What they didn’t tell you about studying high school Art

Terminal Updated on February 8, 2017

This article aims to provide a articulate, unbiased view of what studying a Art at high schoolhouse is like. It complements our Art Careers resources and aims to help yous decide whether a high school Visual Art or Design course is right for you. It is written by contempo United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland loftier school graduate, Megan Fatharly, who attended Hitchin Girls' School, Hertfordshire, England, and contains quotes from many high school Art students around the globe.

When I first started studying GCSE Art (a Britain Art qualification for 14-16 twelvemonth olds) information technology felt daunting, because I was so sure that to be considered 'good' I had to depict perfectly, however I soon learnt to develop my own fashion and savor the freedom that the field of study allows. You are able to explore a called bailiwick matter and experiment with materials to express ideas, whether that be through painting, sculpture or through whatever other medium.

Here are 8 things I wish I had known before selecting to study Art at high school:

People may approximate or mock you for taking a 'mickey mouse' subject

Art is often described equally a 'mickey mouse' subject or 'soft option' past people who have niggling agreement of the subject. Art has a large practical component; there is the view that it is not intellectually demanding or academic. People may not realise the higher ordering thinking that is required when studying Art to evaluate, analyse and develop artwork and themes and at times produce comprehensive written projects in some areas of study. The subject field may be discredited by the media, career advisors and fellow students.

Two of my "friends" do Maths at A Level and have repeatedly taken the mick out of me for doing A Level Art, to the point where I considered dropping information technology… – An A Level Art pupil, via The Educatee Room

In my own experience though, I find people commonly appreciate the amount of effort that is required and admire your dedication to the subject, specially when you study Fine art at a senior level, where in that location are often written components such equally a Personal Investigation / Personal Study or formal art analysis.

I take had friends who studied 'academic' subjects like Maths or Science likewise as Art. I call up people forget that these subjects tin complement each other. This is very beneficial if you lot want to study something similar Architecture, for case. In Art, yous are also challenging yourself creatively, whereas in more academic subjects it is more than virtually facts, understanding and objectivity. With a subject like Art y'all are expressing yourself in a dissimilar way.

For me Art was one of the nearly useful subjects in terms of teaching me life skills similar time management, prioritising! As well as of course technical skills like Photoshop which have really helped me get jobs etc. – Nikau Hindin, A Level Art student from ACG Parnell College

If y'all are serious about pursuing Art, you need to get past what other people call up of the subject. You are the one who will be studying it, if yous find joy in doing it, it may exist the correct choice for you (read 9 reasons to study Art in high school).

You can't but draw whatsoever you lot want

Some students are shocked to acquire that you can't only 'describe whatever y'all want'. A very of import office of most high school Art qualifications is drawing and observing. This means that it is of import to describe things from life rather than photographs when possible. You can look at different angles and truly observe the object (read how to create an excellent observational drawing).

It is sometimes frustrating not knowing exactly what is expected

If y'all are deciding whether to selection a creative subject at a college level, it is important to realise that Art does not involve a list of facts or content to learn similar other subjects. Mark schemes can involve imprecise and vague terminology. Because of this, you may be unclear about what is expected or needed to excel.

This is why I think it is important to look at examples of student piece of work before selecting the subject and at exam lath websites, as they often effort to explicate what is expected. Reading the official syllabus can be a corking identify to start. This volition give guidance in terms of quantity of work required, deadlines and how things should be submitted. Information technology is important to understand key terminology, such every bit 'development'. This is how to go from one office of your project to the other to show how your piece of work is progressing and does non appear disjointed. At that place are some great articles on this website which I used throughout studying Art which show what these words mean.

When viewing artwork on this website, remember that the Educatee Art Guide features the best work from students around the globe. I retrieve it is really important to not feel daunted by this (I know I did) simply call back that y'all volition accept time to improve and refine your skills over the time you lot study a creative subject like Art.

