[McWolf]

So I put down advanced higher Art this year, and I knew that it was mainly for portfolio building, but you could do advanced if you wanted to instead, since it's all one class.

Anyway, my teacher was talking about the course today, saying that portfolio doesn't give you a qualification, etc. but does give you a big portfolio of work to get into art college, etc. And that the two (portfolio and advanced higher) don't "marry with each other", as in they're two different things, and not much flexibility between them. Then my friend who's mum is an art teacher says they're basically the same except advanced you do an essay and get a grade for it.

I don't want to go to art college (planning on going to university to do Games Design) And heck if I'm going to put in all that work then I want a grade for it. :L

But is anyone sure if the differences between the two, and which one it is better to go for?

[IDon'tMind]

I've just started doing advanced this year and there was a girl last year who starting doing portfolio building but changed to advanced half way through the year. I think the only difference is that in advanced you pick a theme and develop it from investigation to development and then to your final solution(s) but in portfolio building you can pick a theme or just draw/paint a whole range of objects and trying out various techniques with no real final solutions so there's no progression like in advanced. I'd personally go for advanced because it shows more dedication in my opinion because you really have to commit to finishing the project.

[Albertine]

At my school they combine portfolio and Advanced higher, as alot of the portfolio stuff can be used in Advanced higher. I'm just doing Advanced higher.

[McWolf]

(Original post by Albertine)
At my school they combine portfolio and Advanced higher, as alot of the portfolio stuff can be used in Advanced higher. I'm just doing Advanced higher.

This is what I'm thinking about. Would you be allowed to do advanced higher, get your grade, etc. then have the stuff sent back to use as a portfolio? Or even before it's sent to the exam board? Having both a portfolio and an advanced higher grade seems really good, and also practical if the two really are mostly the same, and just involves doing an essay for example.

[Albertine]

(Original post by McWolf)
This is what I'm thinking about. Would you be allowed to do advanced higher, get your grade, etc. then have the stuff sent back to use as a portfolio? Or even before it's sent to the exam board? Having both a portfolio and an advanced higher grade seems really good, and also practical if the two really are mostly the same, and just involves doing an essay for example.

Well your interview is before June (AH date), infact well before (march sometime) so plenty of time to turn your folio into your AH coursework.

[McWolf]

Thanks for this! I'll talk to my art teacher about it. See if he'll let me. :L

[McWolf]

Right... so I talked to my art teacher about it, and he said it would be possible, though it would make it a lot harder for myself, and it's also difficult working within the restrictions of advanced higher, such as the essay, the fact you have to cut up drawings of your sketchbook to put on the sheet, which are done on one side only, whereas portfolio sketchbooks would be double sided, etc.

Can anyone explain to me what the writing part actually involves? In comparison to the higher written exam work anyway. I know you don't have to do an exam, but is it rather similar in terms of studying the artists and writing an essay referring to examples of their work? Or is there a lot more to it? I read on the advanced higher course arrangements on the SQA site, that Expressive work should be allocated 80 hours, and written 40 hours. That's one third of the time, and we spent nothing like this on written stuff in higher, regardless of the fact it makes up 1/3 of the the final grade.

[McWolf]

Just a question on the sketchbooks. Are you allowed to stick drawings you've just done on a seperate piece of card/paper into it? Or do they all have to be done directly on the sketchbook? Also if you give up on a drawing in the sketchbook, how do you cover it up?