Year 8 Art
Art at KSGS
Our aim at KSGS is to offer a broad and balanced experience across the many aspects of Art and Design within the art Keystage 3 curriculum. Students have 2 lessons of art a fortnight and are encouraged to develop skills in a variety of media as well as developing essential observational skills and an understanding of a variety of genres and artists work.
Art and Design at KSGS is both challenging and exciting. In year 7 we try to build the confidence and basic skills of the individual student developing on these throughout year 8 and 9, work is intended to be a building process of skills across the 3 years in a variety of disciplines in order to equip students for art at GCSE level and beyond.
Students develop skills through ‘projects/units of work’ to get them used to the process of developing an idea through preparation work and experimentation of media. All students have a sketchbook where much of the preparation work is documented, plus homework and research tasks as appropriate. In most units students also develop a final piece.
Year 8 Art
The main focus in year 8 is portraiture and the environment as well as the art of other cultures. Students have 2 lessons of art a fortnight..
Term 1 - Portraits
Students explore portraiture in pencil developing to an imaginative element in their final piece.
Areas of focus:
- Observational techniques/ ways of looking
- Proportions of the face
- Use of line and tone in portraiture
- Understanding of composition and viewpoint
- Creation of the illusion of texture using tonal techniques
- Further development of weight of line
- Development of hand eye co-ordination
- Developing imaginative compositions
- Exploring how artists respond to the theme of portraiture
Term 2 - The Environment
Students explore the local area and architecture developing a piece a number of outcomes in a variety of media
Areas of focus:
- Observational techniques
- Manipulation and developing confidence with a range of new materials to create an image
- Exploration of mixed media to create an image
- Exploring how artists respond to the environment
Term 3 – Printing the art of other cultures
Students are introduced to the art of other cultures as a resource to inspire work based on pattern and print.
Areas of focus:
- Poly printing techniques
- How to develop a design for a printed image
- Understanding of pattern/ symmetry and layout
- Research techniques
Homework
Homework is set regularly as short weekly tasks or longer more in-depth research activities. Homework is used to consolidate skills learnt in class and to practice techniques.
Assessment/feedback
Verbal feedback is used to help the student's progress and advice is given throughout the lessons on current classwork.
Homework is marked with a comment and where appropriate a target for how to improve.
Students are encouraged to self-assess and use peer assessment to help develop work.
Formal assessment of the overall unit of work takes place at the end of the unit - consisting of ‘self assessment and evaluation’ as well as ‘teacher assessment’. Assessment takes place to determine how well the student has understood and applied the skills covered in that unit plus general comments, targets, effort grades, homework grades and progress indicators in relation to end of year targets’.
For further information contact Mrs S Wealleans Subject Leader of Art
