Art – Fine Art & Photography

ART - A LEVEL FINE ART and A LEVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

Requirements

It is helpful but not essential to have taken GCSE Art.

The Art & Design course offers two pathways of study or ‘specifications’ to students. Candidates must select their chosen pathway at the beginning of Year 12. Both pathways offer the chance to undertake a unique, personal and open-ended creative journey of discovery. We currently offer trips to Liverpool and other UK destinations to visit galleries and museums including the Tate, and also to undertake practical assignments.

Fine Art Specification

Students will undertake an in-depth exploration of a wide range of fine art media, processes and experimentation with techniques both traditional and new, producing work in both 2 and 3 dimensions. We will introduce drawing and painting, mixed-media, collage, digital media and moving image. Digital manipulation of images is part and parcel of the course, and we use a wide range of Adobe Suite software with graphics tablets to support this. Students are required to develop personal, meaningful, conceptual ideas, and develop technically accomplished and individual approaches that reflect their creative styles and visual interests.

Photography Specification

Students will be introduced to a range of stimulating photographic opportunities that will explore how lighting, lens, camera functions, digital and traditional techniques are used to manipulate imagery. Photography is more than documenting and recording. As with fine art, students are required to develop personal, meaningful, conceptual ideas, and must develop technically accomplished and individual approaches that reflect their creative styles and visual interests. In both pathways, use of a sketchbook will be an ongoing method of recording ideas, intentions, processes and experimentation. Drawing is a requirement in fine art only.

Art in Year 12

Preparation for the Personal Investigation

For both specifications, during the first year of the course students will be involved in a series of workshops and short projects designed to explore their interests and ability. Recording and observation are an integral part of the research process. As they progress with their work, there will be an increasing emphasis on personal direction. All work will have an element of art analysis and students will be guided to looking at areas of art and design related to their individual directions of research. The middle of the year is concerned with developing individual projects that are accompanied by preliminary and supporting research. A range of materials will be used and these may be in two and three dimensions. No previous experience of sculpture is necessary. The use of IT and digital manipulation skills will be part of this process. The aim of these guided workshops and projects is to develop student skills and confidence so that they can then prepare themselves for the Personal Investigation. This is an independently directed art project that students begin towards the end of Year 12.

Art in Year 13

Personal Investigation – 60% of the A Level marks

Working from ideas developed in Year 12 this student investigation is a coherent, in-depth study that includes supporting work, final outcomes and a written analysis of 1000 to 3000 words. The work must show a relationship to that of other artists and is completed before the end of January. There are no restrictions on the scale of work. Successful work is reliant upon students developing the focus of their work and refining their skills in Year 12, so that they have the ability to develop their own theme and use of media.

Externally Set Assignment (15 hours) – 40% of the A Level marks

The examination board will set a theme. From the February of Year 13, students will produce research and preliminary studies. During April there will be a fifteen-hour exam, over a series of supervised sessions, and a more resolved piece of work will be produced. This piece of work should resolve ideas explored in the development of the project.

Careers and Higher Education

Art and photography degrees teach problem solving, teamwork, independence and self-motivation qualities that every employer is looking for. In fact, the Telegraph recently listed Art/Photography graduates in the top 10 most employable.

Fine Art

n Architecture - an outstanding opportunity for building your university entry portfolio and a recommended course of study; n Fine Art pathway prepares you for further study and careers in creative industries: fashion, graphics and illustration, commercial photography, animation, game design, interior design, film and TV, web design; n A course which develops critical transferable skills and attitudes including: creativity, risk-taking, project development, research and analysis and writing.

Photography

n Magazine features editor, Medical illustrator/ photographer, Photographer, Press photographer, Television camera operator, Advertising art director, Digital marketer, Film director, Film/video editor.