Courses / Foundation Studies (Art & Design) – Level 3 & 4
Foundation Studies (Art & Design) – Level 3 & 4
The specification is designed to provide learners with a thorough and comprehensive experience of art, craft, design and media to enable them to make informed choices of their career progression to Higher Education and / or employment. The qualification is characterised by an academic rigour, with analytical principles, exploratory and investigative practices, contextual research and material experiences developing throughout Level 3: units 1 – 4; culminating with the higher order skills, knowledge, understanding and synthesis appropriate to the demands of Level 4 units 5 and 6.
- High proportion of contact time with tutors who specialise in Art & Design and have experience in industry
- Designated Studio space to fulfil specialist practice
- Guest Artists who work within the creative industry
- Visiting lecturers and students from Universities
- Trips and visits to gain inspiration and gather resources to places such as Oxford, Manchester, London and New York
- Mentoring and providing support to A Level students
- Developing work to be exhibited in the end-of-year public exhibition
- Opportunities to enter Competitions and take on Live Briefs
- Actively involved in Exhibiting and setting up for the end of year Art Show
- Specialist UCAS guidance
- Develop portfolio
- Interview skills
- Curating and end of year exhibition of work
- Opportunities to work with other departments such as HNC Media
Emphasis is on creativity and innovation and learners are expected to navigate the visual world so that preconceptions are challenged and reviewed. Learners will react to the making of art and design in a reflective and critical way.
During the year you will study:
- Fine Art in greater depth through a variety of approaches i.e. Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Installation, Printmaking, Photography, Film, Mixed media including textiles.
- How to develop observational studies through creative making
- Key elements of Art & Design such as: Line, Colour, Tone, Composition
- Methods of successfully recording ideas, observations and insights through a range of creative approaches
- Creative workshops such as printing, painting, collage, mixed media and textiles
- Art appreciation in public settings
- Analytical writing
- Presenting ideas to the public & exhibiting to an audience
- Refining & finalising work of quality working towards deadlines
- Life drawing skills
- Devising specialist workshops
- Peer observations
This course is taught through a series of group workshops, interactive experiences and 1-2-1 tutorials. All students will have the opportunity to develop their individual approach and creative journey as they discover a line of enquiry. Students make use of materials on the college Moodle site, Pinterest and Blogs to build on their contextual research and investigation.
Classroom activities will include:
- Teacher & student led practical
- Independent investigative task
- Written assignments
- Using blogs & e-sketchbooks
- Group critiques and feedback
- Student led sessions
As part of a wider programme this course provides an excellent basis for progression to many careers or university courses such as Architecture, Fashion, Illustration, Fine Art, Animation, Art Therapy, Theatre and Stage design.
Former students of this college have gone on to study courses ranging from Design at Goldsmiths in London, Games Art at UCA in Farnham and Fine Art at Coventry.
The following points will be allocated to learners who fulfilled the requirements of this qualification:
Distinction 112, Merit 96, Pass 80
Over 18’s only, students aged 19 or above fees apply. A Level pass within a creative arts subject or portfolio interview.
Teaching contact time is 16 hours per week, however you are expected to work on your specialist practice from 9.15 am – 3.45 pm, Monday to Friday. Other workshops will be available throughout the year including over some holiday periods. Students are expected to spend a minimum 4 hours of independent study to complete assignments, homework, extra reading and independent research.
The specification comprises 6 Units that should be studied consecutively. Units 1, 2, 3 and 4 are assessed internally as ‘Pass’ only and samples are externally moderated by WJEC at the end of the course. Each Unit must be passed before progression to the next. Units 5 and 6 are internally assessed and graded and externally moderated by WJEC. These concluding Units will be graded as Pass, Merit or Distinction. The WJEC Diploma in Foundation Studies in Art and Design will be awarded on the grading of Unit 6 only.