Visual Arts

In this course, we will study animation techniques using Adobe Animate and other animation applications. We will create animations with drawings, cut paper, claymation, and other media. Scriptwriting, camera framing and movement, and storyboarding will be part of our process of making shorts. We will consider design, composition, pacing, and storytelling as we create. This course will give students a strong pathway into the IB Film course as well as adding another useful medium for IB Visual Art students to work with.

This course focuses on drawing and painting. The approach is more traditional at the beginning of the semester, developing into more contemporary practice later. Students must develop supporting studies in an art journal, documenting and evaluating the art processes they are learning. They will also complete journal pages recording artist research and visual responses to these sources. The drawing will be taught both as an end in itself and as a part of the art-making process, feeding into painting work. Students will use a range of dry and wet media, including graphite, charcoal, pastel, pen and ink, watercolor and acrylic paint.

This course is an introduction to the elements and principles of design as they apply to printmaking. Students will work with a wide range of materials and processes from block printing and linoleum cut to drypoint, silkscreen, and relief printing. Both press and non-press techniques will be explored and students will produce limited edition prints on various types of paper. An emphasis will be placed on technical skill, aesthetics, and on traditional and contemporary expressions of this art form.

Sculpture is a studio experience designed to broaden the student’s concept of art media and creativity. A wide range of less familiar materials and techniques will be explored and utilized in the sculpture processes to encourage creative problem solving. Media will include clay/ceramics, wood, metal, plaster, foam and mold making. Emphasis is placed on individual idea development and inventive use of media. As in other art courses, studio work will develop and reinforce student understandings of the elements and principles of art and design, which is an integral part of a strong portfolio. There is an emphasis on developing creative thinking and personal expression as well as skills, techniques and understanding needed to create quality work.

Ceramics blends design ideas and studio experience in clay to provide an introductory experience in the Visual Arts. Elements and principles of design are emphasized as foundational ideas in ceramic media. Students will learn how to create, critique, evaluate, and appreciate works of art through beginning hand building techniques such as pinch, coil, slab and mould work; introductory forms on the potter’s wheel; and exploration of decorative techniques.

Ceramics 2 is a hands-on studio course designed to strengthen the traditional handbuilding skills acquired in Ceramics 1, as well as introduce students to the potters’ wheel. Students are encouraged to refine their personal aesthetic, craftsmanship, concepts, and methods. This course will explore advanced building techniques and the completion of works through carefully considered surface treatments and glazing methods. Students increase their artistic range with the addition of new materials and techniques and will have the opportunity to develop their thoughts and ideas independently as an artist.

This course is designed for students who enjoy drawing and painting and would like to explore these techniques in the digital workspace. We will create artworks with digital drawing and painting, photography, text and other media using predominantly Adobe Photoshop. Graphic design elements of color, composition and font choice will be explored. Purpose, process, and meaning will be at the core of our works. This course will give students a strong pathway into the IB Visual Art course as well as adding another useful medium to the creative toolbox.

Students will learn the fundamentals and manual use of an SLR and digital SLR cameras. The course content will focus on techniques in photography both cameraless and lens based, and photo printing in the Darkroom. We will explore the critical importance of “seeing light” and “seeing concept” in creating images. Source material will include great photographers and historic periods in photography. Students will build a portfolio of their work that shows the development of their design ideas.

Students will continue their practice and learn uses for a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera. The course content will focus on techniques in photography such as flash, studio and long exposures, as well as digital asset management and photo editing with Adobe Lightroom and in the Darkroom. We will explore the critical importance of “seeing light” and learn to understand and manipulate natural and artificial light (flashes and studio strobes) in creating images. Source material will include great photographers and historic periods in photography. Students will build a portfolio of their work that shows the development of their design ideas.

Advanced Studio Art & Photography is designed for committed and passionate student-artists who wish to explore and develop their art-making in a more independent and self-directed manner. Focused on creating a body of work, this course provides students with opportunities to explore and develop material and conceptual breadth and depth in and around an individually sourced theme/topic. In undertaking this course, students will also work across a range of traditional and contemporary approaches to art-making, with the overall aim of developing an individualistic approach to art-making. To support this, historical and contemporary issues in Studio Art/Photography will be discussed and explored via written and visual means, and the student will keep a portfolio to document their material and conceptual development. Students should expect their best work to be displayed for the school community, and offered for print in school publications.

AP 2-D Art and Design is a robust, college-level two-dimensional design course. Students refine and apply 2-D skills to ideas they develop throughout the course. In AP 2-D Art and Design students develop skills using materials and processes such as graphic design, photography, collage, printmaking, and others. As the course concludes you’ll submit a portfolio for external assessment that demonstrates your ability to practice, experiment, and revise your own work while communicating your ideas about art and design.

AP 2-D Art and Design Course Guide

IB Visual Arts is a two-year course, with an emphasis on self-directed learning; students work independently and as individuals, planning their own projects with 1:1 support from their teacher. During the course, students will develop and extend their existing skills and develop their art-making capabilities through experimentation with new approaches to art media. The IB Visual Arts course is divided into three elements for assessment: Process Portfolio (evidence of experimentation, exploration, manipulation and refinement of ideas, processes and media), Comparative Study (analysis and comparison of different artworks by different artists, and connections made with your own work) and Exhibition (presentation of final artworks). All students develop a visual art journal alongside their studio work. The final assessment is based on digital images of journal pages and studio outcomes – students select their best work and assemble it into digital presentations. IB Visual the artist and contextual research, and recording the development process of creating your own artworks, not just about producing final pieces.

IBDP Visual Arts Course Guide