GCSE Art question

[Angrycat2768]

I just wanted to clarify something to make sure DS wasn't mistaken about his final piece. They have been given the theme of ' power' which DS is quite enthusiastic about. So he was telling his teacher about his ideas for 'power of nature' which was something like buildings being taken over by nature. But his teacher said his portfolio had to be made up of his own photos. So for example, he can't include a press photo of Chernobyl for his inspiration?
He said to her ' I'd like to put a bird in it' and she said ' It would be difficult for you to take a picture of a bird?!' Is that right? It's not as if he's using other peoples photos in the actual work, just as part of a mood board. Seems odd!

My DD also has the Power topic for Art GCSE and has started the research and is definitely using pictures found online. She is not taking any photos herself. This is also how she has researched the other GCSE art projects so far. She has made a general brainstorm page of ideas linked to Power and has then made picture pages based around 3-4 of the ideas from the initial brainstorm. Her teachers are happy with this. Perhaps once she chooses her final interpretation of Power, she may need to do some pictures/sample ideas herself, but this initial research does not involve her making or drawing anything herself.

Yes that's what I would have thought would make sense. We have been very lucky this year to have travelled across Europe, so for his previous art projects he has used pictures he took of the Colliseum. But it's very restrictive for children if they have to take their own pictures of stuff and they have to use pictures they can take themselves only! He has parents evening next week so I'll clarify.

They are supposed to use a mix of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources will get them more marks so they are very important. If they cannot observe things from real life, they can use secondary sources instead.

Primary source:
Something you can observe directly from real life. Examples:
-Going to a park to sit, observe, and draw people
-Going to a museum to draw sculptures
-Asking your friends or siblings to pose for you and drawing
-Sitting in front of a mirror and drawing yourself
-Taking your own photo and using it to draw

Secondary source:
Something observed based off someone else’s observation. Examples:
-Drawing from photographs from a book
-Drawing from photographs found on the Internet

Thank you! That's really helpful. He's going to the park today to do some drawing actually. He does a lot of grumbling about his art teacher making him do primary observations, but it seems like she's trying to get him to get better marks! I've read this out to him.

School gave my DD a list of stage of the "creative process".

1. Mindmap and moodboard.
2. Artist(s) research and response.
3. Gathering primary and secondary sources.
4. Statement of intent and annotations explaining your work.
5. Plenty of experimentation and material explorations.
6. Final piece - a personal outcome that links the artist research, primary sources, and material explorations.

That's exactly what my DD has been told by school.

“He does a lot of grumbling about his art teacher making him do primary observations”

Hmmmm - there’s your answer I think! I doubt the teacher told him that he can’t use other people’s photos - but that he should mostly avoid it. He doesn’t want to do the work, teachers does want him to!

Primary observations are crucial in art. I'd definitely be encouraging him to go out and capture his own work off the bat. It will really stand him in good stead going forwards.

Possibly true. But urs also partly that the bloody art gcse is taking up so much time. He's been out all day taking photos and researching artists when he has 8 other subjects to do!

@Angrycat2768 I’ve got one doing
Art and Photography 😭
One of hobbies is watching TikTok and Pinterest video of them taking all your time and sanity 🤣
The good news is it’s a totally different type of study so a break even when working, and of course exams out of the way in April so frees up time for other subjects in the last minute cramming - and reduces the number of exams to stress about in the same short period.
i always remind my daughter that her May self will be feeling smug! 😉

My daughter only used her own photos. Her theme was 'decay' and she took pics of half broken down walls and buildings showing layers of paint etc. Flowers and fruit were in various stages of decay all over the house and she even managed to find a dead pigeon ... but yes the sources were hers, unless it was artist research in the theme.