The nigh important thing you tin can exercise if you are unsure virtually what to await, is talk to your Art teacher. You volition get an idea of the workload and the syllabus structure that your school or college follows. They tin can show yous examples of current or past student projects, so you get an idea of the kind of work that people create. Also, talking to older students, although a daunting prospect, is highly beneficial, as they can tell you personally how they feel about it and respond any questions.

Your classmates won't all be super talented – in that location will be a range of abilities

…It was intimidating to walk into a classroom full of people who share your passion but have attained more skill than you. Only that'southward only the thing; you are your worst critic. You just have to trust yourself and what you are capable of doing. – Kristia Bondoc, AP Studio Art student from Mt. Eden High School

There is often a misconception that everyone who takes Art at a senior level in loftier school must have a supreme level of 'talent'. The presence of high achievers can be more obvious than in other subjects, where it is not always clear who is the best student. In Fine art, your achievement is laid out on the table for everyone to see. This can exist nerve-racking…but likewise inspiring.

This is exactly how I felt at GCSE level. At this stage I was never 100% confident with my drawing. As a main component of whatsoever Art qualification, this was something I had to overcome. I was surrounded past people who I felt were ten times ameliorate than me. All the same, I call up information technology is important to consider what y'all enjoy doing. Drawing does not automatically hateful hours and hours spent on a stunning pencil cartoon. I found that drawing in pen worked for me, as information technology allowed a looser fashion of cartoon. In that location are many types of marker-making, and even if you lot don't excel with one technique, y'all tin can build upon strengths in another. I was still observing, merely in a more expressive way. I plant other ways of recording ideas; this included photography. Information technology was when doing GCSE Fine art that my passion for photography developed. During A Level (a qualification typically taken past 16-18 twelvemonth olds) I developed a beloved of working in pen, experimenting with different types of mark making.

I know you are scared beyond belief that y'all tin't do this, merely you lot can. I was one time in your shoes, just equally terrified. What is then frightening about joining this grade is that you lot only see the artwork nosotros produce once it's finished. You lot don't see how far our artwork has come. We all started in Art 1 or Avant-garde Art with the same potential. – Elizabeth Blancas, AP Studio Art pupil from Mt. Eden High School

There will be others who feel like you do about a particular medium. There are often students who experience that they are not bad drawers but weaker painters. Over time, skill with moisture mediums often improves dramatically and students learn to work faster.

Working in a new medium means you can use information technology in a way that you enjoy. At the terminate of the day, all students take strengths and weaknesses. Some are higher up-average or average at the subject, just savor information technology. Equally with whatsoever subject, there are those who excel in all areas also.

…considering you make so much art, you begin to transform into an awesome artist without even realizing it. I honestly did not await to really honey watercolor, I e'er thought that it was likewise hard for me to use. – Kristia Bondoc, AP Studio Art student from Mt. Eden High School

In most classes at that place are a range of abilities and information technology is of import to consider this, if you feel yous're not as good as everyone else. You will develop throughout the class and refine your skills and find a medium you enjoy to work with. No thing where your ability level begins, you can make tremendous progress in a year. Because of this, my confidence in the subject grew and I came to trust my artistic decisions more.
Recall likewise that y'all don't have to have the best skill level in your class to excel and that having the right mental attitude is merely as important. If you are motivated and put the endeavor in yous are likely to enjoy the subject more. If your attitude and effort are positive this volition have a greater influence on your mark (read what makes an Art student excel and why some students never get loftier grades).

With a good work ethic, the workload is manageable (not impossible)

Many students select Art thinking that it will be a fun discipline where you bung a bit of paint around and scribble with brightly coloured crayons. Students who enter under this misconception suffer a very quick wake-upward telephone call. Art tin indeed be fun, but it is also an unimaginable corporeality of work. It requires constant and ongoing effort. Many students spend more time on their Art homework than they do on all of their other subjects put together. – From the acme 10 mistakes made past Fine art students

Some people truly underestimate the workload, but with the right attitude, the workload should not scare people off. With a subject like Fine art, the work is continuous. Your ideas evolve with the project and so does the type of work you do. It's not then much that the workload is unmanageably enormous, just that it is continuous, and you can't get away with working difficult merely before an exam.

