drawing a a process of investigating your chosen subject matter, you could use many diverse media to express this: Pencil, charcoal, pastel, paint (oil and acrylic), ink, multi - media, collage, digital manipulation, drawing over photographs, painting over photographs - to name a few. Think beyond your usual practice from before, you have done this. Also try and get an understanding of how best to make marks that are suggestive of your subject matter, how best are the marks you make with the materials you use actually or emotionally represent you subject matter.

How many drawings do you do?

It is an expectation for 3.2 that there is a variety of media used. So for this to be achieved at the basic level you must do a between 5 and 10 works that shows how you used "drawing" to develop your ideas. Remember these works do not need to fit the board, however if you wish to work within the parameters of the board please do so.

This week should be a focus on two small pencil or other dry media observational drawings. Your focus should be on coming to terms with your subject matter and understanding balance in composition.

Below are two student exemplars of some work from 3.2

Note their use of monochromatic colour choice, even though most of the work is effectively in a wet choice of media it is still drawing with the brush!

Annebel Kim, L3 2017

Ella Saxby, L3 2018

Remember you are always reflecting on your process in your journal, this should be an ongoing task that helps you gain a deeper understanding of your theme and subject matter. I want to know your thoughts and your connections between works and artists you are referencing. Be sure to try your best to use art vocabulary at all times ! Click here for a great resource to help with your vocab in visual art - Click