Directed Study Idea (1st or 2nd Years)

Compact Sketchbooks

A key skill for any student of Art and Design is observational drawing, it underpins and enriches many other creative practices, but is an extremely worthwhile exercise in its own right.
One of the best ways to enhance your observational skills is regular practice. A good idea is to keep a sketchbook specifically for this purpose, a compact book (A5 or even A6) is good as you are more likely to carry it frequently and hence add to it.
If you are intending to progress in Art and Design beyond A Level compiling a good independent sketchbook of purely observational work will provide you with something that will be really valuable at interviews/portfolio inspections for Art Foundation or Degree Courses.
Try doing a sketch a day, this doesn't have to be a massive commitment, 5 - 10 minutes can be enough to capture a scene if you work vigorously. Once you get into the habit it is really rewarding to watch your skills improve and your sketchbook grow.

Quick Sketch

1st Year Monoprint Examples

When you are monoprinting be patient and thoughtful in how you build up tone, vary your pressure and potentially change your markmaking tool.
Biros will tend to give a crisper mark than pencils, using finger pressure can also add subtle areas of tone.
The examples above show a good range of markmaking technique.

1st Year - Printmaking

Printmaking Materials

Over the rest of this week and through next week in your lessons we will begin to explore some printmaking techniques. For these lessons you will need:

• A range (at least 4) of your Journey photos printed out at A4 scale (loose, not stuck down in your book).
• £1 to buy a monoprinting board (the purple sheet of plastic in the photo above).
• A further £1 to buy a lightweight craftknife.

Directed Study (1st or 2nd Year Art Students)

Directed Study is something you should seek to do to extend your subject knowledge and complement the work you do in the studio. 
A potentially fun and valuable activity you could undertake for this would be a weekend day trip to check out London Exhibitions.
London is a major global cultural centre and it is easily accessible by public transport, many Exhibitions and Galleries do not charge entrance fees (you'll be able to find this information out online if you do your research and plan your visit). 
A good source for an overview of what is currently on in London is the Time Out Website, this link takes you direct to their current recommendations for the Top 10 Art Exhibitions in the capital:

http://www.timeout.com/london/art/top-10-art-exhibitions-in-London

Eddy Frankel's review of the Video Art show "Infinite Mix" might inspire you to hop on a train!

"Video art is so fucking boring. Okay, not always. Some of it’s great. Loads of it, even. But invariably, gallery shows of video art, especially group shows, involve countless hours of over-long, over-complicated, poorly shot nonsense in black and white, with loads of naked people reciting Baudelaire and rubbing ketchup into each other’s boobs.

Not at ‘The Infinite Mix’, though. This show is a collaboration between the Vinyl Factory and the Hayward Gallery (currently closed for renovation but stepping away from the Southbank for this offsite endeavour). It takes place in an immense, labyrinthine, leaky, graffitied, disused office block on the Strand, which has been filled with ten films that will make you totally forget all the shitty video art you might have had to sit through in the past. All the works dip their figurative toes into art, music and documentaries. 

It starts with Turner Prize-winner Martin Creed’s video of people crossing a street in New York. They hop, drag themselves backwards and crawl. It’s fun, immediate, approachable and quick. A neat way to kick things off. Then you get to Canadian artist Stan Douglas’s awesome ‘Luanda-Kinshasa’, which recreates a recording session at an iconic 1970s studio. The musicians are dressed period-perfect – flares, big afros, turtlenecks – and jam six hours of improvised afro-funk rock. It’s a fairly ludicrous, epic faux-documentary that’s trying to look at the African roots of blues and jazz, the return influence of funk on Afrobeat, and then Afrobeat’s own return influence on American music. A six-hour 1970s funk meditation on black culture? Yes please.  

Then Ugo Rondinone has filmed American poet John Giorno performing a piece to camera, displayed on 20 screens – it’s a sad lament, a goodbye to a lover and a career, and it’s wonderfully touching.

Wind your way through the maze of corridors and you get to Kendrick Lamar collaborator Kahlil Joseph’s ‘m.A.A.d.’, a video portrait of Compton, filled with sunshine, violence, poverty and hip hop. Then there’s Jeremy Deller and Cecilia Bengolea’s genuinely funny – a rare thing in art – CGI-filled semi-documentary about a tiny, dancehall-obsessed Japanese dancer called Bom Bom who travels to Jamaica. There’s an incredible holographic opera singer in Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster’s ‘OPERA’; an interview with a sad astronaut in Rachel Rose’s ‘Everything and More’; a bunch of suburban kids humping furniture in Cameron Jamie’s ‘Massage the History’ (seriously); a weird animation of a nylon stocking machine in Elizabeth Price’s ‘K’; and then a bunch of undulating 3D trees, drone footage from inside a fireworks display and long shots of a tree given to Jesse Owens by the Nazis when he won gold in the 1936 Olympics.