At A Level, I had five hours of Fine art a week and was told for every hour in schoolhouse we should spent an hour out of school. However, it really is down to how much endeavour you are prepared to put in. Five hours of work may be a beautiful pencil cartoon but information technology might likewise exist several expressive paintings. It is likewise important to consider that it should be quality over quantity (although obviously y'all need sufficient quantity to run across the assessment objectives, and that this doesn't hateful that a disorganised student can expect to submit only a handful of pieces and still become a great grade). This is something I learnt from GCSE. Quality of the work is much more important than how much y'all do, every bit you may spend fourth dimension on something that does not show any development or experimentation. The submission of weaker pieces can bring your grade down overall, so it is far amend to aim for a manageable quantity and execute it well, than to produce masses of lower quality piece of work.

Time management is important. If you can keep on top of a project the workload seems less overwhelming. Once again, there are bang-up resources on this website to assistance, such as how to cease procrastinating and get your Art homework done.

Equipment and materials can cost a lot

Art is different to other subjects in the terms of equipment and materials. You are typically lugging around sketchbooks (something you'll become used to) other fine art supplies and various still life items. Information technology is important to consider the toll of these materials if you are contemplating taking Fine art. Subjects like Photography and Graphic Design, in particular, crave yous to print a lot, in add-on to initial stationery and camera costs.

Y'all accept to retrieve for yourself

In younger years at school, Art classes are often very directed. However, by the fourth dimension you go to senior high school, students are unremarkably required to exist more contained and call back for themselves. I really enjoyed being more than independent when I did A Level Fine art, because y'all learn to think for yourself and trust your creative decisions.

Art grade is relaxed – it volition become your home away from home

Being surrounded by other creative people who enjoy Art as a subject tin can exist very motivating. Information technology gives y'all a chance to talk about your piece of work and see how other people develop and interpret a theme or project. For me, the temper of the classroom for other subjects was different. I always felt very relaxed when I did Art, as it was dissimilar to my other subjects that were heavily textbook or essay based. In some Art classes you may even exist able to listen to music while you work and in that location are always cracking discussions going on.

Then AP Art happened. This absolutely perfect form, information technology was what I needed without fifty-fifty realizing it. I thought I would be the one person who didn't talk to anyone and nobody wanted to talk to. It was the exact opposite. I could express myself without fearing judgment, every week, every day. It felt good, and information technology felt right. I had found people that I cared well-nigh, but more importantly, I felt that they cared virtually me….[]…I found a family unit where I least expected it, in high school. – Alec Bates, AP Studio Art educatee from Mt. Eden High Schoolhouse

Yous volition quickly become comfortable talking about your work to others. This might hateful presenting your piece of work to others and sharing your procedure from the start to the end of a project. My teachers at my schoolhouse did exercises like this and I found is hugely beneficial equally a confidence booster. It too gave me the chance to gain feedback from others, which equally an creative person you may not always concur with, merely effective criticism never hurts. You can acquire a lot by listening to other talking about their procedure.

If you lot are considering taking Art, having completed A Level Fine art I tin say it is one of the best choices I always made. I have grown so much as a person and my confidence with working in different mediums has improved. You challenge yourself if you choose it, because you have to recollect independently, creatively and methodically almost how you will develop a project. I thoroughly recommend taking information technology considering the possibilities of what y'all can exercise are endless.

Megan'south work tin be viewed on Facebook or Instagram.

This commodity was written by Megan Fatharly, who graduated from loftier school in 2014. Megan gained an A* in GCSE Art and Design, an A for AS Art and Design and an A Grade for A Level Art, nether the OCR Britain examination board. She is currently completing a UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Blueprint at Falmouth University and volition commencement a Available of Arts in September.

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Source: https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/what-they-didnt-tell-you-about-high-school-art

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