Tools Part 2 - End of Week 1 Update

We are coming to the end of the first week of the Tools Part 2, where we have been concentrating on working through a range of techniques. This weekend you should spend some time presenting and briefly annotating the work you have done so far in your sketchbooks.

A checklist of what you should have for the project so far is included below:

• Well presented research into Florian Nicolle (collages) and Jim Dine (tool drawings), thoughtfully presented over at least 4 sketchbook pages and including sensitive visual responses to each Artist.
• A series of dramatic photos of a single hand tool - print out contact sheet thumbnails of your whole shoot and include some of your best images (4-6) printed at A5 or A4.
• A well finished sustained piece of tonal drawing from your tool (full page).
• One or more good carbon print images based on your tool photos.
• Any quick sketches completed in class (not sure if both groups have done this).
• 2 Acetate collages, at least one of these should be worked into with machine stitching.
• 2 or more layered spray stencil experiments and developments from these using colour inversion on the copier.

As extension work it would be good to add diversity to your drawing by experimenting with other media, e.g. expressive ink work, fine liner or biro sketches.

Next week please bring £2.50 each as a contribution to materials for the project (the Spray Paints are the main specialist resource we need to fund), Thank You.

Techniques we will aim to cover next week are: monoprinting, gold card printing, heat press and PhotoShop image manipulation.

Tools Project - Supporting Research

For homework you need to research the Artist's detailed below, refer back to the post below (on Hockney's Joiners, for tips on structuring the written content and presentation of research). You should complete this work by Monday 1st October  at the latest.

Two pages of research into the Tool drawings of Jim Dine and the same for the mixed media collage work of Florian Nicolle - find good reproductions of their work, give a brief bit of background information about each Artist, provide some analysis and personal opinion on at least 2 specific images by each of them and make at least one visual response of your own to each Artist's work (this should be an interpretation of YOUR TOOL in the style of each Artist, not just a copy of one of their images).

Jim Dine

Florian Nicolle

Homework Drawing Task

To complement the work we are doing in class you should make a sustained full page pencil tonal drawing working from photos taken of the still life arrangement. You should aim to spend 4-5 hours on this drawing and complete it by Wednesday 20th September (it will be assessed as part of your project).
Select a good photographic image that is relatively complex (probably best to get something from a different viewpoint than your chalk and charcoal drawing). Set your composition out carefully with a B/HB pencil in line then add a range of tones using softer pencils (2B - 6B), make sure your darkest tones use the full depth of tone you can achieve (press hard).
This should be a sustained piece that shows off your drawing ability to the full, you might use a rubber to help you pick out the highlights.

Photographic Joiners

Don't forget to bring cameras/cameraphones/card readers/download cables in with you today (Thurs. 14th September).
You will also need to ensure you have some printing credit (or bring money to put some on your student card).

A few tips for when you do your photo joiners:

• It helps to take your photos all from approximately the same position. Move the camera to capture different sections, rather than wandering around - otherwise you may end up with a set of very disjointed images.
• Whilst you are going for a fragmented look if you vary the zoom or viewpoint too much the whole thing quickly becomes incoherent.
• You will be surprised at how many photos you need to make an effective joiner, as there is inevitably some that aren't useful - I'd suggest a minimum of 30 shots.
• I found when working at A3 scale (for final joiner collages) that selecting the "Wallet Prints" option from the printer wizard was the most effective - this gives you 9 images on an A4 printed page. 

Hockney Joiner Research

Photo Joiner by Hockney - Portrait of his Mother

You need to find and print out at least 4 examples of David Hockney’s “Photographic Joiners”. Research this aspect of his work and analyse at least 2 of the images you have found in depth. This work should be thoughtfully presented over at least 2 sketchbook pages.

The work will be assessed as part of your project submission, you need to finish it by Wednesday 19th September, as there will be fresh homework tasks next week.

RESEARCH

1. Title your pages with the Artist’s name, in this case David Hockney, you might consider using fonts available online from sites such as www.dafont.com


2. Find good examples of Hockney’s photographic joiners – not paintings and not tiny jpegs that print out pixellated.


3. Give a little background information on the Artist, when he was born, when he started to make his photographic collages and why.


4. Include quotations from the David Hockney (ideally that relate to his photographic work). Try www.artquotes.net

ANALYSIS

1. Give a detailed description of the artwork.


2. Analyse – comment upon use of colour, composition, technique/media, scale etc.

WRITTEN RESPONSE

1. Give an opinion on the Artworks, but ensure you justify what you say. Avoid simple value judgements (‘I really like/dislike…’) or vague, meaningless statements (’This piece is really effective’). Comment upon how successful or unsuccessful you find the artwork, and give specific reasons why you hold this opinion (I find this joiner particularly interesting because of the way in which the Hockney has explored mixing up different scales and viewpoints).


