Orientation: Studio Arts VCE Units 1&2
1. Payment of subject fees and art kits
Students are to pay a subject fee of $60.00 per semester for studio
arts. In semester 1 students’ will be issued with an art kit containing
materials to the value of $40.00. The remaining $20.00 and semester 2
payment go towards materials used or given out in class. Students will
receive a tax invoice in the mail. All payments must be made to the
money collection box at the general office. Payments for Semester
1 2014 must be made before December 8th 2014 otherwise we
cannot guarantee your place in this subject .
2. Course Outline and outcomes
All students commencing units 1&2 must understand the importance
of submitting outcomes on time. Please read the accompanying study
summary carefully.
3. Visual Diary
The subject fees mentioned above do not include the purchase of a
visual diary. Students must have an A3 bound good quality
cartridge visual diary. Please refer to the VCE booklist for details.
This diary is necessary for holiday homework and all assessment tasks
and outcomes during 2014. Students should also have a separate
exercise book for written notes.
4. Holiday Homework
In your visual diary you will need to complete the following homework
activities that will be due first week back(term 1, 2015).
(a) Choose 3 objects. Set them up on a table. Attempt to accurately
draw the objects as they are grouped in relation to one another.
Your drawing should take up most of the page. Use line and tone
only. This drawing should be no longer than 30 minutes. Take a
digital photo of the objects as they were set up. Get a hardcopy of
this photo and include it in your visual diary.
(b) This task will require you to go outside with a fineliner and your
sketchbook. Attempt a landscape drawing considering the
foreground, midground and background. This drawing should also
be no longer than 30 minutes. Take a digital photo of the
landscape. Get a hardcopy of this photo and include it in your
visual diary.
(c) Choose 1 artist from each of these categories. Print or photocopy
an A4 sized image from each artist that you choose.
Painting
David Wadelton
Georgia O’Keefe
Harmen Steenwyck
Photography
Bill Henson
Trent Parke
Paul Strand
Sculpture
Margaret Dodd
Alberto Giacometti
Claes Oldenburg
Margaret Preston
George Braque
Andy Warhol
Tracey Moffatt
Cindy Sherman
Ansel Adams
Constantin Brancusi
Rodin
Ricky Swallow
Using the ‘Guide to analysing artwork’, respond to sections 1-4. Each
response should be at least a paragraph.
NB: 1 artist from each category means a total of 3
visual analyses
Guide to analysing artwork
Writing about art can be difficult. The pictorial observations that you make need to be turned
into words, sentences and paragraphs all set out in a coherent structure. The following step by
step process should assist you with your analysis and ensure that you are not overlooking any
necessary information contained in the artwork.
1. Locate the following things:
 Name of the artist
 Title of the work
 Date the artwork was created
 Size dimensions of the artwork
 Style/period or movement
Most of this information can be found under the reproduction of the artwork or somewhere in
the text provided. Remember that not all of these dot points may be provided. Try and find as
many as you can. The title can often tell you what you are looking at. Some abstract artworks
may become more accessible by referring to the title. If you have some knowledge of art
history, the date can place the style/period or movement even if they are not mentioned in the
text.
2. Subject matter
This is what the art work is about. What is going on in the artwork? Is it a landscape?
Does it have people in it? Are there only objects in it? Is it abstract or completely
realistic? Is one person the main focus of the artwork? Is there a story involved? Does it
portray a famous historical event? Describe where things are placed in the artwork.
Traditional subject matter in art can usually be categorized into the following areas
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Still Life
Portraiture
Landscape
Narrative
Historical
3. Elements and Principles
What are the 3 main elements that stand out in this artwork?(colour, line, texture, shape, form,
tone). Describe how they are used by the artist and why they stand out.
Principles describe how the elements are used(unity, proportion, emphasis, repetition,
balance). Find out what these terms mean and see if you can see how they are applied in the
artwork.
4. Concepts and ideas.
Artists don’t just make pretty pictures. All good art contains ideas, concepts or messages that
the artist is trying to communicate. Some common themes in the history of art are the human
condition, politics, traditional stories. There are many more ideas other than these. It is your
task to find out what the artist is trying to communicate.