Does all that sound fun to you? Because it bloody should. Each piece is given proper space: there’s no sound leakage like you often get in shows of videos. Losing yourself in the corridors and then sitting in a specially built room for each film makes every one of them its own mini-experience. 

Everything here is shot through with music, dance, poetry, science or history – and you might walk away snobbily saying that what you’ve seen here isn’t art, that it’s a music video or a documentary, but get over yourself. Get over the boundaries and the pointless constraints. If you do that, you’ll find ten of the most engaging pieces of visual art you’ll see together all year. They’re full of passion, innovation, love, cleverness and emotion. Yes, the genres are blurred, and it’s about time they were. And if nothing else, you can’t say it’s boring"

1st YEAR Research Homework

Drawing/Print Research

You need to research and analyse at least 4 different drawings or prints (etchings or woodcuts) by at least 2 different Artists. The work should be thoughtfully presented over at least 4 sketchbook pages. Some suggested Artists to research include:

Alison Lambert

Alberto Giacometti

Henry Moore

Georges Seurat

Emil Nolde

Lucian Freud

Alberto Giaccometti (Linear Drawings), Frank Auerbach (Expressive Drawings), Leonardo Da Vinci, Georges Seurat (Tonal Drawings), Alison Lambert, Emil Nolde (Woodcuts), Lucian Freud (Etchings), Henry Moore (Shelter and Sheep Drawings), Jim Dine (Tools).

RESEARCH

1.  Identify each Artist.

2.  Find examples of artworks –get good copies, list dates, dimensions and media used.

3.  If you can find them, include quotations from the Artist. Try www.artquotes.net

ANALYSIS

1.  Give a detailed description of the artwork.

2. Analyse – comment on use of tone, line, composition, technique, scale etc.

YOUR RESPONSE

1.  Give an opinion on the Artworks, but ensure you justify what you say. Avoid simple value judgements (‘I really like/dislike…’) or vague, meaningless statements (’This piece is really effective’). Comment upon how successful or unsuccessful you find the artwork, and give specific reasons why you hold this opinion (I find this drawing particularly successful due to the way in which the Artist has created a soft and atmospheric image by exclusively using tone to describe form).

2.  What is the relationship between this work and your own? Identify and explain connections between this artist’s work and your own.

VISUAL RESPONSE

1.  It is important to also include your own visual responses to artists’ work. This can either be a copy of an artwork (or a detail of a work) with the purpose of analysing technique; a diagram or study that investigates certain formal elements of the artwork (composition, brushwork); or a piece of your own work that clearly uses some of the techniques, methods or aspects of this artist’s work. In your response use the same materials as employed by the original Artist wherever possible.

OVERALL PRESENTATION

1.  Take pride in the overall presentation of your research, it should not be rushed. Consider each element carefully:  type/text, layout, titles, backgrounds, visual responses etc.

2nd Years Portraiture Submission Checklist

Portrait by Martha Dobson

Your Portraiture Unit should be completed for Assessment by Monday 31st October (straight after half term) here's a checklist for guidance on what to submit. This is Art so some variance from the list is OK as long as you have substantial work that satisfies each Assessment Objective (AO).

Remember we start final pieces on Monday October 3rd.

A2 Coursework Unit Part 1: Portrait.                              

