Intensive Art & Design Portfolio Development (12 weeks)

Intensive Development

The course will allow you to focus on the intensive development of your art and design portfolio work and will enable you to demonstrate the appropriate level of design skills along with generic sketchbook and drawing skills so you will be able to successfully progress to your undergraduate degree course.

Students on this course will be from different cultural backgrounds. This diverse cultural experience is important to the learning and teaching methods which will help you to think creatively about your own background and cultural experience.

Tutor Engagement

The student to staff ratio of a maximum of 15:1 ensures an exceptionally high level of tutor engagement.

Art and Design teaching methods will include studio work, practical skills workshops, educational visits, one-to-one tutorials, lectures and seminars.

Assessment methods will range from presentations and critiques to portfolio reviews.

If you need the English language module you will study this in each stage of the course. This will help you develop academic skills for studying creative arts subjects in the medium of English. You will study the following areas: speaking, listening, reading, writing and language development (vocabulary and grammar). We will give you the chance to practise the English and skills that you learn through the practical and theoretical tasks, assignments and projects in the art and design units.

Course content

The first stage of the course will allow you to explore ideas, materials and processes in a focused way and in relation to the wider contemporary visual world. You will investigate different media, processes and techniques and learn about wider cultural and historical developments in art and design.

We will introduce you to the core principles and theoretical aspects of your specialist area to help you develop your understanding of the field. We will also introduce you to strategies for learning, such as research methods, study skills and self-directed independent learning skills. These strategies will help you explore the work of other creative artists and designers and analyse characteristics, content and meaning, so that you can gain knowledge and understanding that will critically inform your creativity.

In stage two you will undertake the intensive development of your art and design portfolio reflecting your personal ambitions and strengths and appropriate to the to your undergraduate degree course. This portfolio will demonstrate the knowledge and skills you have developed on the course.

Your work will be reviewed throughout the course to determine your progress on the following areas:

• A selected, organised and presented art and design portfolio of work including sketchbooks, developmental work, drawings, evidence of process exploration, concept development and realised final pieces of work.
• Reflective and evaluative written self evaluation
• English language competence

Facilities and resources

There are a wide range of resources to support the production of ambitious and creative art and design work at UCA's Epsom campus including:

• Dedicated fashion production studios
• Extensive printmaking and photographic facilities
• Computer studios including high-end production
• 3D Design workshops
• Media Store (Cameras, Lighting, Tripods)
• Photostudios
• Darkrooms
• Digital print room
• Textile printers
• Photographic printers and scanners
• Silkscreen printing
• Lecture facilities

Accommodation at UCA Epsom

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