Art

Key Stage 3

Year 7

Mosaics are decorated surfaces created by setting individual components, called tesserae, into aesthetic patterns. This art form has existed since at least ancient Mesopotamia and was one of the first media to spread across the Mediterranean. The Greeks and Romans both frequently used mosaics (generally on the floors of villas), as did early Christians. However, the masters of the mosaic were the Byzantines, who made extensive use of this art form. Their characteristic style featured identifiable figures against backdrops of pure gold. Students have been exploring this technique using paper, scissors, and glue.

Year 8

Printmaking is the art of producing and transferring inked images or text from a matrix to another surface. The matrix is a template on which an image or letter has been etched or carved. Common materials used for matrices include metals such as copper or aluminium, wood, linoleum, or glass. Ink is usually applied evenly onto the matrix and then pressed onto the surface of a print medium. Students successfully explored this technique in the topic of botanical lino prints.

Students are currently making outdoor pencil drawings of the built environment, focusing on sections of the school. The built environment encompasses spaces crafted by human efforts, such as cities, buildings, infrastructure like electricity grids and highways, landscaped areas, and resource extraction sites like mines and oil wells, among others.

Year 9

Students have been introduced to the most important aspect of IGCSE Art & Design: drawing from direct observation. Drawing from direct observation involves carefully looking at the subject and noticing and recording the shapes, details, and tones that you see. By observing, you learn how things should look, making it easier to create a realistic drawing from your imagination. Drawing lines, shapes, and details accurately shows an understanding of the subject. By observing objects carefully, you will start to notice how our eyes make sense of perspective, lines, 2D shapes, 3D shapes, light, and dark. Observational drawings should clearly show what you see.

Key Stage 4

Year 10

Students have been showing satisfactory progress in their coursework. This is IGCSE Component 1, which is expected to be completed at the end of next term. They are working on various themes including ‘depression’, ‘out of place’, ‘ocean life’, and ‘identity’.

Year 11 Art/DT

The students completed the IGCSE coursework and exam by 30th April 2024. The Design & Technology students have two more theory papers to write. We wish them all the best as they wait for their results later in August 2024.