AO 1	Develop your ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
What you should complete: Research into at least 6 Portraits from different eras (see project brief for guidance). You should also research at least a further 4 Artists in depth whose work is associated with the approach you are taking. This research should cover analysis of individual images in terms of technique, scale, media, composition, use of colour etc. Links to your own studio work should be explained. Consider layout and how to include text carefully. Get several good quality reproductions of each Artist’s work and make visual responses in appropriate media.
AO 2	Experiment with and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining your ideas as your work develops.
What you should complete: At least 10 pages of experimentation and development of your imagery. Establish a theme and produce a series of related studies …use and combine a range of media (e.g. photomontage, paint, printmaking, collage, PhotoShop).  Your developmental work should show progress from your initial imagery towards your outcome. Use this work to explore technique, colour and composition. Annotation explaining your choice of media and the progression of your ideas. Several larger studies (full page or a more substantial pieces in addition to the sketchbook) that clearly relate to the final piece in terms of technique and composition.
AO 3	Record in visual and/or other forms ideas, observations and insights relevant to your intentions, demonstrating an ability to reflect on your work and progress.
What you should complete: A wide range of your own photographic source imagery carefully presented in your sketchbook. At least 4 high quality pencil drawings based on your photographs (these should each represent at least 3 hours worth of focussed work). Additional drawings exploring more expressive technique and other media (such as fineliner or biro). At least 2 Monoprints developed from your photographic imagery. A minimum of 1 good Gold Card print.
AO 4	Present a personal, informed and meaningful response demonstrating critical understanding, realising intentions and, where appropriate, making connections between visual, oral or other elements.
What you should complete: A substantial and fully resolved final outcome to your set of work (this piece should represent at least 15 hours worth of work). A final word processed evaluative statement of around 500 words in which you assess the strengths and weaknesses of your body of work. Discuss your how you obtained source imagery, how you developed this imagery, what techniques and materials you employed and most importantly explain how your work was informed and influenced by the Artists you researched.

1st Years Reminder For Monday

Just a quick reminder about what you will need for our timed drawing session on Monday. This is a fast paced lesson, so it is important to arrive fully prepared.
Please bring:

• A range of drawing pencils and a rubber (if you have graphite sticks these work well for this exercise too).
• At least 5 decent size (A4 or A5) print outs of different images from your journey photos. Try to choose images that inspire you, often reasonably busy and complex images work well for quick drawings - subtle and minimalistic images are hard to capture well rapidly. 

2nd Year A Level - Portrait Project Progress

Welcome back! 
& CONGRATULATIONS to you all on achieving such fantastic results at AS, as a department they were our BEST EVER set of grades. Now you just need to maintain or improve on those high standards this year!
We hope you are ready to get stuck into the second year, for the first half term we will be completing the Portraiture work we started in the Summer term (after your AS exams).
As a quick reminder the work you should have completed so far for the Portraiture is:

• A great set of source portraiture photographs taken specifically for this unit, with a range of these printed out at a decent scale and included in your sketchbook.
• Several sustained drawings in response to these photographs.
• Other drawings exploring expressive technique and mark-making.
• Some experiments with printmaking (Gold Card or Mono) in response to your source imagery. 
• Research into 6 portraits from different historical periods (see the original project brief you were issued for full guidance on this).

Over the first 3 weeks of term we want you to work towards an outcome for this set of work, this will involve purposeful experimentation with colour, composition and media to resolve your ideas and prepare you to start on final pieces from Monday 3rd October. Also during this period you should be adding to your research, find at least 2 Artists whose approach relates to your intentions and gather a range of imagery by them to analyse over several sketchbook pages. 
We will then dedicate 3 weeks to completing your outcomes, which will take us up to half term. 
You will have the half term week to finish sketchbooks off (and/or outcomes if you take them home), before submitting the work for Assessment on Monday 31st October (spooky).
To provide a little inspiration here are a few images produced by former Alton A Level students on the Portraiture theme:

Alice Stewart

Amy Perrin

Ben Mollett

Daisy Van der Lande

Emelia Clement-May

Emily Jeffers

Hannah Bussell

Meg Clarke

1st Year A Level Drawing Homework (Journey Project)

This week for homework to complement the work we are doing in class we are asking you to make a sustained full page pencil tonal drawing working from a group of objects associated with your journey. 
These could be the things you generally carry such as phones, iPods, cameras, snacks, drinks, make up, keys, books, sunglasses, wallets, pens etc.
You should aim to spend 4-5 hours on this drawing and complete it by Monday 19th September (when it will be collected in for marking).
Arrange your selected objects thoughtfully in a confined space such as a small box (shoe boxes work well), then use a hand torch or angle poise lamp to light your composition and produce a dramatic range of tones.
Working from direct observation (not a photograph) set your composition out carefully with a B/HB pencil in line then add a range of tones using softer pencils (2B - 6B), make sure your darkest tones use the full depth of tone you can achieve (press hard). Try to avoid using outline to define objects once your piece is finished, instead use different areas of tone adjacent to each other to make it clear where edges are.
This should be a sustained piece that shows off your drawing ability to the full, you might use a rubber to help you pick out the highlights.

Journey Project Brief

1st Year A Level Art and Design

Project I – “Journey”

Outline: Over the first few weeks of the course we will explore a range of approaches, producing a series of images around the theme of “Journey”. Through this project we hope to build on your existing skills and introduce new ways of working, the techniques you will learn will also set you up to succeed with the second part of the AS Coursework which starts in November and requires you to work in a more independent fashion. The images we create in this project will explore different aspects of a journey you have made and recorded photographically.

