Art

Throughout Key Stage Three pupils progress through a vibrant curriculum which offers drawing, painting, printmaking and 3D studies. Please refer to the Year 7, 8 and 9 pages for more detailed information…

Year 7 pupils are taught about Colour Theory and the Elements of Art, and Pop Art.  The projects allow pupils to experiment with all media, and practice drawing and painting skills. 

Baseline Assessment – Each student will undertake the baseline assessment, which will help us to assess their skills coming into St. Gregory’s, and how we can best challenge each student to improve their artistic skills. There will be a drawing, painting, and colour pencil assessment.

Project One – Colour Theory and Elements of Art.   Lessons cover colour wheel, colour mixing, observational drawings, exploring new media (e.g. oil pastel). Pupils investigate all the elements line, tone and form, colour, texture and pattern. Specific art skills of painting, and use of equipment is embedded in scheme. Students will create a painting, inspired by Tom Phillip’s striped works and using their knowledge gained of colour theory and painting techniques.

Project Two – Pop Art – Working in the style of various Pop Artists, pupils develop an awareness of the art movement. They create work inspired by Pop Art in a variety of media, including collage, 3D and painting throughout the project.

Year 8 focuses on identity and portraiture.  Pupils investigate Expressionism through a variety of media and techniques, and produce a self-portrait lino print, and Fantasy Masks with the outcome of a 3D mask.  

Project One - Expressionism – Lessons cover critical and contextual studies, mark making, expressions, emotions, identity and portraiture.  Pupil’s work in a range of media and using photography develop a series of expressive self-portraits and a German Expressionist inspired lino print self-portrait.

Project Two – Fantasy Masks – Lessons cover art history of masks, cultural differences and use of imagination.  Pupils are encouraged to use inspiration from research to create an original fantasy mask. Pupils use papier mâché and cardboard to build their masks, and then use different painting techniques to add colour.

Year 9 is set out to prepare for GCSE.  As pupils make their options this year we like to deliver projects following the Assessment Objectives of GCSE to help pupils with their GCSE decisions.

Project One – Drawing Skills– Pupils are brought back to basics to develop all skills covered throughout KS3 in preparation for GCSE.  Pupils are challenged in their drawing using a range of media.

Project Two - Typography Portrait & Workshops - Pupils design a typography silhouette made up of adjectives about their character. They investigate different fonts to create their unique portrait and using colour blending knowledge, paint their images. They also have workshop style lessons, which will cover skills including: Zentangle, hand-made photography collage skills and WPAP style. The pupils complete various design based homework tasks.

For GCSE the department follows the OCR exam board’s Art and Design Specification.  The Assessment Objectives are; Develop, Experiment, Record and Present.  In this specification pupils present two units after a two-year course, a portfolio of work worth 60% and a set task beginning in January in Y11 worth 40%.  Pupils will attend exhibitions and workshops during the two-year course.  Projects may be set in any order it is up to specific teacher and availability of resources.  Pupils will attend the school visit to the Tate Modern and Tate Britain, to help inspire Exam themes. The Art Department offer two courses at Key Stage Four – Fine Art and Photography. Please refer to the Year 10 and 11 pages for more detailed information…

Fine Art

Project One – Still Life – Pupils will create a GCSE project based on the theme, in which they learn all the skills they need to successfully pass their GCSE. They will be taught various techniques, including washes, using pigments, fine liner and acrylic paint. This will lead to a final piece of a still life drawn from life, and coloured using a variety of media and techniques learned throughout the project.

Project Two– Animals (Portfolio) Pupils will begin their Portfolio Project, which makes up 60% of their grade. They will explore the theme ‘Animals’, by researching a wide variety of artists, and develop their drawing/media skills through observational drawing. During this project, pupils will also visit Hertfordshire or London Zoo for first hand research. This project will continue over the Summer with independent work, and will go into Year 11, and finish by the Christmas holidays, in preparation for the Exam unit. We follow the OCR exam board.

