Visual Arts 10 is intended as an introductory course which focuses on developing basic art skills. It is designed to familiarize students with the central components of the visual arts through material and tool manipulation, skill development and informal art history. These skills will be developed through a variety of processes including drawing, painting, sculpture, digital manipulation, art history, class critiques and reflective practice.
Students will do a variety of projects that will give them an opportunity to develop skills, think critically, and express themselves creatively and an increased awareness of self and artistic self expression and be aware of the artistic expression of others and respond to it.
Required school supplies
Unlike Visual Arts 11 and 12, it is possible to get by in Visual Arts 10 without a personal art kit. We will provide everything you need to complete the course. However, it is nice to work with higher quality materials, and buying your own kit is worthwhile - especially if you are continuing into grade 11. A kit is available in the school store for $20. It includes a 9x12" sketch book, drawing pencils (HB,2B,4B,6B), a kneadable eraser, a Tuff Stuff eraser (looks like a pen), scissors, a glue stick, and some brushes.
Course evaluation
- 80% — Term work
- 20% — Final assessment (last three weeks of the semester)
Both the term work and the final exam are broken down by General Curriculum Outcomes. Large assignments will be broken down into multiple outcomes, and you will be graded separately for each.
- 40% — Technical skills for drawing, painting, and clay: Creating, Making, and Presenting
- 20% — Composition and design: Creating, Making, and Presenting
- 20% — Understanding and connecting contexts of time, place, and community: art history work, art issues, clean up
- 20% — Perceiving, reflecting and responding: planning, creativity work, feedback to other students
Larger projects
- Self-portrait project: Drawing, shading, and self-portraiture
- Drawing for a sense of depth: Drawing, composition, and a sense of depth
- Painting for a sense of depth: Painting, linear perspective, and a sense of depth
- Ceramics project: Patterned and inscribed clay vessels
- Final project: Your choice of medium
Art Policies
To be accepted for evaluation, your artwork MUST...
- not be able to be interpreted as showing the following in a positive light: racism, sexism, homophobia, drug, alcohol or cigarette use, unnecessary violence
- be made of materials that respect health and safety. (for example: no food, spray paint, paint markers, ...)
- be based on your own observation or idea, or on an existing idea that you have heavily modified.
- be created using non-'elementary school' materials (for example: no sparkles, cotton batting, popsicle sticks, ...)
- be able to be completely made at school during class time. I will be in my class nearly every day after school and at lunch.
Other expectations
- Cell phones and electronic devices can be used for listening to music, research, and photographic references. It is polite not to listen to music nor use devices during demonstrations and group discussions.
- Fire drills. Don't clean up. Leave immediately, head down the main stairs and meet on the main sidewalk leading to the front entrance to the school.
- If you are late , please enter the room and quietly find a seat.
- If an assignment is going to be late please let me know. Yes, you are going to have extra time (I do not take off marks for lateness), but if we have a conversation it will be less stressful for both of us. The artroom is open most days at lunch or after school for students to complete work.
- Homework and in-class work habits. I design my lessons so that students do not need to do homework if they use their class time well. Students who use their class time ineffectively will be moved temporarily or permanently elsewhere in the classroom.
- Hand in assignments directly to me. Leaving your work in the classroom, on my desk, or with a substitute does not work. You will have to redo work that goes missing. I collect your work from you personally, and I will keep a record of whose work has been handed in.
- Mark updates will happen frequently. Keep an eye on PowerSchool, but I will periodically give you updates. Don't worry: I will let you know if you in danger of failing, and we will create a plan together to get you out of trouble.
General Curriculum Outcomes
Creating, Making and Presenting
- Explore, challenge, develop, and express ideas, using the skills, language, techniques, and processes of the arts.
- Create and/or present, collaboratively and independently, expressive products in the arts for a range of audiences and purposes.
- This will be evaluated in projects such as: sketches/exercises, the tonal design project, the 3D tonal design project, colour value scale/colour wheel, your painting, and projects related to the elements of art and the principles of design
Understanding and Connecting Contexts of Time, Place, and Community
- Demonstrate critical awareness of and value for the role of the arts in creating and reflecting culture
- Respect the contributions to the arts of individual and cultural groups in local and global contexts, and valve the arts as a record human experiences and expression
- Examine the relationships among the arts, societies, and environment
- This will be evaluated in work such as: art criticism/appreciation projects, research project on art/artist of different culture/s, create/write art based on social/ethical issues
Perceiving, Reflecting, and Responding
- Apply critical thinking and problem-solving strategies to reflect on and respond to their own and other’s expressive work
- Understand the role of technologies in creating and responding to expressive works
- Analyse the relationship between artistic intent and expressive works
- This will be evaluated by considering: how you discuss/write/critique art work, your self-reflections and goal-setting assignments, and art criticism/appreciation projects