Week 1: Drawing/Photography.

At the outset of the project we will focus on drawing. In class we will be producing sustained and expressive drawings based on the photos you took of your journey (see separate pre-course work brief for full details of this). You will need a selection (6 - 10) of your photographs printed out at a reasonable size (A4/A5) to work from.

Homework: Use your collection of Journey objects (stuff from bags/pockets plus found objects that represent your journey) as the basis to create a sustained and controlled piece of tonal drawing from Direct Observation in pencil. This should take a full page of your sketchbook and really demonstrate your drawing ability, spend around 4 hours on this. Consider the arrangement and lighting of your objects carefully, use a small box to contain and frame your composition.

Week 2/3: Printmaking.

For the printmaking tasks you will be working from photographic sources and exploring two main processes – monoprinting and relief (gold card) printing.

In Week 2 of the project we will concentrate on monoprinting. We will instruct you on the practical aspects of the printmaking techniques you will be tackling.

In Week 3 we will undertake relief (gold card) printing.

Homework: You will need to research the drawing or printmaking of two Artists, presenting the work across at least 4 sketchbook pages, detailed guidance on this task will be issued.

Drawing and Printing References: Alberto Giacometti (Linear Drawings), Frank Auerbach (Expressive Drawings), Leonardo Da Vinci (Anatomical Drawings), Georges Seurat (Tonal Drawings), Alison Lambert (Portrait Heads), Emil Nolde (Woodcuts), Lucien Freud (Etchings), Henry Moore (Shelter and Sheep Drawings).

Weeks 4/5: Painting

For this stage we will be working on A2 or A3 paintings using acrylic paints, inspired by your Journey photographs. You should aim to complete 2 pieces (one controlled and one more expressive).

Homework: A sustained piece of portraiture drawing, this can be completed from direct observation or your source photographs .

Painting References: Chaim Soutine (portraits, objects), Jenny Saville (portraits), Peter Doig (landmarks), Paul Cezanne (objects), Lisa Milroy (objects).

Week 6/7: Collage, Photomontage, Digital Imagery

Using the imagery you have generated in the project to this point (drawings, photos, prints, paintings) we want you to create some collage pieces, in these you should be creative and combine media. Use the photocopier to make duplicates and variations of your existing imagery and then mix with torn papers/acetates/text/paint etc.

In addition to the mixed media work we would like you to create a photomontage inspired by David Hockney’s photographic joiners that explores:

·      Your mode of transport (from your feet to a train/bus/car/bike).

You may need to take some additional photos to achieve this.

Finally you should select some of the best images you have produced over the duration of the project and scan these into PhotoShop, using this software start layering and altering your images to create engaging digitally collaged pieces.

Homework: You will need to research the collage, photomontage or mixed media work of two Artists, presenting the work across at least 4 sketchbook pages, detailed guidance on this task will be issued.

Collage References: Kurt Schwitters, Robert Rauschenberg, David Hockney, Martin O’Neill, Peter Blake, Joseph Cornell, Ben Allen, Eduardo Recife.

A Level Art Course Notes

A LEVEL ART & DESIGN

You are about to start your A Level Art & Design course at Alton College.

Here we have offered some useful information about the course and, we hope, some good advice about how to produce your best work and achieve your potential in this subject.

AS ART LESSONS/private study:

Like all AS level subjects, you will have four lessons per week - two 60-minute lessons and two lessons of 75 minutes. You are also expected to commit a further 4 hours (approximately) of private study time per week. This may be specific assignments set by your teacher, or continuation of your project work. There will be times during the week when the Art Rooms are free for you to come and work in the Studio outside your timetabled lessons if you wish to do so. This is encouraged but you MUST be responsible for clearing away materials and ensuring the Art Studio is TIDY when you leave.

You will be given clear feedback on your level of attainment throughout the course via formal assessments and 1:1 discussions with your teachers.

ART MATERIALS:

Most Art materials are available for you to use in the Art Studios but you should always come to all of your Art lessons with at least a set of pencils (HB, 2B, 4B – sets are available to purchase from the Art Dept. for £1), pencil sharpener and eraser. It is recommended that, as you progress through the course, you also invest in some basic art materials of your own for use at home. Many Art Materials can be purchased through the Alton College Art department and a list of available materials for sale is on display in the Art Studio. You will be required to purchase your own set of 4 paintbrushes (£2) for your own personal use during the course.

