1 Visual Art

At level one the students will explore aspects of personal and cultural identity and will be encouraged to make choices and develop ideas using an individual style . Visual arts at level one is a combination of painting and printmaking. Both are a solid base for any future career in the creative or digital industries.

Students will explore visual and conceptual ideas relating to identity and culture. Both painting and printmaking processes will be used in the production of an individual portfolio that is assessed externally. Course Endorsement is possible in this subject.

Reading and writing are a part of this course 

Careers in Art

Whether you love photography, graphic design, painting or any other art-related speciality, career options are limited only by your imagination. Art education propels people towards creative and unexpected destinations – many of which have not even been discovered yet. 

…knowledge is available on every Internet-connected device, what you know matters far less than what you can do with what you know. The capacity to innovate — the ability to solve problems creatively or bring new possibilities to life — and skills like critical thinking, communication and collaboration are far more important than academic knowledge.

https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/art-careers-list

A growing list of art careers

top pics

1. Movie Set / Costume / Special Effects Designer

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | Weta Digital     watch now below or on  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGUGF44GJ_E

2. Game Designer 

3. T-Shirt and other clothes fashion Designer 

4. Magazine Art Director, Graphic Designer, Photographer

5. Graphic Artist / Printmaker / Collage artist, font designer

6.  Film Concept Artist 

7. Digital and Pet Portrait Artist 

8. Upcycle designer for furniture, jewelry and other items

9. Web Based Curator 

10. Cake Decorator 

11. Online Art Gallery Creator, Artist and Technology Entrepreneur 

12. Illustrator 

Upcycled Jewellery Designer – Cat Ivins

A selection of the original, hand-crafted jewellery created by Cat Ivins using recycled materials.

Live speed-painting has allowed Cliff to amass a huge Google+ following, with almost 300,000 in his circles. It has also boosted the number of paid commissions he gets (for more detailed, fully rendered digital paintings, as in the examples below).

Detailed digital caricatures of Tim Jones and Noam Chomsky by Cliff Roth

Their furniture is available in the US and sells for well over $2,000 USD a chair

Four pieces from Bokja’s upcycled furniture range: antique couches and chairs covered with strips of recycled fabric – stunning, functional, abstract art

Font Designer –

…if you’re like me and you’re not excited by the idea of working for someone else, my advice would be as simple as do something for yourself. Have projects that you enjoy and take it seriously. Be patient and stick at it, you never know where it could take you. Even if you do have a full time job, have creative outlets and work hard at them. You’re young and most likely don’t have to support anyone but yourself right now, so there is no better time to put your ideas to work. – Daniel McQueen

Daniel McQueen in Ten Dollar Fonts’ Christchurch office

Graphic Artist / Printmaker / Collage artist – Matt Dinniman

A collection of some Collage-O-Rama’s popular animal prints on upcycled dictionary pages

Film Concept Artist – Dean Sherriff

Concept art completed by Dean Sherriff for ‘After Earth’ and ‘300: Rise of the Empire’ copyright Universal Pictures

Cake Decorator – Brian Stevens

Some of the exciting, sculptural cake designs produced by Brian Stevens of Crazy Cakes

Soft Toy Maker – Wendy Tsao

Wendy Tsao makes adorable soft toys inspired by the drawings of young children

Illustrator – Ryan Berkley

Two popular prints from Berkley Illustration: formally posed animals wearing traditional (human) attire

Online Art Gallery Creator, Artist and Technology Entrepreneur – Amanda Lane 

Exhibit contains simple, elegant gallery spaces for users to display their art. With the ability to move around the gallery, website visitors simulate viewing the works in real life

Pet Portrait Artist – Ron Burns

The appeal of Ron’s pet portraits lies in his intuitive understanding of colour: the selection of warm reds and oranges, contrasted with cools blues and greens, creating an image of hope and emotion in the dogs. Backgrounds have simplified flat, decorative areas, creating emphasis on the dogs alone.

Final words

The examples of Art, Photography, Sculpture, 3D Design, Game Design and Graphic Design jobs illustrated above are just a handful of the exciting career paths that are possible for high school Art students. It is clear that the journey to a creative career is not always clear cut. A Fine Art degree is not always necessary. Related degrees (Graphic Design, Animation, Computer Science, Web Design, Architecture, Marketing, Business) and/or skill-based courses – among many others – may also lead to successful outcomes.

Skill is practiced and refined ultimately by doing. Combine your artistic skill with ambition, generosity, persistence, hard work and business sensibility. If you want a creative career, carve out a little space in the world where you can become an expert: hone your craft via daily practice and make something that people love. Build a website and show off your talent. Let your work spiral out through social media and be discovered by the world. 

And remember: if you are one of those lucky enough to be good at Art and other things…be prepared for people to try and convince you that Art is a swift and certain route to poverty (it’s not: read 9 Reasons to Study Art in High School). If this happens to you, keep in mind that those who are good at Art and other things are in the best position of all to succeed.