Visual Arts study guides

Art history and appreciation for Singapore N(A)-Level Art (SEAB 6127). The skills behind Paper 1 Section A (Visual Analysis): describing then analysing an artwork using the elements and principles, interpreting its meaning from symbols, mood and context, recognising a few major art movements and styles, and understanding Singapore and Southeast Asian art including the Nanyang artists.

Colour and painting media for Singapore N(A)-Level Art (SEAB 6127). How the colour wheel organises primary, secondary and tertiary colours, mixing from a limited set, the qualities of watercolour, poster paint and acrylic, core painting techniques like washes, wet-on-wet, dry brush and layering, and using warm, cool, bright and muted colour to create mood and express feeling.

Drawing and observational studies for Singapore N(A)-Level Art (SEAB 6127). How to draw what you actually see using measuring and construction lines, the qualities of pencil, charcoal, ink and coloured pencil and how to vary marks, building a tonal range with highlights and shadows to make objects look solid, and using simple one-point and two-point perspective to draw believable depth.

Elements and principles of art for Singapore N(A)-Level Art (SEAB 6127). The visual vocabulary that runs through the whole subject: line, shape and form; colour, tone and texture; space and composition (positive and negative space, foreground to background); and the principles of design (balance, contrast, emphasis, pattern, rhythm and unity) used to organise the elements into a strong artwork.

The coursework portfolio for Singapore N(A)-Level Art (SEAB 6127), Paper 2 and 50 percent of the grade. How to choose and develop a personal theme into a line of inquiry, experiment with a range of media and record the results, keep an honest coursework journal that shows development, and plan, make and present a resolved final piece with a short self-evaluation.

Three-dimensional and sculptural form for Singapore N(A)-Level Art (SEAB 6127). What makes 3D form different from a flat picture (mass, volume, surface and surrounding space), choosing and working materials like clay, card, wire and found objects safely, making by modelling and construction, and creating relief and mixed-media work between the flat and the fully three-dimensional.

Two-dimensional design for Singapore N(A)-Level Art (SEAB 6127). The applied, communicative side of art: planning a poster or layout with a focal point and visual hierarchy, using lettering and typography so letters carry feeling and stay readable, building patterns from a repeated motif, and making simple relief prints, understanding the plate, the reversed image and printing an edition.