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 developing the students imagination through 3D developments. Students have 2 lessons of art a fortnight.
Unit 1 - Portraits
Students explore portraiture in a range of media, developing work using monoprinting, paint, and pencil.
Areas of focus:
- Observational techniques/ ways of looking
- Understanding the proportions of the face
- Grid method enlargement
- Use of line and tone in portraiture and linear mark making to develop tone and texture
- Further development of composition and viewpoint
- Creation of the illusion of texture using tonal techniques
- Further development of weight of line
- Introduction to monoprinting
- Further development of paint using Acrylics
- Developing personal compositions for a painted piece on identity
- Exploring how artists respond to the theme of portraiture in different ways
Unit 2 – 3D- fantastic and strange
Students explore 3D manipulation techniques to create an imaginative final piece
Areas of focus:
- Manipulation and handling of materials as well as fixing techniques
- Developing an idea from 2D to 3D
- Developing imagination and a creative design
- Moulding materials to define shape and form
- Awareness of shape and form
- Awareness of surface detail and pattern
- Group co-operation and health and safety awareness
- Exploring how other artists create 3D piece in an imaginative way
- Production of an informative document to show the process taken using instructional literacy
Homework
Homework is set regularly as short tasks or longer more in-depth research activities. Homework is set to consolidate skills learnt in class, develop ideas and to practice techniques.
Assessment/feedback
Verbal feedback is used to help the student 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 work. Students are encouraged to self assess and use peer assessment to help develop work within lessons.
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 expectations’.
For further information contact Mrs S Wealleans Subject Leader of Art
