Towards GCSE Art and Design Success
Suitable for Year 10 and 11 students
Filbert has designed this GCSE art and design workshop especially for the students approaching the GCSE Art and Design exam. Essentially, the workshop can last half a day or a full day and can accommodate as many students as you can fit into a space.
Filbert will emphasize that although examination questions may offer the prospect of very different outcomes, it is the process of development towards a student’s personal response/work that is most important. Filbert’s workshops focus on how to develop, refine and record ideas and observations leading to the presentation of a final outcome.
The Aim
It is obviously not possible to complete a GCSE art and design practical examination in one workshop, so the emphasis is more on the process, rather than the outcome. However, students will learn new drawing techniques and ways of investigating and recording their ideas. Once students have been through the workshop they should have a visual record of how to approach, with confidence, the GCSE art and design examinations.Materials and Resources
Students should have access to drawing pencils, graphite, putty erasers, cartridge paper and the Internet. Also a variety pens pastels, coloured crayons and possibly painting materials should be available. Access to visual material such as magazines, still life objects, newspapers etc would be an advantage.Workshop:
Introduction
We start with a motivational
Presentation (20 minutes) which
will be littered with artist’s work, ideas and quotations and covers
the
following:
- What it is to be an artist – thinking like an artist
- Developing self-confidence and belief in your own work
- Opening your mind to new ideas
- How to research like an artist
- Expressing and challenging yourself and never giving up.
Inspirational Presentations can be a great antidote to the phrase, 'I don't know what to do.'
Students not yet ready for their Art and Design Examination? See our other GCSE and A Level Workshops
Workshop:
Practical
After the Motivational Presentation, Filbert will have the students working, sketching and developing ideas quickly. The practical sessions are designed to challenge, motivate and be demanding, emphasising the need either to write ideas down quickly or sketch them to express ideas boldly and imaginatively and explore creatively. We shall follow the plan outlined below, please note that times quoted can be adjusted to suit your time frame.
This short session (30 minutes) looks
at two different
GCSE art and design examination questions. This task involves
students thinking around each question and generating mind maps,
swapping
ideas with others, doing word searches etc. The idea is to generate a
whole
series of words and ideas connected to the question.
Working in pairs students research on
the internet, linking
ideas to artists. Students produce a short presentation of what they
have found.
Students choose one idea for development.
Filbert supplies a series of ideas and images that link contextually to the questions. Students sketch ideas of how they would analyse the ideas and incorporate a cultural understanding. Filbert will guide students on this element. (30 minutes)
Students will take one idea from the previous section and refine, change, develop and represent it in a new form. (30 minutes) Time constrains may limit student access to other media etc., therefore, students may have to record how they would develop their ideas rather than actually do it.
Here we shall concentrate on drawing as a method of recording, although other methods will be discussed. Filbert will demonstrate a wide range of methods of investigative drawing, using different media and techniques. Students will take one their idea from the previous section and develop a series of drawings using the demonstrated methods. (45 minutes)
Time will not allow students to present their Final Idea as they would for the examination, so Filbert will take them through the process. Starting with their ideas and work from the previous sections, Filbert will have students sketching and recording how they might show anayltical and critical understanding, make connections and relate the various elements of their ideas in meaningfully written, oral and other ways. Guidance will be given at all times, but the empahsis will be on the students developing and creating their own pathways and ideas.
What students think
"I thought the whole experience was great. It was an inspiring start to the exam project which I am looking forward to."
"The images Filbert chose at the beginning were good references for ideas on where to start."
"I thought the idea of triangular composition with the most important person at the top really interesting."
"I found the workshop really enjoyable and it gave me a new perspective on how art works."
"I liked the way Filbert went into detail about things, he was fab!"
"I learnt about the surrealist way of drawing using different images together to create an interesting structure to develop ideas."
"I learnt more about adding my own emotions and thoughts into my work and using different styles and techniques."
Many thanks to the staff and students of the Art and Design department of Oldbury Wells School, Bromyard, Herefordshire