Photography

Project One – Introduction to Photography and Photoshop – – Pupils will be guided through a variety of workshops to learn the basic skills of photography and photo manipulation using Adobe Photoshop. Skills and techniques include, adjusting brightness and contrast, layering and double exposure effects, geometric manipulation with handmade collage included.

Project Two – Portfolio – Pupils will create a GCSE project based on a range of themes, in which they learn all the skills they need to successfully pass their GCSE.  They will be taught additional Photoshop techniques, and will work in the style of photographers and artists both digitally and manually. They will learn how to use studio equipment, and to work with lighting, and will be shown how to present work for assessment.  Pupils portfolio is worth 60% of their overall grade.  This will continue into Year 11. We follow the OCR exam board.

Fine Art

Portfolio – Pupils will continue their ‘Animals’ project, developing ideas and techniques to use for their final piece, which will be created in a 10-hour controlled assessment. In the art department.   

Set Task – Pupils choose a question from the exam papers, handed out from 1^st January, and will have approximately 10 weeks to work through the assessment objectives to produce a realisation of the theme they chose. We follow the OCR exam board.

Photography

Portfolio - Pupils will continue to develop into their Portfolio, which they started in Year 10. They will develop their studies, ideas and techniques further, and create a final realisation in a 10-hour controlled assessment.  

Set Task – Pupils choose a question from the exam papers, handed out from 1^st January, and will have approximately 10 weeks to work through the assessment objectives to produce a realisation of the theme they have chosen. We follow the OCR exam board.

For AS and A-Level the department follows the OCR Art and Design Specification. The table above shows the breakdown of the courses on offer. Pupils are encouraged to visit galleries independently but will also attend the yearly visit to Galleries, such as The National Portrait Gallery, Photographer’s Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Royal Academy or the V&A. The Art Department offer two courses – Fine Art and Photography. Please refer to the Year 12 and Year 13 pages for more detailed information.

Fine Art

Workshops – Students will create a portfolio of works in a variety of workshops, delivered by all 3 art department staff. The running theme of the workshops is Portraits; however, Still-Life or Buildings can become options if preferred. Through these workshops, students will experiment with different ways of creating art, and explore their strengths and personalities.

Any of the pieces created can be used towards their Set Task unit, if it is relevant to their new theme.

Set Task - Developing on from the workshops, pupils then complete an AS portfolio which works through the assessment objectives to produce a realisation of the theme they chose. This project is worth 100% of their final grade. We follow the OCR examination board.

Photography

Workshops – Students will create a portfolio of works in a variety of workshops, delivered by all 3 art department staff. The running theme of the workshops is ‘Portraits’, and through these workshops, students will experiment with different ways of creating photographs both digitally, using Adobe Photoshop, and manually, and explore their strengths and personalities.

Any of the pieces created can be used towards their Set Task unit, if it is relevant to their new theme.

Set Task - Developing on from the workshops, pupils then complete an AS portfolio which works through the assessment objectives to produce a realisation of the theme they chose. This project is worth 100% of their final grade. We follow the OCR examination board.

Fine Art

Personal Study – Pupils will develop a theme or topic that from their AS Studies, and they develop a personal response through a wide range of outcomes. Alongside this project, students must write a 1000-3000-word essay related to their theme. In this essay, they can investigate the work of several artists who are inspiring their project, or a technique or process, or any related subject.

Set Task - Pupils choose a question from the exam papers, handed out from February 1^st, and work through the assessment objectives to produce a realisation of the theme they chose.

Photography

Personal Study – Pupils will develop a theme or topic that from their AS Studies, and they develop a personal response through a wide range of outcomes. Alongside this project, students must write a 1000-3000-word essay related to their theme. In this essay, they can investigate the work of several artists who are inspiring their project, or a technique or process, or any related subject.

Set Task - Pupils choose a question from the exam papers, handed out from February 1^st, and work through the assessment objectives to produce a realisation of the theme they chose.