The Art & Design and Photography Department at Williamwood High School offers a very warm welcome to our S1 and S2 learners where friendships are made within a very kind, supportive and nurturing environment. Our students can expect to be met with integrity, sincerity, and respect in an ambitious, inspirational and highly motivational creative space, by teachers who are caring and aspirational for all young people.

S1-S3 curriculum is often referred to as the Broad General Education. The content of this has been created and based on national Experiences and Outcomes. Our BGE courses focus on building the skills of drawing, painting, design and construction supported with developing the knowledge and understanding of the young people by researching the work of artists and designers that gives context to their learning.

S1 ROTATION 1 – PORTRAITURE (Third Level)

The students learning is focussed on the production of a self-portrait. This is a measured drawing that provides a scaffold from which the students learning and understanding of the scale and proportion of the human head can be built.  In the learning of this academic skill, students build confidence. As proficiency grows, learners become more confident in their drawing techniques, mark making and the nuances of scale and proportion. The breakdown of stages in learning allows pupils to produce a self-portrait that is not only anatomically accurate but one that delivers a good likeness of themselves.  This skill is mastered and practiced by drawing from their own image as a primary resource with mirrors which encourages them to use and develop strong observational skills.

As an additional component of the course, students will study the work of Vincent Van Gogh, focussing on a series of his portraits. The purpose of this supporting lesson is to introduce colour theory and mixing as employed by one of the great artists and to develop the skill of mark making with its variety, vigour and creativity.

The rotation is concluded with a structured assessment task that allows the young people to compare and comment on a portrait completed at the start of the rotation with one completed eight week later. This self reflective task allows learners to identify their own personal progress and to celebrate their successes. Over the nine week rotation learners will evaluate the quality of their learning with the support of formal teacher and learner led conversations.

Opportunities: Kelvingrove Schools Drawing Competition, ‘Maths Inside’ Photography competition, five lunchtime clubs, Leaders of Learning (LOL’s)

ROTATION 2 – STILL LIFE (Third Level)

Through the study of ‘Still Life’ with the research and consideration of relevant artists, students engage in a process of analytical and expressive drawing. This leads to the production of a final painted composition that challenges prior knowledge of scale and proportion, understanding of composition, developing the skill of drawing and painting in perspective that allows the incredible illusion of 3-dimensional images to be produced on a 2-dimensional plane.

A scaffold of learning will be employed with rigour to embed the principles of strong observational drawing which includes the understanding of ellipses and the geometry of individual objects. Continued understanding and practicing the application of tone to create a broad range with high and low contrast will lead to an introduction to colour theory working on mixing a broad colour palette, including secondary and tertiary mixes from the three primary colours. Students will study the work of a range of artists from different movements or groups such ‘Pop Art’  and ‘The Scottish Colourists’ which will allow them to appreciate how different time periods lead to quite distinct cultural influences.

The rotation is concluded with a structured assessment task that allows the young people to compare and comment on a portrait completed at the start of the rotation with one completed eight week later. This self reflective task allows learners to identify their own personal progress and to celebrate their successes. Over the nine week rotation learners will evaluate the quality of their learning with the support of formal teacher and learner led conversations.

Opportunities: Extra Curricular lunchtime clubs, Leaders of Learning (LOL’s)

ROTATION 3 – ARCHITECTURE (Third Level)

Through the study of Bolivian Architect Freddy Mamani the students will explore architecture form in a playful, experimental and creative manner.  Mamani’s architecture is steeped in the cultural context of his homeland giving important and vibrant inspiration to our students. This unit of work will require the students to design and build their own building that encourages them to think of structure and its integrity, form, mass and void to create volume, texture to explore surface materials and colour in an architectural and design context.  Our young people will be introduce to paper engineering and construction techniques that will form the foundation of learning that will be built upon significantly should they decide to study the subject at the next stage. The skills taught in this unit are highly versatile and therefore transferable to many other contexts. These building tasks will be supported with a short programme of architectural drawing with a focus on developing the geometry of a building elevation to create greater articulation contrast of scale and differentiation of materials used.

The rotation is concluded with a structured assessment task that allows the young people to compare and comment on a portrait completed at the start of the rotation with one completed eight week later. This self reflective task allows learners to identify their own personal progress and to celebrate their successes. Over the nine week rotation learners will evaluate the quality of their learning with the support of formal teacher and learner led conversations.

ROTATION 4 – SKILLS WORKSHOPS (Fourth Level)

This rotation forms the conclusion to the S1 and S2 course and is centred upon a series of skills based workshops that will allow students to extend their knowledge of the specialist areas within Art and Design. The workshops will be practically based and skills driven with a view to giving students guidance and advice on careers that may stem directly from an Art and Design training  leading to career paths as a Fine Artist or Design Professional. The skills learned may also be more indirectly applied as a series of ‘Skills for Life’ that would transferable into many professional or vocational careers; problem solving, group working, hand skills for trade and industry etc.

The workshops provided will range across the Expressive and Design disciplines and could include:

Painting Masterclasses, Printmaking Masterclasses, Graphic Design Masterclasses, Fashion Design Masterclasses, Architecture Masterclasses

The challenges presented and tackled in these workshops are aimed to the raise the esteem, skills and engagement of candidates preparing them in a sophisticated and considered manner for the next phase of learning in S3.