The Creative Process

The creative process underlines the actions, emotions and expressions of committed visual artists.

Contemporary Australian painter, Janine Daddo talks of her experiences in developing her career and personal style of art, her visual language and her ongoing development.

Undertaking a folio course such as Arts Creative Practice or IB Visual Arts requires students to identify and address all of the components of the course as well as the ‘Big Picture’, the finished artworks.

Assessment is based on the demonstration and evidence of all aspects of the creative process as outlined below, not solely on the submission of a completed artwork.

  • Research and Investigation
  • Development and Exploration
  • Refinement and Resolution
  • Reflection and Evaluation

Students are required to produce a detailed visual diary ( a combination of hardcopy and digital presentation) that clearly identifies the development and realisation of their artworks throughout the semester. Pages should be numbered and entries dated to show the progression of creating thinking.

Students will research historical and contemporary artists of repute including

  • Australian artists
  • First Nation artists
  • International artists

Within this research, students will be investigating their biographies, artistic practices and examples of representative art works that align with their own aspirations.

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artist vd

Written annotations are an important part of demonstrating creative and critical thinking and learning.

Annotations can provide:

  • information, such as the title of an artwork, artist’s biographical details or when the work was made; web addresses must be provided
  • a record of your experiences and emotions connected to the image;
  • a record of how you intend to use these images to develop your own ideas;
  • an example of your progress through a project;

To annotate your experimental work successfully, you should explain:

  • what you have done and why you did it;
  • how you did it, such as the media and techniques used;
  • why you chose a particular medium or technique;
  • how this artwork fits in with your concept;
  • what aspects you like or think are successful;
  • how you could improve upon this work;
  • what you think you will do next if you were to use the same medium or concept.
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exp sketches

Using the correct vocabulary

You must use the correct vocabulary when annotating your work to show that you are developing your knowledge, understanding and skills.

Some common key terms are:

  • Subject – what is shown in the artwork, such as a portrait or a still life
  • Composition – how the elements of the work are arranged, ie whether they’re close together or far apart
  • Foreground, midground and background – elements that appear to be in front or behind other aspects of the artwork

Elements of Art

  • Line – can vary in width, length, curvature, colour or direction
  • Shape – describes the two-dimensional outline
  • Form – describes a three-dimensional object
  • Texture – the way surfaces look and feel, ie rough, smooth, soft, etc
  • Tone – shading, from dark to light
  • Colour – Its main characteristics are hue, saturation, luminosity and brightness.
    We can also describe the colour as hot or cold depending on the side of the spectrum to which it belongs.

With new technologies, the following are also now included in the elements of art.

  • Light – This aligns closely to tone and describes the clarity of light rays that illuminate an object or installation.
  • Sound – Sound is an audible material in art that can be heard as noise, words or music and is more usually found in contemporary art. It may be produced naturally or electronically. It may be a component of installations, multi-media or interactive works.
  • Time – Time as a material relates to the physical, emotional or psychological duration of an event or experience. It is often referenced where change takes place over a period of time such as in animations, moving art and performance art.

Principles of Art

  • Balance
  • Contrast
  • Emphasis (focal point)
  • Movement
  • Proportion
  • Repetition (pattern)
  • Rhythm
  • Scale
  • Space
  • Unity
  • Variety