Weekly Message Board

Keep an eye on this Message Board, especially as we are coming up to an important and busy time of the year. Year 9 Options take place soon, Enrichment opportunities are up and running and our Year 11, 12 and 13 all have examination projects to think about.

YEAR 9
Thinking of doing Art as one of your Option subjects? On this Blog you will see a range of work from our Key Stage 4 and 5 students. There are also many examples of GCSE projects on display in the Art rooms. Have a good look around and then decide if any of it appeals to you. More news to follow in class.

YEAR 11
We have finally arrived. Just when you thought that Coursework would never end - it has. A reminder that this counts for 60% of the final assessment. Take home your mock exam final piece - get it finished off - and hand in for assessment. This piece is an important part of Coursework and carries an extra weighting. Normal homework has been suspended to help this happen.
The actual exam project starts NOW. Select a Starting Point from the list given on the exam paper and go about it in the same way as you did the mock. Marks will be awarded for:

• Starting Point Sheet
• Studies from direct observation
• Experiment with different materials
• Artist connection
• Planning
• Final Outcome
• Evaluation

Handing in dates for these to be announced shortly. Watch this space.

Year 12AS

Reminder - this is the 2nd week to work on your final piece (2). Make arrangements for the canvas run next week if you think you will not finish in normal class time. The results so far are very encouraging - we'll get examples posted on the blog as soon as poss.

Examination question papers go out on Monday. Early indications reveal there's something there for every one. Play to your strengths and be ambitious. We'll go over it in class. More news to follow.

Year 13A2

You should have received the examination paper by now.

Two weeks to go (plus half-term) to complete your Personal Study. Get all practical work finished off and start thinking about the exam project. Try to 'hit the floor running' after the break. All written work should be complete by now.

Year 9 Enrichment

Reminder - the last session takes place on Wednesday - 3.00 - 4.30. Think about the brief - an image or theme from a film - and how this could be interpreted as a 'light drawing'. Remember also to bring in a piece of music. Have you seen last weeks work on the blog? Brill.

General

Danielle Eardley - 11.15. Kate Freeman - 11.30 - AVCE interview - Monday, Feb 2nd

Elizabeth Boiling - AVCE interview - Thursday, Feb 5th - 9.15.

Jacques Wakefield - AVCE interview - Friday, Feb 6th - 11.20.

Miss Johnson returns on Monday and will be a big help to our GCSE students. Thanks to Emma Barton for her contribution in class last week.

Assembly Rooms Exhibition - is getting closer and closer. See Miss Shipley for all the latest details and deadlines.

More use of the camera to get ideas for art work

Think about it. We've got the GCSE real exam project just started and our A-level students have recently seen their examination starting points. Which ever theme you decide to interpret maybe you can use the camera to get some initial ideas. It is a useful tool to try out different angles and compositions. Later it can be put into Photoshop and image manipulated. These are just a few examples.

Miss Russell's group send a message to all our Year 11 students

Students in Miss Russell's group are working hard to finish off their mock final pieces. A reminder to all Art students that this is the last week to work on the mock exam because we start the actual exam project next week. Is you suspect you will not finish in normal class time, make arrangements to take your work home. In the meantime take a look at these works in progress. Good eh!

WOW! Take a look at these Year 9 Drawings

WOW!!!!!

Take a look at these photographs made by our Year 9 students.

Photographs? Or are they drawings? Or are they drawings on photographs? How do you think they were made? You are used to drawing with a 4B pencil or a pen. These images have been 'drawn' using a torch pointed towards a camera in the PAS. See if you can understand the ideas behind these pieces. Do you recognise what our students are trying to convey? They came up with some fantastic ideas.

First try!

Thats better!!!!




These more 'abstract' images were large gestural pieces that helped the students 'warm up'. In each case the photo records only thirty seconds of intense activity!

From all the staff - thanks you lot - it was a very enjoyable session - you were a great bunch of kids - see you next week - remember the brief - an idea from a film of your choice and an image of your own choice, so speak to the others in your team. Thanks again.

Thanks Miss Shipley for organising everything. To Miss Russell - whose idea it was in the first place and to Mr. Robinson who likes curry.

Miss Shipley's group

There may be a few of Miss Shipley's Year 10 students going all shy when it comes to having their photgraph taken but there is no hiding the quality of their outcomes. The following pics are all 'work in progress' and inspired by the French artist Henri Matisse. These bold and colourful pieces will be finished by half-term and ready to display around school.

Miss Shipley thanks Jade Atwal for putting so much time into luchtime clubs.

Megan Edmonds and Caroline Green can hide their faces - but their talent is harder to disguise!

Yachub Webb, Sam Finnerty and Oli Dowsett dicussing the finer points of tonal variation!

Adam Garner approaches the finishing line!

Alex Steggels's Monkey!

Miss Shipley's group show us what they can do...

Will Cook - cooking up a Matisse storm!

Jasmine Carrington deserves a medal for all her hard work!

Xing Yeo Feng who is part of the furniture at Art Club!

Christy Haggett and her AMAZING attention to detail...

Using photography to help generate ideas

It's good to see so many of our students using the camera to generate ideas for their projects. The camera and the use of Photoshop gives us the opportunity to discover new viewpoints and manipulate images that can be taken forward in to drawing and painting. The use of technology has certainly been a big influence. In this set of recent images a variety of source material has been used.

Think how YOU could use photography in your work.
For more information see any of the Art staff.