← Visual Arts syllabus

EnglandVisual Arts

Media, techniques and processes

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do digital tools and mixed media work as art processes, and how do you combine media deliberately?

Digital and mixed media: digital image-making and editing, combining traditional and digital processes, collage and layering, and combining media deliberately so the combination serves the idea.
How digital tools and mixed media work as art processes in OCR GCSE Art and Design: digital image-making and editing, collage and layering, and combining traditional and digital media deliberately so the combination serves the idea.
13 min answer →

How do the main drawing and painting media behave, and how do you choose and use them for an idea?

Drawing and painting media: the qualities of pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, and of paint (watercolour, acrylic, gouache), how each behaves, and choosing and handling them to suit an idea.
How the main drawing and painting media behave in OCR GCSE Art and Design: pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, watercolour, acrylic and gouache, and choosing and handling each to suit an idea, the AO2 craft side of the course.
13 min answer →

How do photography and lens-based media work as an art process, beyond just taking pictures?

Photography and lens-based media: framing, viewpoint, light and focus as compositional choices, the difference between recording and making images, and using photography as a deliberate art process.
How photography and lens-based media work as an art process in OCR GCSE Art and Design: framing, viewpoint, light and focus as deliberate choices, the difference between snapping and making images, and using photography across the objectives.
13 min answer →

How do the main printmaking techniques work, and what qualities does each give?

Printmaking techniques: relief printing (lino and block), monoprinting, and intaglio (drypoint), how each transfers an image, and the qualities and editioning each offers.
How the main printmaking techniques work in OCR GCSE Art and Design: relief (lino and block), monoprinting and intaglio (drypoint), how each transfers an image, and the qualities and repeatability each offers, the AO2 print craft.
13 min answer →

How do the main textile and surface techniques work, and how do you use fabric, stitch, dye and print as a medium?

Textiles and surface techniques: constructed and decorated textiles, stitch and applique, dyeing and resist methods, fabric printing, and using surface, texture and colour in fabric as a medium.
How the main textile and surface techniques work in OCR GCSE Art and Design: constructed and decorated textiles, stitch and applique, dyeing and resist, fabric printing, and using surface, texture and colour in fabric as a medium.
13 min answer →

How do the main three-dimensional processes work, and how do you think in form, space and material?

Working in three dimensions: additive and subtractive processes, modelling, construction and casting, working with clay, card, wire and found materials, and thinking in form, space and material.
How the main three-dimensional processes work in OCR GCSE Art and Design: additive and subtractive methods, modelling, construction and casting, working with clay, card, wire and found materials, and thinking in form, space and material.
13 min answer →