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 7 Art
The main focus in year 7 is to develop confidence in Art and Design, to develop observational skills and to teach a range of techniques/media as a basis for students to build upon throughout years 8 and 9. Students have 2 lessons of art a fortnight.
Unit 1 - Shape and Tone
Students explore the basics of observation through the genre of Still life in pencil. The final result is a Still life drawing in pencil based on geometric and symmetrical objects.
Areas of focus :
- Observational techniques/ ways of looking
- Use of construction lines and ellipses
- Use of line and tone in pencil
- Accurate portrayal of shape and form
- Different tonal techniques and mark making to create the illusion of shape, form and depth of space
- Understanding of space, composition and viewpoint
- Introduction to weight of line
- Understanding of what constitutes the ‘still life’ genre
- Introduction to analysing artist’s work and giving opinions using art vocabulary
Unit 2 – Colour and pattern
Students explore paint and the use of colour to create tonal effects working from nature or animals as a stimuli.
Areas of focus:
- Use of paint to create tonal effects in a range of colours
- Brush control and colour mixing
- Understanding of primary, secondary and complimentary colours and their effect when using in a piece of art
- Colour theory and the colour wheel
- Revisiting weight of line
- Developing pattern to extend images
- Developing a more imaginative piece/s using colour and pattern
- Comparing and contrasting artists work using art vocabulary with a focus on composition and use of colour
Homework
Homework is set regularly as short tasks or longer more in-depth research activities. Homework is set to consolidate skills learnt in class 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. 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
