Art & Design

The Art, Design, and Technology Faculty at Brinsworth Academy encompasses Art & Design including Photography and Textiles, Design & Technology, and Construction. Our Faculty strives to ensure each student, at each key stage, is given the opportunity to discover and hone their creative identity and skills with confidence.

Art, Design and Technology shapes the past, present, and future of our world and our vision is to inspire and empower our students to imagine, enquire and communicate, develop rigorous technical and practical skills, and respond creatively.

Ours students learn a wide variety of transferable skills including:

• Critical thinking skills and creative problem solving
• Practical and technical skills across a wide range of materials and processes
• Communication skills both verbal and written to analyse, interpret, express, apply, explain and evaluate
• Independence, organization, resilience, and responsibility
• Respect and understanding of different cultures, artists, craftspeople and designers.

We have 7 teaching staff who are dedicated to enabling our students to Achieve Excellence and in ensuring that every student is thoroughly prepared for the next step in their education.

• Line, texture, tone, form and colour.
• Drawing from observation and how to draw in proportion.
• Using pencil and pen to create tone and texture.
• Creating form using coloured pencil crayon.
• Printmaking skills – etching.
• The work of artists.
• Basic digital photography.

• Observational and Contextual recording skills.
• Basic colour theory and colour mixing skills using paint.
• Warm and cool colour theory and impasto painting skills.
• How artists use colour to create depth in their work.
• Clay skills: slab construction, joining clay, texture and glazing.

• Mixed media observational studies, experimentation and collage techniques.
• The work of artists and cultures from around the world.
• Designing skills through drawing and annotation.
• 3D modelling using papier mache and card construction to create a personal response.

• Identity and self-expression and how this can be communicated visually.
• Designing a coloured pebble that reflects their identity.
• Pebble painting and create an individual Selfie-Stone for the Academy’s developing Only One Me community garden space.

• Mixed media observational studies using ink and oil pastel applying the formal elements.
• The work of artists, designers/craftspeople and cultures from around the world.
• Designing skills and developing their own ideas, through drawing, practical sampling and annotation.
• Textiles techniques; fabric manipulating, fabric dying and basic stitching techniques.
• 3D construction techniques.
• Basic darkroom photography – creating a Photogram.

• Drawing and recording from sources with charcoal, and pen.
• How to create a Polyprint.
• Researching past and contemporary gargoyles.
• Designing and developing a personal idea and annotating.
• 3D Clay construction techniques; thumb-pot, coiling.

• Observational drawing and recording exploring the formal elements.
• Responding critically to the work of artists, craftspeople and designers from around the world.
• A more comprehensive understanding of the colour wheel.
• Exploring and experimenting with media, materials, processes, and outcomes implementing, refining and developing what students have learnt throughout Key Stage 3.
• A personal and informed outcome.

• Research primary and contextual sources – exploring both contemporary and historical sources of art, craft and design within the classroom and first-hand through visiting galleries and museums.
• Take an individual approach to your art, craft and design making.
• Develop and explore ideas.
• Explore and experiment with a wide variety of techniques and processes using a diverse range of media and materials, for example: drawing, painting, printmaking, 3D sculpture, clay, textiles, photography, graphic design.
• Present a personal response to inspiring themes.

• Research and record primary and contextual images – within the Photography studio spaces and first-hand through visiting galleries and museums, and location Photoshoot visits.
• Take an individual approach to creating your own photographic work.
• Develop and explore ideas.
• Learn how to take high quality, well composed and creative  photographs using both digital and analogue film cameras.
• Explore and experiment with a wide variety of techniques and processes using a diverse range of media and materials both with the darkroom and digitally. For example: pinhole cameras and photograms, creating handmade negatives, developing your own negative film in the darkroom, creating photographs in the darkroom, creatively manipulating your photographs by hand, digitally using Photoshop and through darkroom techniques.
• Present a personal response to inspiring themes.

• Research the importance of design, designers, and artists.
• Explore sources of inspiration.
• Learn a wide variety of ways to record and observe including drawing, painting and mixed media
• Learn a diverse range of practical skills through workshops including sewing machine skills, hand embroidery, felting, fabric manipulation, batik, tie dye, silk painting and block printing.
• Research primary and contextual sources – exploring both contemporary and historical sources of textiles within the classroom and first-hand through visiting galleries and museums.
• Take an individual approach to your textiles work.
• Develop and explore ideas.
• Present a personal response to inspiring themes.

Both A level courses comprise of a Personal Investigation component (coursework) worth 60% of the qualification and an Externally Set Assignment component worth 40% of the qualification.

In Year 12

Art, Design and Technology Faculty

Department:

ART, DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY FACULTY

The Art, Design, and Technology Faculty at Brinsworth Academy encompasses Art & Design including Photography and Textiles, Design & Technology, and Construction. Our Faculty strives to ensure each student, at each key stage, is given the opportunity to discover and hone their creative identity and skills with confidence.

Art, Design and Technology shapes the past, present, and future of our world and our vision is to inspire and empower our students to imagine, enquire and communicate, develop rigorous technical and practical skills, and respond creatively.

Ours students learn a wide variety of transferable skills including:

• Critical thinking skills and creative problem solving
• Practical and technical skills across a wide range of materials and processes
• Communication skills both verbal and written to analyse, interpret, express, apply, explain and evaluate
• Independence, organization, resilience, and responsibility
• Respect and understanding of different cultures, artists, craftspeople and designers.