2. What is the relationship between this work and your own? Identify and explain connections between this artist’s work and your own.

VISUAL RESPONSE

1. You will be responding to Hockney’s work by producing our own Joiners based on the still life arrangement, look at how Hockney makes his images to help you create your own.

OVERALL PRESENTATION

1. Take pride in the overall presentation of your research, it should not be rushed. Consider each element carefully:  type, layout, titles, visual responses etc.

Welcome BTEC Class of 2017

Art BTEC First Year teaching staff - Gayle, Ivan & Charmian

Hi Everyone,
                  I hope you are all feeling excited about starting the Art BTEC at Alton on Monday. A few nerves are to be expected too, but we'll do our best to make you feel right at home from day one.
On our first day we will be starting some practical work, we'll be using charcoal and it could get messy, so don't wear clothes you feel too precious about (good to avoid delicate or light coloured garments).
Both first year groups will meet in Room 855 at 10am to start the day and distribute timetables. Later, when we start work we'll also be using studio 815, these two rooms will be the first year base rooms throughout the year.
Useful things to bring on day one are :

• A chunky eraser (or 25p to purchase one from us).
• £3 for a sketchbook for your first project.

Paper, chalk and charcoal will be supplied.

Teaching staff for the first year BTEC this year are Gayle, Charmian and myself (Ivan) you'll meet us all on the first day. I will be the Tutor for both first year groups.
I hope you've all had a fantastic Summer and are now raring to make a flying start to your new venture here at Alton. Looking forward to seeing you all on Monday,

Ivan

1st Project - TOOLS (Part 1) 18

BTEC Extended Diploma 1^ST YEAR PROJECT

Jim Dine

Anna Held Audette - Scrap Metal

PROJECT:  Tools (Part 1).

SPECIALISM:  Fine Art.

CONTENT:

Working from direct observation we will be exploring a variety of media and approaches to image making. Our visual reference material will be a structural still life featuring Tools and other objects. We will start with some large scale sustained observational drawing, as we move through the project our focus will shift towards more expressive techniques. Over the course of the project we will use various drawing media, photography, paint and collage techniques. We will enrich our understanding of how Artists approach observational work through sketchbook based research.

Week 1: Observational Drawing/photomontage:

We will be producing a sustained observational drawing using Chalk and Charcoal on an A1 scale. Alongside this we will be undertaking some photography and creating some David Hockney style photographic "joiner" collages.

Some Pointers for your Observational drawing:

• Think carefully about your composition, how much of the still life arrangement should you include to achieve the most visually stimulating image? Don't go for an easy option, challenge yourself
• Look hard at what you are drawing, you should visually analyse shapes and tones and carefully observe how they relate to each other.
• Start by mapping out your composition in line, then start adding tone. Often it is easiest to start the tonal work by identifying the extremes of light and dark, ensure you establish these tones boldly, then start looking at the subtleties of tone in between.
• Use the charcoal and chalk with confidence, you need to approach your piece with energy and enthusiasm, don’t be afraid of making mistakes. 
• Look around you and learn from the approaches of other people in the group.

Week 2: Expressive Approaches

In the second week of the project we will explore further media and approaches to image making, working quickly to produce a range of pieces. We will aim to use ink, paint and collage to produce these images. Further guidance will be given as we tackle these pieces.

ASSESSMENT:

You will be marked on how effectively you:

•      Demonstrate confidence and skill in handling media.
•   Show willingness to experiment and embrace new approaches enthusiastically.
•      Select and resolve compositions.
•      Observe and record.

REFERENCES:

For Photography: David Hockney.

For Still Life/Tools: Jim Dine, Chaim Soutine, Euan Uglow, Anna Held Audette.

New 1st Year BTEC - Getting Ahead Work

Welcome to the BTEC at Alton and welcome to the Blog - your go to reference for all Course related stuff.

We want you to enjoy your Summer, but it would be great if that included some Cultural enrichment, so how about:

Soaking up some Culture and getting enthused by visiting exhibitions and galleries in London. Have a great day out and visit some of these:

Julian Merrow-Smith - Self Portrait

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY:

BP Portrait Award 2017 22 June – 24 September 2017Admission Free

Selected from 2,580 entries by artists from 87 countries around the world, the BP Portrait Award 2017 represents the very best in contemporary portrait painting.

www.npg.org.uk/whatson/bp-portrait-award-2017/exhibition  

TATE MODERN:

Alberto Giacometti 10 May – 10 September 2017

Admission £16.50 (under 18s)

Admission to the permanent collection is free.