Be aware that some processes and techniques such as printmaking and painting that use oil-based inks or acrylic paint can get a bit messy. An old shirt or item of clothing to cover and protect your everyday clothes is always advisable when using these materials.

One essential item that you MUST have is a SKETCHBOOK. This can be purchased directly from the Art Department at a reduced price and may be either A4 (£5) or A3 (£8) in size.

You will be set homework in your first lesson and you will need a sketchbook to complete this.

Much of your coursework will be done in your sketchbook and a good sketchbook will show the full range of your skills including drawings (sustained studies and rapid sketches), development of ideas through experiments in other media/techniques, and research into the work of relevant artists and designers. Your sketchbook should always be presented in a clear, coherent and visually exciting way. You should recognise that your presentation of work in the sketchbook also indicates your understanding and appreciation of graphic skills such as composition and typography.

ART TUTORS:

You will be taught by two Art tutors. This is designed so that you can benefit from two sources of advice and guidance in your work. Art & Design is rarely a subject where there are clear right and wrong answers and you may even find that you sometimes receive conflicting advice from your Art tutors. You should accept this as part of the nature of a complex creative subject and exercise your own judgement in the development of your ideas. Remember that your tutors are there to help you. Always seek advice and guidance whenever you are unsure.

HOW TO SUCCEED:

Success at A Level Art & Design requires a balanced range of advanced skills: a good level of technical ability; an enthusiastic and industrious approach; a high degree of subject knowledge, and -that quality that is always hard to define but easy to spot - creative flair.

To achieve your potential in this subject: always strive to produce work to the very best of your ability. Push yourself to be experimental and inquiring in your approach. If you have very good skills in any particular area (painting, observational drawing), continue to extend these skills but do not retreat into them as a ‘comfort zone’. The student who succeeds on this course is the student who is open-minded, resourceful, determined and creative. Take pride in your work...and enjoy it!

Pre-Course Work 2016 (For New First Years)

AS Art and Design

Coursework Part I – “Journey”

Outline: Over the first few weeks of the course we will explore a range of approaches, producing a series of images around the theme of “Journey”.

Through this project we hope to build on your existing skills and introduce new ways of working, the techniques you will learn will also set you up to succeed with the second part of the AS Coursework which starts in November.

The images we create in this project will explore different aspects of a journey – this could be something simple like a shopping trip into town or a visit to a friend or you might choose to explore a more complex journey such as a trip overseas. Access to a camera/decent cameraphone will be essential.

Pre-Course Preparation Work

In order to prepare for your first project entitled “JOURNEY” you will need to take some photographs to provide visual stimulus for your project. To gather your photographs you will need to take a journey. You can record any aspects of your journey you feel are significant/appropriate, but ensure you cover all the categories outlined below.

DO:

·      Try to take visually interesting images.

·      Consider camera angle/viewpoint (high angle/low angle can give striking shots).

·      Consider composition/cropping - zooming in on details can give strong imagery.

·      Try to take the photos in good light – look at the weather forecast and plan accordingly if you are shooting outside.

·      Try to arrange your light sources in front of your subjects (rather than behind, which creates silhouettes and loses detail).

·      Read the brief carefully and plan your journey so it offers good opportunities to capture all the required images.

DON’T

·      Use secondary imagery from the internet – this is your project, own it!

·      Use old photos you have saved, take new images with the project in mind.

·      Leave the task to the last minute and rush it.

These photos are important and thoughtful completion of this task is essential to making a good start to the course. The quality of the imagery you work from has a significant effect on the quality of the work you produce! A few example images are included in the brief to hopefully inspire your own explorations of the theme. Take several photos of each of the following:

·      Where you start your journey from (your point of departure).

·      Images of people you encounter on your journey (these could be a friends, relatives, or someone unfamiliar like a bus driver or shopkeeper).

·      A group of objects that symbolise your journey, the contents of your bag/pockets might be a good starting point for this (e.g. bags, keys, tickets, phone, watch, cash, bank cards, make up, hats/gloves/scarves, receipts, newspapers/books/magazines, snacks/drinks/packaging, pens/pencils, found objects such as pebbles, feathers or leaves). Given thought to how you arrange and light the objects and consider cropping and camera angle carefully.

·      Landmarks you pass on your journey (e.g. churches, pubs, monuments, signposts).

·      Your mode of transport (from your feet to a train/bus/car/bike).

·      Your path/road/route – these images may be more visually stimulating if you also include aspects the surrounding environment

·      
    Your destination.