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GCSE Art Final Piece

I'm nearing the date for my GCSE Art exam and I've spent my entire 2 weeks of Easter break making my final Art piece mockup but I don't know exactly how much the exam board wants. I want to make an abstract piece so I don't have to torture myself for 10 hours painting a portrait the size of a whiteboard (see the artist Brendon Cooper on TikTok for inspiration), but this seems too little to do in the exam and I fear there will be very little detail and not enough effort put in as I'll finish like 4 hours into the exam. Should I do something more complicated? (I chose Land Sea and Sky by the way, very poor theme and all the other ones are equally as naff)

Reply 1

Day Toy

yeah, although it is not correct for judging on people's art style but I would like to say that it might be not enough for ur final. The GCSE art examiner are actually looking for ur art skill in ur final piece so I'll suggest to do some fine art, although it might sounds boring but at least it makes sure that we can meet the exam board's requirements.

Reply 2

ryzenoctavian27

It's just that I'm very underprepared. My art teacher is a bit pretentious and shuts down ideas, plus she just shoves tasks in our face and says "do it" without teaching us about it. I barely understand any, if not all of the terminology used in art because I was never taught it. I used abstract art as a last resort because frankly I have not a single clue what to do and I seriously regret choosing the subject. I'm good at art, I've been drawing all my life but this just ain't it.

Reply 3

Emmmaaaa...

Original post by ryzenoctavian27

This was how I felt about art too - and from experience, it seems like most art teachers are abit pretentious.
My advice would be to pick something that shows your skills off the best, whatever that may be. And make sure it looks like 10 hours of work (or is it 5?). Make sure its large enough to do your skills justice, but not too large that yiou dont finish or have to rush it.
By whiteboard size do you mena like a4ish? Maybe do it abit larger so you can get more skill/detail shown.

If you are worried its not enough, make it bigger/more complex/more detailed.. adds some extra things to it to show off some more skills.
But mainly, so long as you justify it, you can do anything really. Make sure youve written some good stuff about it, and justified all your decisions (even if it requires some first class ********ting about art)

Reply 4

ryzenoctavian27

Oh I bet you I've wrote good stuff about my work. "Reams" of writing, as my art teacher says. I'm predicted 8s in English so I know a thing or two about waffling. Just a shame that she says that I write too much and the "examiner won't be asked to read all of it" - isn't that their job...?, and the fact that I'm on a Grade 4 despite the fact my work looks at least a Grade 6 (trust me, I'm being extremely honest), and another student who has made realistic pieces which look exactly like their reference image and wrote the same as me only got a Grade 5.
I'm planning to do it A3, so I'll have to see what I can fit in.