Painting & drawing - projects

Course Content:
Term 3 (April - July):

Painting Techniques, materials and methods

This course aims to develop your skills and knowledge in investigating and exploring the physical properties of different painting media and materials. A series of painting activities will cover the techniques of major contemporary and historical abstract artists. Individual tutoring will enable you to take selected works through to completion. Your tutor will share her experiences and tips with you. You will research and take inspiration from the work of abstract artists and explore their visual language.

You will learn how to develop your own abstract images and subject and find ways to increase your confidence in and mastery of abstract or semi abstract painting.

You will be encouraged to use unusual painting tools and you will experiment in new and exciting ways of making an image, a painting to surprise yourself

As the course progresses you will gain in depth experience and specialist knowledge needed to progress towards professional personal practice. Depending on your personal choice, this could be a portfolio collection demonstrating your creative skills for further study. Below, a few starting points:

Colour, shape, form, line, texture, composition, simplicity, essential elements, concept

Artists you will be studying and take inspiration from:

Barbara Rae, Gerhard Richter, Joan Mitchel, Frank Stella, Agnes Martin, Sean Scully, Sam Francis, Peter Halley, Sol LeWitt, Barnet Newman, Hans Hoffmann, Richard Diebenkorn, Helena Frankenthaler

For the first half of the term you will examine major themes in non-representational art through a series of tutor lead activities. Subjects will include:

Geometric Art, Fauvism, Cubism, Bauhaus, American Abstract Expressionism, Concrete Art, Op Art, contemporary abstract artists, Lyrical Abstraction, emotional energy, pouring, dripping and throwing paint, action painting, gestural mark making, colour field painting, hard- edge, impasto, mixed media

These structured activities should give you plenty of good starting points to develop your work and ideas further. The exercises are aimed to help you establish and choose your preferred way of working so you can then, discover what sticks with you and has left an impression. You can choose to develop an activity further or work with a new idea taking inspiration from experimentations in class.

Working with research in your sketch book is an important part of the course. Through a process of experimentation and ongoing evaluation you will build up a personal record of your investigation. You will plan, record and develop ideas in your sketchbook. The subject matter you work from and the level of abstraction can be open and set by you, but you will have gained many ideas from the tutor lead activities. You will be working from imagery you have collected (photocopies, photos, internet and magazines).

Outcomes will vary according to the individuals’ aims and experience. Advanced and returning students will be able to take techniques and extend their possibilities through further experimentation or application to the specific project. New students will hugely benefit from regular class discussions, learning from and appreciating different level of approaches in class as well as giving constructive feedback to fellow leaners.

To start each lesson, you will discuss your plan and ideas (however insignificant it might seem) and the development of your work in pairs or present your work to the group if you wish. The tutor will also talk to everyone at length about their work. Class discussion will regularly revolve around individual project work as well as research relating to the discoveries of contemporary and historical artists that use related methods and ideas to influence your own work.

New projects start in September 17
Assessment Methods:
There is no formal assessment for this course, but your progress will be monitored via individual and group tutoring, group discussion, demonstrations, visual presentations, handouts and via Moodle. You will be taught by tutor-led discussions, group work and practical exercises, and studio-based projects. You will be given regular verbal feedback with suggestions as to how you could improve your work and develop your ideas.

At the end of each term you will present your body of project work to the group.

There will be some set homework and independent study is encouraged, for example all students will be expected to research, plan, record and develop their ideas in their sketchbooks.

Various books and journals will be available for inspiration and information for you to look at in the library.

Students are expected to regularly keep in touch with important lesson information via Moodle

Museum and gallery visits are recommended.