Orientation: Studio Arts VCE Units 1&2

Orientation: Studio Arts VCE Units 1&2

1. Payment of subject fees and art kits

Students are to pay a subject fee of $60.00 per semester for studio arts. In semester 1 students’ will be issued with an art kit containing materials to the value of $40.00. The remaining $20.00 and semester 2 payment go towards materials used or given out in class. Students will receive a tax invoice in the mail. All payments must be made to the money collection box at the general office. Payments for Semester 1 2014 must be made before December 8th 2014 otherwise we cannot guarantee your place in this subject.

1. Course Outline and outcomes

All students commencing units 1&2 must understand the importance of submitting outcomes on time. Please read the accompanying study summary carefully.

1. Visual Diary

The subject fees mentioned above do not include the purchase of a visual diary. Students must have an A3 bound good quality cartridge visual diary. Please refer to the VCE booklist for details. This diary is necessary for holiday homework and all assessment tasks and outcomes during 2014. Students should also have a separate exercise book for written notes.

1. Holiday Homework

In your visual diary you will need to complete the following homework activities that will be due first week back(term 1, 2015).

(a)Choose 3 objects. Set them up on a table. Attempt to accurately draw the objects as they are grouped in relation to one another. Your drawing should take up most of the page. Use line and tone only. This drawing should be no longer than 30 minutes. Take a digital photo of the objects as they were set up. Get a hardcopy of this photo and include it in your visual diary.

(b) This task will require you to go outside with a fineliner and your sketchbook. Attempt a landscape drawing considering the foreground, midground and background. This drawing should also be no longer than 30 minutes. Take a digital photo of the landscape. Get a hardcopy of this photo and include it in your visual diary.

(c)Choose 1 artist from each of these categories. Print or photocopy an A4 sized image from each artist that you choose.

Using the ‘Guide to analysing artwork’, respond to sections 1-4. Each response should be at least a paragraph.

NB: 1 artist from each category means a total of 3 visual analyses

Guide to analysing artwork

Writing about art can be difficult. The pictorial observations that you make need to be turned into words, sentences and paragraphs all set out in a coherent structure. The following step by step process should assist you with your analysis and ensure that you are not overlooking any necessary information contained in the artwork.

1. Locate the following things:

• Name of the artist
• Title of the work
• Date the artwork was created
• Size dimensions of the artwork
• Style/period or movement

Most of this information can be found under the reproduction of the artwork or somewhere in the text provided. Remember that not all of these dot points may be provided. Try and find as many as you can. The title can often tell you what you are looking at. Some abstract artworks may become more accessible by referring to the title. If you have some knowledge of art history, the date can place the style/period or movement even if they are not mentioned in the text.

1. Subject matter

This is what the art work is about. What is going on in the artwork? Is it a landscape? Does it have people in it? Are there only objects in it? Is it abstract or completely realistic? Is one person the main focus of the artwork? Is there a story involved? Does it portray a famous historical event? Describe where things are placed in the artwork.

Traditional subject matter in art can usually be categorized into the following areas

• Still Life
• Portraiture
• Landscape
• Narrative
• Historical

1. Elements and Principles

What are the 3 main elements that stand out in this artwork?(colour, line, texture, shape, form, tone). Describe how they are used by the artist and why they stand out.

Principles describe how the elements are used(unity, proportion, emphasis, repetition, balance). Find out what these terms mean and see if you can see how they are applied in the artwork.

1. Concepts and ideas.

Artists don’t just make pretty pictures. All good art contains ideas, concepts or messages that the artist is trying to communicate. Some common themes in the history of art are the human condition, politics, traditional stories. There are many more ideas other than these. It is your task to find out what the artist is trying to communicate.