BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Art and Design

1. BTEC Level 3 National Diploma inArt and Design INDEPENDENT STUDY PACK Developing Ideas & Personal Responses

2. INDEPENDENT LEARNING What does it mean???? Not relying on others for support, care; self-supporting. Not relyingonanotherorothersforaidorsupport.

3. Developing Ideas & Personal Responses Choosing media;there are many types of media that you might use in creating and finally producing your final piece(s) PAINTING COLLAGE PRINTINGSCULPTURECERAMICS PHOTOGRAPHYTEXTILES

4. Examples of Experimenting with ideas and media WORK…….

5. Developing Ideas; it is important to show how your ideas have developed and how they are reflected in your final response. Check this by laying out your sheets in order so that you can see this happening Initially start with a ‘brainstorm’ (mind map) – helps to gather initial thoughts and ideas into one place. Explore an artist, art theme or style that links to the task. Explore objects, images that interest and link to the task Experimentation with resources and media – make reasoned selection leading to final idea. Note; it is important to develop strong designs through experimentation with different images – composition, media so that there is impact. Throughout your development you can continue to add the ‘brainstorm’

6. Show relevance to artists Investigated – recognise their influence

7. Mood board; collage images/drawings/resources/materials – this can give you a starting point for your ideas. Use a view finder to explore areas for enlargement and further development. Exploring Images; you could focus on one area of pattern/shape/colour which is then developed further by the use of materials, angles, composition – showing variety of interpretations. Explore your images using different media – explore materials and how they affect the images.

9. Sculpture;discover an artist/sculptor whose work is linked to area of study. Look at the work from all angles – where possible work around it – take photos/make quick sketches. When researching and developing your sculpture you need to consider the materials that would best suit – through experimentation Make models/maquettes Draw your ideas from different angles- does it look interesting? Ceramics;Explore ancient vases and clay work and compare with modern ceramic art. How do you think the different marks and shapes in the work? In what order do you think the different parts of the form? Explore the way that texture and colour can be created and used. Vases, sculptures triptychs etc Printing;mono-printing, polystyrene print, lino print, screen printing ( paper template) Your image should be based on Black and White, though may refer to other colour layers.

11. Painting; there is more than one way to paint, there is a choice of different painting techniques. Look at the ways to manipulate the paint, how it is applied, reworked, overlaid etc. Painted (different applicators), stencilled, printed sgrafitto, Explore the different types of paints and their qualities – gouache, acrylics, watercolour, inks etc. Consider different ways of blending, creating tonal qualities; reworking dry paint with soft pastels/ pencils, paints different paints Photocopy image and paint on top of it. Alternatives; oil pastels, soft pastel etc Oil pastels are versatile- they can create a resist texture, sgraffito (grattage), and dissolve by the use of white spirit (turpentine).

12. Collage and mixed media; works that use more than one medium and/or are assembled, there are many different ways that they can be put together; cut and glued photos and copies to create montages Composition or sculpture using different media Montage using digital imagery Assembling surfaces of different types of paper/ surfaces on which to work. Collage images using different materials; paper, fabric, paints, graphite etc look at the cubist collages.

14. Montages; black and white photocopies can be made more interesting when you add additional media – becoming more interesting than just coloured photos. You can add watercolours, chalks, inks, soft pastels, pen, text, oil pastels, tissue paper, treat the surface with oil (adds transparency). Ideas Create a large collage and work it with mentioned media and any other that you can think o f Work a photocopied image (of your own doing) with paints, wax, oil and soft pastels etc,. Trace or redraw montage, create on a tissue/ newspaper collage base, build up in layers Photoshop collage Collect material to re use out of context – wrappers, newspaper, wallpaper etc,.

