Temescal Canyon High School

Advanced Painting and Drawing 

-The Idea

-Project Proposal 

-The Artwork

-Critique Application 

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Other Helpful Links:

-Principles of Art and Design

What are Critiques?

Critiques have been a tradition in art classes for several centuries. It is the conventional method for discussing artwork made by the students and it is also a chance for students to express their ideas and methods with the rest of the class. This is the very same mode of classroom discussion used in college art classes.

In a formal classroom critique students prepare their work much like they would prepare for an art show. The work is then hung at the front of the classroom or posted on the school website. In each critique students are asked to speak or write about the idea behind the work, how, and why they chose to express that idea. In turn their classmates are asked to make positive and insightful comments on the work and offer ideas for improvement in future work.

The Process:

The Idea: Ideas can come from anywhere. Students should make a habit of collecting ideas in their sketchbooks for possible works of art by writing down ideas as they pass, much like a journal from day to day. As ideas build up in their sketchbooks students will have a rich resource from which to draw ideas for new works of art. Often times the idea for a work of art is the most difficult part. The subject of a work of art can be almost anything but reasonable discretion should be used for the high school classroom.<TOP>

Project Proposal: After a few good ideas are developed a student must sketch a couple of them out and fill out a "project proposal" for each idea that will become a work of art for the show. These worksheets ask students to focus their work and develop the use of the "Principles of Art and Design." "Project Proposals" are available from the teacher and should be complete at the end of the first week of the three week critique cycle.<TOP>

The Artwork: Students have a total of three weeks to prepare an acceptable amount of work for each critique. The amount of work acceptable is determined by "Art Value Points." Art Value Points (or AVPs) are assessed as follows:

A student must have at least three (3) AVPs for full credit in an Advanced Drawing and Painting art show. Fewer than three AVPs will negatively affect a students grade for that show.  Students are encouraged to consider the time involved in using the different media; it usually doesn't take as much time to complete a pencil drawing as it does to go through all of the steps to complete an acrylic painting. Therefore if a student plans a large pastel drawing, for example, the time involved in the large piece may be offset by a much smaller work in graphite or india ink. An example of a successful entry to an art show would be one water color painting and a drawing using graphite.<TOP>

Critique Application: After the work has been completed for a critique, students must complete a "Critique Application" for each piece to be presented. This worksheet is to be accompanied by a photograph taken on the reproduction stand. "Critique Applications" must be turned in at the end of the third week of a critique cycle.<TOP>