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(as this unit progresses, more info will be added)
Unit Question: What's the big idea?
How do we develop research and develop ideas to create original art work?
After working on developing practical skills through observational work, it is now time to start developing your creative processes and your own visual reference library.
How you develop an idea is an essential skill in all areas of the Visual Arts, and it can be improved like any other skill. This skill is essential for those students who wish to pursue the visual arts at diploma level, as well as college level and in industry. You will first learn how to research and produce ideas for simple tasks, but this will build gradually over the weeks.
Themes
You will be given themes to work from. This is the same as the IGCSE Interpretation Exam, although for the Diploma Visual Arts, you choose and develop your own themes.
Preparation work
The development of your ideas is called the preparation work. This is simply all the drawings and sketches you do of your ideas, before your final piece of work. In math, you would equate to the working out. Of course, the difference with Math is there is no right answer. In Math, the final piece would equate to the answer. However, unlike Math there is no right answer, only your answer. In the Visual Arts you therefore have to justify and explain how you arrived at your answer thoroughly.
What should your preparation work include?
a series of drawings/paintings and work in more than one medium
at least one should be in colour
research, as well as notes explaining your ideas
rough plans of the composition for the final piece
Primary Sources includes:
your own photos
your own objects
sketching from observation
interviews that you make
Don't spend hours looking for the perfect photo of something on the internet, if you could actually take the photo yourself. Of course, this is not always possible. You should use primary sources whenever possible.
Secondary Sources includes:
the internet
books
magazines
the work of other artists/designers
interviews by others
Most students over rely on secondary sources, usually only using pictures from the internet. This is very limiting for a student and often prevents them from developing deeper thought. On a practical level, pictures downloaded from the internet are also usually poor in quality and often too small for creating good quality artwork.
Final Piece(s)
This is simply, the piece of work that you produce form your interpretation of the given theme. At IB Diploma level you work to your own themes, so this is good structured preparation.
There are a lot of examples for you to study on the YIS Art Gallery websiteof both preparation work and of final pieces.
We will start with a series of short projects and then gradually work up to a larger project.
Academic Honesty: Referencing
All information that you use must be appropriately referenced. The school uses the Harvard referencing system.
All information that you use and consult should to be referenced, that includes text and pictures, and where you obtained them, e.g. websites/books/magazines etc.
Please start to cut and paste the website address of sites that you use. Create a document or a folder to store these so you do not lose them.
You must also add your own opinions and observations. Simply printing or copying text from a website is not acceptable. Why did you choose it? What do you think?
Week 1
Research patterns from two of these cultures in your workbook or sketchbook. Collect images and information. Make notes and sketches.
Indonesian
Chinese
Mayan culture
Celtic
Islamic
Consider these questions in your research:
Who makes/produces them?
How are/were they made/produced?
Where are/were they made/produced?
When are/were they made/produced?
What is the history of the patterns? How/when did they evolve? How are they used? (on ceramics, fabric, tiles, rugs, etc)
Attempt to modify these designs to create your own patterned design using these as a guide. Use a variety of media.
Homework:
Research how one of the following artists integrated pattern in their work:
Gustav Klimt
M.C. Escher
Sarah Morris
Beatriz Milhazes
Henri Matisse
From this week, start to take photos of patterns which occur around you, (not patterns on clothing etc). But for example:
the tiles on roofs
how a series of objects are stacked together
a row of bicycles parked together
the patterns on...
These photos are extremely important as the will be used to create later pieces of work. They will also be submitted as part of the Unit assessment. Your progress with these will be checked and recorded every week.
Week 2
Develop the research you did last week on patterns. Use coloured paper to create collages of your patterns.
View student sample work here:
Homework:
Research the colour wheel and colour theory. You must know about primary and secondary colours. Practice colour mixing and blending shades of colour.
This video on creating harmony may be of use:
Remember to continue with taking photographs of patterns around you too!
Week 3
Select the best photos you have taken over the last 2 weeks. Choose some sections with interesting areas and ‘zoom-in’ to enlarge. You can do this by hand by tracing and enlarging on a photocopier, or digitally by photographing or scanning and cropping, and then printing.
Make sure it is at least A4 size. Over the week you should produce at least 3 of these, using a variety of media and techniques, such as pastels, markers, paint, collage etc.
Here is a student example taken by photographing Q-tips. It was then traced digitally.
Homework:
Research one of the following artists:
Monet
Hokusai
Andy Warhol
Vincent Van Gogh
Frida Kahlo
Week 4
Choose your favorite ‘zoom-in’ piece from last week. Choose one of the artists you have researched over the last few weeks as a technique and style reference, and produce a painting at least A3 in size.
Homework:
Choose ONE of these artists, research them and attempt to replicate their style:
Paul Gauguin
Egon Schiele
Andre Derain
Modigliani
Franz Marc
However, do not copy one of their paintings. You may sketch in paints/oil pastels etc.
Week 5
The starting point is to choose two of the following themes and brainstorm them:
1. Twisted and knotted
2. Concealed
3. Zigzag
4. In the box
5. Birds eye view
6. Construction workers
7. Dancers
8. Cycles
Brainstorm
Choose a theme and make a brainstorm of possibilities. A good brainstorm contains not just nouns, but also descriptive words, even phrases, as descriptive words can evoke images. For example, instead of just saying ‘water’, you might wish to enlarge this to include, rain,rivers, the sea, etc, as well as the other aspects such as; irrigation, wells, the necessity for Tokyo life in a typhoon. Is it possible to make any connections to you?
Discussions
Each student should discuss their ideas with at least one partner, as it is often difficult to choose which paths to follow, and this often helps.
A good discussion involves questions and suggestions and is aimed at provoking thought and helping the student consider other possibilities. You should record how your discussion challenged you and helped you develop your ideas. You are not trying to think of the answer now, or what your final piece of work will look like, you are trying to come up with several answers.
You should produce at least 2 black and white compositions of some of your ideas this week, using either pen, marker or pencil.
Homework:
Choose ONE of these artists and research them and attempt to replicate their style using paint to show one of your ideas:
Max Ernst
Pablo Picasso
Banksy
Kara Walker
Francis Bacon
Week 6
Use paints to show two of your ideas. Use the artists you looked at earlier as style references.
Homework: as required
Week 7
Produce at least one idea for your theme using paint, (combined with other media if you wish), that integrates pattern in some way.
Homework: as required
Week 8
Have students present what they have done so far.
(coming soon)
Week 9
(coming soon)
Week 10
(coming soon)
Using ideas from the 2 themes you brainstormed, further develop and experiment with composition, style and medium to complete 2 pieces a week for the next 4 weeks. This work is on general research and is not aimed at a final composition (some pieces may be pencil sketches). Experiment both with mediums, styles and techniques! You may (and should) include previous reasearch. Jan 31 - Feb 4 = 2 pieces Feb 7 - 11 = 2 pieces Feb 14 - 18 = 2 pieces Feb 21 - 25 = 2 pieces 4 weeks = 8 pieces - Due February 28
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