Answering Exam Questions Common Mistakes (part a’s) Answers too short (not enough points made) Four or five valid points made but not properly explained or not backed up with examples Incorrect use of art and design terminology No use of opinion when asked for it Question only partly answered (e.g only writing about tone and colour when asked about tone, colour and line)

Answering Exam Questions Common Mistakes (part b’s) Answers too short (not enough information given) Too much biography Incorrect names or dates No use of opinion when asked for it Writing generally about artists’ or designers’ work and not specific paintings Question only partly answered (e.g only writing about one artist) Not answering the specifics of question asked

Art and Design Studies – Answering Part A In your written Intermediate 2 paper you will have 1 hour paper divided into two sections Arts Studies 30mins Part a 15mins - 10marks Part b 15mins - 10marks Design Studies 30mins Part a 15mins - 10marks Part b 15mins - 10marks Arts Studies Part a 15mins Your part a question will be a painting which will be unfamiliar to you. You can revise for this part of the exam by practising on any painting by knowing how to comment on subject matter, use of visual elements and media and techniques. Remember to refer to the Art Glossary… Design Studies Part a 15mins Your part a question will be a product of piece of body adornment which will be unfamiliar to you. You can revise for this by knowing how to comment on the design issues Remember to refer to the Design Glossary…

Art and Design Studies – Art Glossary Composition…. State if composition is portrait or landscape format. Viewpoint - eg. Birdseye, Straight on, Multiple, Scale and distance - eg. Vast, enclosed & perspective Structure - eg. symmetrical, diagonal, relaxed, formal, circular, linear, cropped, horizontals and verticals Describe the main content breaking down into midground, foreground and background. Lead in’ and ‘Lead out’ -eg. A cloth, or line leading across painting or to the focal point) Focal Point – where your eyes are drawn to Direction of flow Visual Elements… Line Shape (2D) Form (3D) Tone Colour Pattern Texture

Art and Design Studies – Art Glossary Subject Matter….. State whether the subject matter looks realistic or Describe any emotional element or symbolism Is there a general theme linking the content to the artist? Are there obvious similarities/differences with the artists choice of subject matter (eg. Cooking utensils, fishing equipment) Still life - could be set in a kitchen, at a window Landscape - could be set in a garden or could be a seascape Portrait - could be in a setting to suggest the character, personality and status. Media handling & techniques…. State the media and describe how it has been used. ( eg. Oil paint, gouache, collage and mixed media Brushstrokes- impasto, rough, visible, geometric, smooth dots & dashes, Mood & Atmosphere….. Consider how the artist makes you feel through the use of the visual elements and subject matter. What lighting has been used (strong directional, man-made or natural lighting) Consider the senses ( hear, touch, sight & smell) Consider the seasons, time of day and the weather (landscape paintings).

Art and Design Studies – Answering Part A ‘The Red Chair’ 1924 F.C Cadell 63.7 x 76.3 Oil on Canvas (a)Discuss the artists use of composition. In your opinion how well has the artists used the visual elements. Do you think this is a successful still life? Give your reasons. 10 marks You must be careful to read the question accurately if you don’t and you miss an important part of the question, you will not be able to gain 10 marks. How you breakdown the question in order to gain 10 marks. The following instructions should help you. Highlight the main points you have been asked to discuss. The main points in this example would be composition and visual elements. As you discuss this you will refer to how the artist has created a successful still life through composition and how the artist has created a successful still life through your chosen visual elements justifying these points with your own reasons.

Art & Design Studies – Answering Part A ‘The Red Chair’ 1924 F.C Cadell 63.7 x 76.3 Oil on Canvas (a)Discuss the artists use of composition. In your opinion how well has the artists used the visual elements. Do you think this is a successful still life? Give your reasons. 10 marks You must be careful to read the question accurately and if you don’t and you miss an important part of the question, you will not be able to gain 10 marks. How you breakdown the question in order to gain 10 marks. The following instructions should help you. Highlight the main points you have been asked to discuss. The main points in this example would be composition and visual elements. As you discuss this you will refer to how the artist has created a successful still life through composition and how the artist has created a successful still life through your chosen visual elements justifying these points with your own reasons.

Art & Design Studies – Answering Part A Discuss the artists use of composition. In your opinion how well has the artists used the visual elements. Do you think this is a successful still life? Give your reasons. 10 marks This is how you could discuss the success of composition within the painting…… The artists has been successful in creating this relaxed and realistic composition in a landscape format as the subject has been arranged to form a triangular composition. The artist has cleverly used the white cloth as a lead in to draw your eye to the focal point which is the red chair, the title of the painting. He has also been successful in choosing his viewpoint as we can see more on the table top and the ellipses demonstrate this. I think the artist has been successful in breaking up the composition into three distinct areas with the table and objects making the mid and foreground and the chair being in the background. This is how you could discuss the artists has used the visual elements successfully… In my opinion the artists has successfully used a very bold colour palette consisting of mainly primary colours, red blue and yellow with small amounts of secondary colours being green, purple and orange. He cleverly used contrasting colours such as the orange with the blue background, the red chair with the green cup and the stark white and black. The artist has also used some neutrals in small amounts in the book. I think the artists use of tone is very realistic but has also exaggerated tone successfully as he has used colour in the shadows for example the lilac in the white cloth and saucer which emphasises the harsh light source coming from the top left hand side. He has also chosen to use limited use of tone in the chair which makes the chair contrast with the other objects. The artist has shown contrasting texture in the reflective table top which allows him to make the composition more interesting. He has successfully introduced a rough texture in the cloth and smooth textures in the transparent bottle and wine glass. I think that this is a successful still life painting since it is boldly painted and grabs the viewer’s attention straight away because of the skilful media handling and confident approach to a typical still life scene.