We have 7 teaching staff who are dedicated to enabling our students to Achieve Excellence and in ensuring that every student is thoroughly prepared for the next step in their education.

Art & Design

“Art is the most intense mode of self-expression and individualism that the World has ever known.” Oscar Wilde

We aim to provide students with a wide range of technical skills and confidence at Key Stage 3, to prepare them for studying at GCSE. Students really enjoy the independent choice of theme at Key Stage 4 and 5, and the diversity of our curriculum is a strength of our department. Our students are given the opportunity to create ambitious, large scale practical outcomes – our students rise to the challenge, and, as a result we have exciting and individual creative responses at both GCSE and A-Level.

Within our Faculty we have a spacious artists’ studio and several large teaching rooms to facilitate painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, 3D sculpture, textiles, and graphic work. We also have IT facilities for digital photography and a large photographic darkroom.

Year Group Topics Covered in Art & Design

Our KS3

YEAR 7

THE FORMAL ELEMENTS OF ART – ORGANIC FORM

Students will explore:

• Line, texture, tone, form and colour.
• Drawing from observation and how to draw in proportion.
• Using pencil and pen to create tone and texture.
• Creating form using coloured pencil crayon.
• Printmaking skills – etching.
• The work of artists.
• Basic digital photography.

THE FORMAL ELEMENTS OF ART – COLOUR

Students will explore:

• Observational and Contextual recording skills.
• Basic colour theory and colour mixing skills using paint.
• Warm and cool colour theory and impasto painting skills.
• How artists use colour to create depth in their work.
• Clay skills: slab construction, joining clay, texture and glazing.

MASKS – MIXED MEDIA AND 3D MODELLING

Students will explore:

• Mixed media observational studies, experimentation and collage techniques.
• The work of artists and cultures from around the world.
• Designing skills through drawing and annotation.
• 3D modelling using papier mache and card construction to create a personal response.

ONLY ONE YOU – COLLABORATIVE PROJECT WITH ETHICS

Students will explore:

• Identity and self-expression and how this can be communicated visually.
• Designing a coloured pebble that reflects their identity.
• Pebble painting and create an individual Selfie-Stone for the Academy’s developing Only One Me community garden space.

YEAR 8

MINI-BEASTS – MIXED MEDIA AND 3D TEXTILES

Students will explore:

• Mixed media observational studies using ink and oil pastel applying the formal elements.
• The work of artists, designers/craftspeople and cultures from around the world.
• Designing skills and developing their own ideas, through drawing, practical sampling and annotation.
• Textiles techniques; fabric manipulating, fabric dying and basic stitching techniques.
• 3D construction techniques.
• Basic darkroom photography – creating a Photogram.

GARGOYLES – DRAWING AND 3D CLAY

Students will explore:

• Drawing and recording from sources with charcoal, and pen.
• How to create a Polyprint
• Researching past and contemporary gargoyles
• Designing and developing a personal idea and annotating
• 3D Clay construction techniques; thumb-pot, coiling.

SELF-DIRECTED/STUDENT LED PROJECT INCLUDING:

• Observational drawing and recording exploring the formal elements
• Responding critically to the work of artists, craftspeople and designers from around the world
• A more comprehensive understanding of the colour wheel
• Exploring and experimenting with media, materials, processes, and outcomes implementing, refining and developing what students have learnt throughout Key Stage 3
• A personal and informed outcome

Our KS5

A LEVEL ART, CRAFT & DESIGN (PEARSON EDEXCEL EXAM BOARD)

A LEVEL ART TEXTILES (AQA EXAM BOARD)

Both A level courses comprise of a Personal Investigation component (coursework) worth 60% of the qualification and an Externally Set Assignment component worth 40% of the qualification.

IN YEAR 12

Students are introduced to a wide variety of techniques and processes through practical workshops within very well-equipped classrooms and studio spaces. Sixth form Art students have their own studio work space which they have exclusive access. Students use the knowledge and skills they have gained to generate their own practical work from a wide choice of thematic starting points. Our Sixth Form students create impressive personal and ambitious Art and Textiles work and our courses strongly prepares students to study their chosen creative course at University successfully. Many of our alumni, enjoy successful careers within the creative industries and as creative small business owners.

Workshops And Short-term Projects in Art & Design

These involve drawing, painting, photography (both digital and darkroom skills), printmaking, 3D sculpture and construction techniques using a variety of materials. Responding to the work of contemporary and non-contemporary artists, designers and craftspeople from a variety of cultures. Analysing contextual sources.

Workshops And Short-term Projects in Textiles

These involve drawing and recording using a variety of media and techniques, advanced sewing machine and hand embroidery skills, advanced fabric manipulation skills, dying fabric and creating hand-made natural dyes, embellishment. Responding to the work of contemporary and non-contemporary artists, designers and craftspeople from a variety of cultures. Analysing contextual sources. This work may provide the starting point for student’s Personal Investigation.

Students:

• generate practical work, ideas and research from sources
• Explore media and processes, develop and refine ideas, and present outcomes.

You will create sketchbooks, study sheets, samples, maquettes (small models) and final outcomes.

In Year 13

Students complete a sustained Personal Investigation which includes practical preparatory work, outcomes and written elements based on individual themes. Studio/Textiles practice is student-led with 1:1 bespoke teaching to support students to realise their creative intentions.

Students complete an Externally Set Assignment, responding to broad theme/s provided by the exam board. They produce preparatory work and produce a final, personal outcome within a 15 hours timed exam.