Celebrated as a sculptor, painter and draughtsman, Giacometti’s distinctive elongated figures are some of the most instantly recognisable works of modern art.

www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/giacometti

SERPENTINE GALLERY:

Grayson Perry 8 June – 10 September 2017

Admission Free

Grayson Perry, one of the most astute commentators on contemporary society, presents a major exhibition of new work. The works touch on many themes including popularity, masculinity and the current cultural landscape.

www.serpentinegalleries.org/exhibitions-events/grayson-perry-most-popular-art-exhibition-ever

SAATCHI GALLERY

From Selfie to Self-Expression 31 March - 23 July 2017

Admission Free

This is the world’s first exhibition exploring the history of the selfie from the old masters to the present day, and celebrates the truly creative potential of a form of expression often derided for its inanity. 

www.saatchigallery.com/selfexpression  

If you really can’t get up to London…

Then do something else to extend your knowledge of contemporary Art:

Read: http://uk.blouinartinfo.com/visual-arts/reviews

Watch: www.channel4.com/programmes/grayson-perry-divided-britain

Contribute: If you produce a fantastic creative piece of your own over the Summer, then photograph it and use the #iamartataltoncollege to add it to our Instagram page www.instagram.com/iamartataltoncollege 

Deadline: Ensure you’ve Read, Watched, Visited or Contributed something before term starts on 11^th September, even better do all four!

Check Your Insight and College Email

Please ensure you all check both your College email account (for important Personal Statement guidance) and your Insight notes (here you will find all your Unit grades have been added and any instructions about additional work required over the Summer).

Thanks, have a great Summer and see you all back here in September!

Ivan 😊

Life Cycles Evaluation

It's a visual pun, OK!

This evaluation is specific to the Units we are assessing for this project, so please read and follow the guidance carefully. You should answer questions in depth. You must use thumbnail sketches, diagrams or scanned imagery to make your points clearer. Evaluation should be a minimum of 800 words long, word-processed and checked for spelling with images to make your points clear.


EVALUATION GRAPHIC IMAGE MAKING P4,M1,D1,

Pick 2 of your graphic images that you feel are important within your leaflet and evaluate them in minimum of 800 words:
1. Describe the two pieces, why you think these are the most successful and how have you included these graphic images within the design of your leaflet? ie you could have translated a photographic image into a tonal drawing and combined this with collage to make a contemporary feel that expresses something about your lifecycle. Describe in depth what you have done to create your graphic images and show images to explain your actions.
2. What symbols have you used within your graphic images on any parts of the leaflet or within the earlier parts of the sketchbook and what do you want your leaflet to express?
3. Discuss the development of your ideas within this project and the place of brainstorming, mood boards, diagrams, cutting up magazines or using found imagery within your graphic images you created. How did your ideas develop in varying ways?
4. What graphic techniques have you used to create a certain ‘tone’ within your work and why is this relevant to your theme? ie scratchy writing to suggest anger or teenage angst or soft vintage filters on photoshop to suggest time and marriage past. How successful do you think these graphic effects are within your work , why?
5. How have you edited your images to fit the format of the leaflet, what did you do to these? Write in detail describing your editing within Photoshop, Adobe Bridge, cropping, saturation, tone, contrast, brightness, clone tools etc.
6. Which designers have helped you to create a graphic style, and how can you describe the style you have adopted? ie you could use words such as surreal, distressed, montage, chaotic, simplified etc
7. What message does this leaflet make about your life cycle? What do you want the viewer to think when they see these images - a feeling for the moment, a sense of nostalgia, atmosphere, poignant reflection.
8. How has text appeared on your leaflet? What font have you chosen and what feel have you tried to communicate?
9. Of the differing approaches to image making that you were asked to explore, which final images do you think are the most successful and why? Discuss each approach in turn. Consider mentioning things such as formal elements, aesthetics, the use of tactile qualities, markmaking, simplicity, linear effects, layout, experimental use of media.
10. How would you resolve, modify or change the final piece of work you have produced if you had a further 5 weeks of study. Do you think you have used your time wisely within this project? How have you used lessons, private study times and have you stuck to the interim homework deadlines?


EVALUATION LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHY P4,M4,D3

1. Explain what you understand by the term location photography, what do kinds of photography do you think this covers?
2. What photographic equipment did you use to capture your photographs? Please detail this and the settings you used on your camera/phone.?
3. Who did you look at for this project and how did their work impact upon your ideas? Please be specific ie discuss elements of atmosphere, composition or concept that helped your work.
4. How do your photographs relate to 3 location photographer’s work? Compare one of your own photographs on location in contrast to a practitioners’ work . What kind of organisation of people and places have you had to do to arrange for your shoots to take place? Discuss intention of location, composition, lighting, shutter speed, filters, and any other production techniques, use of dark room or digital, editing that you used to modify or enhance your image?

5. Which 3 best photographs did you create on location and how did you produce these? If they were digital, can you discuss editing you did . If they were produced in the dark room please discuss the production of these with reference to how you did it. What have you done to edit these including programs you have used to do this. ie Photoshop and Adobe Bridge, use of hard drives and memory sticks, One drive etc