Visual Art

course outline

Topics

• Visual awareness, understanding and appreciation of Art elements

  Elements include their forms, characteristics and functions, e.g. line, colour, space, shape, form, texture.

• Art and craft terms

  Examples include tie and dye, biscuit ware, silhouette, relief, chiaroscuro, sfumato, aperture.

• Art of West Africa

  Covers traditional Art of West Africa, including basic concepts (animism, fetishism, mythology), art forms, geographical location, characteristics, underlying beliefs, and the sacred and secular functions of art. Also includes contemporary artists and art educators, their works, style, media, materials, and contributions.

• Contemporary Art - Art institutions and cultural festivals

  Covers art schools, art galleries, arts centres, museums, departments for art and culture, art organizations (e.g. INSEA, NSIAD, SNA), and cultural festivals (their artistic significance e.g. costumes, symbols, objects, masks, body decorations, wall decorations).

• Contemporary Art - Outstanding West African Artists

  Focuses on their training, style, achievements and contributions to the development of art.

• Pre-historic Art (Earlyman's Art 20,000 – 2000BC)

  Covers Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic Stone Ages beliefs, materials, characteristics and functions.

• 20th Century Art - Cubism

  Covers influence of African Art and Artists such as Pablo Picasso, George Braque.

• Drawing (Paper 3 Part A)

  This paper assesses candidates' ability to observe, analyse and accurately depict natural and man-made objects, and to represent the structure and forms of the human figure. Works can be rendered in pencil, pastel, charcoal, pen and ink or poster/water colour.

• Drawing from Objects

  Tests candidates' ability to observe and interpret a group of arranged man-made objects as a total composition, potentially in relation to their surroundings. Examples include old radio sets, car parts, bicycles, machines, bottles.

• Drawing from Nature

  Tests candidates' ability to study natural objects to highlight their forms and growth. This may involve branches with flowers, foliage, fruits, vegetables, rocks, bones, insects, birds, shells, fish, crustacean, or skeletons.

• Drawing from Life

  Tests candidates' ability to observe and accurately depict the structure and form of a living person posed in a described attitude.

• Creative Design (2 – Dimensional Art) (Paper 3 Part B)

  This part tests candidates' ability to visualize ideas and situations, sense of critical observation, originality and imagination in communicating personal vision in 2-Dimensional art forms.

• Graphic Design - Lettering and Poster Design

  Includes design and layout of brief notices with formal lettering (Roman, Gothic), pictorial posters, and lettering/layout for greeting cards, invitations, book jackets, logo types, emblems, symbols, labels, wall hangings.

• Graphic Design - Computer Graphics

  Designing graphic elements using computer software such as CorelDraw, Adobe Photoshop.

• Textile Design - Patterned Materials

  Designing a piece of material (cotton, silk) dyed in a pattern (batik, tie and dye) or printed (block, screen printing). The piece should be at least two metres long and unsewn.

• Textile Design - Tapestry

  A piece of fabric with a woven pattern or picture used as a wall hanging or upholstery.

• Picture-Making - Painting

  Creating illustrative composition of ideas (themes) from everyday life or imagination, using suitable medium, including Mural.

• Picture-Making - Photography

  The art of producing pictures with a camera, demonstrating basic knowledge and creative skill in shooting and printing from subjects like portraits, landscape, seascape, nature, and pets. Experimental photography with simple photo tricks (photograms, image distortion) is encouraged.

• Picture-Making - Mosaic

  Making pictures with small pieces of regular shaped coloured materials (glass, paper or tile) stuck onto a surface.

• Picture-Making - Collage

  Making pictures by synthesizing a variety of irregular shaped materials like cloth, pieces of paper and other objects onto a surface.

• Creative Design (3 – Dimensional Art) (Paper 3 Part C)

  This part aims to evaluate candidates' sense of originality and imagination in communicating personal ideas and vision in 3-Dimensional art forms. Candidates may use clay, papier-mâché, wood/plywood, cement, fiber-glass, Plaster-of-Paris, paper.

• Sculpture

  May be rendered in clay, metal, wood, papier-mâché, cement. All works rendered in clay must be fired.

• Product Design/Modeling

  Designing and producing models of industrial products, such as automobiles, phones, bottles, cosmetics.

• Ceramics

  Ceramic wares such as jugs, flower vase, bowl, moulded, hand-built or thrown on the wheel, or any other object like a toy animal or figure. Clay works must be fired.

• Crafts - Basketry

  Making of mats, chairs, hats, stools, bags, macramé or other useful objects designed and woven or plaited in cane, raffia.

• Crafts - Jewellery

  Design and construction of ornaments with metals, beads, plastic, shells, seeds.