16. Remember…. Planning; To get the best grades you need to plan carefully and don’t leave everything to the last minute and defiantly don’t leave it and thinking that it will be alright in the end. Process; everything that you do for you work is an important part of the process of making your work better. You can actually learn by your mistakes; when things go wrong you have the chance to show that you can learn from them making your work better. Do not throw away! Purpose; having a purpose for your work is important, written notes (annotations) explain and clarify what your train of thought is, the majority of your work should be visual. Practice; It is important to develop and practise your art skills. Practice your drawing, it could be the same object from different angles or related/linked forms to the theme. Practice your handling of materials, techniques, developing you knowledge Product; Product is the end result of your design process; it could be a drawing, painting, textile, sculpture mix- media etc. Your product needs to be ‘quality’, you should not be happy with anything that was not the very best quality. The ‘quality’ of an artwork can be seen in the materials that are used and the skill that went into the making of it. Finally the way in which the work is presented, can make or kill a piece of work. Try different combinations on top and over each other, on different surfaces, paste copy of the results into your sketchbook

17. The Pitfalls of Art and Design THINKING ART A ‘FILLER’ SUBJECT; - Art can be fun, but it is also an unbelievable amount of work requiring a constant and on-going effort. Art should be taken for one reason that there is enjoyment in creating images using line, tone, shape, form, texture and colour. SLOW STARTER; - the fear of unoriginal initial ideas or lack of interpretation, remember it is not the idea that matters but what you do with it. The simplest beginnings can become innovative and creative successes. Delaying work in the hope of eventually coming upon a ‘perfect’ idea rarely works, what it does create is panic leading to last minute ideas that fail to demonstrate full potential.

18. WEAK OR UNINSPIRING COMPOSITIONS;- Tacky: hearts; glitter; prancing horses; leaping dolphins or bunches of roses. Overly ‘pretty’, cliché and/or unimaginative subjects are not successful. Uninteresting: common subject-matter is fine but making no effort to present these in an innovative way is a great error, look to how to create exciting ideas and clever compositions. Simple: common compositional error when student try to avoid challenging arrangements and choose a scene that is ‘flat’ or formless contains little or no evidence of your skill area Unbalanced: Every image and preparatory sheet should be arranged in a well-balanced, aesthetically pleasing way.

19. POOR SKILLS;- everyone is in the process of improving their skills and becoming better but flaunting weaknesses should be avoided, remove weak pieces and ensure that presentation of skills is shown in the best light. If messy and struggle to control paint, look to gestural, expressive brush strokes, it gives the appearance that lack of control is intentional. Show strengths as a distractive mechanism, while confronting your weaknesses head-on, for example if struggling to draw realistically consider gestural drawing, distortion, manipulation or semi-abstraction. LACK OF DEVELOPMENT; - Difficulties with development can be a body of unrelated work OR work that doesn’t develop at all. RESTARTING WORK; - the perfectionist wanting every aspect of their portfolio to be perfect but continually restarting pieces of work is not a good idea. Those who consistently restart work have less time to complete additional pieces and the folder will consists of incomplete pieces that do not show skills at their best.

20. DRAWING FROM SECONDARY; -Working largely from secondary sources can indicate a lack of personal interest, a lack of originality and plagiarism issues. Using only images sourced from magazines, books and the internet suggests a lack of motivation to find own primary sources this can lead to superficial work. SPENDING TOO LONG ON ANNOTATION; - It is an excellent tool for quickly suggesting refinement ideas, evaluating work and communicating concepts and ideas but it should not overshadow or course side stepping of visual material. The practical work matters and time should be spent primarily creating outstanding drawings and paintings, and use annotation as and when is necessary. Put the art first and the annotation second. POOR PRESENTATION; - presentation is important as Art and Design is a visual subject. The way artwork is mounted, arranged and put together shows enthusiasm, commitment and work ethic. Whereas scrunched, dog-eared, smudged works can communicate the idea of disorganisation and someone who couldn’t care less about the subject. PROCRASTINATION; - ultimate downfall is postponement, leaving things until the last minute never works in Art, even those who are skilful, highly able need time to produce a great Art project.