S1 Lesson 01: Introduction and the Theme Menu
A Level Art & Design · Unit 1 · Lesson 01 of 15 · L02 →
At a glance
| Sessions | 4 days (W1) |
| Dates | Tue 2026-09-01 → Fri 2026-09-04 |
| AO focus | AO1 Record, orientation |
| Deliverable | Committed theme with signed commitment card; source folder with first photographs; first line studies |
| Graded | Nothing is graded in W1–W2. The day-3 diagnostic is not marked but sets your baseline. |
| Homework | Reflection, 150 words: why your chosen theme can sustain four months (due Monday) |
Goal
By Friday you will know how the portfolio is marked, will have read what a top-band portfolio actually does, will have committed to one theme from the menu, and will have begun looking at it. The theme decision is the most consequential of the semester, and you make it against the criteria, not by mood.
How it runs
- Tue 09-01 — opener, no content. Introductions, getting to know the group, why this subject, how the course runs. Closes with the semester map (five units, four attainments, no spare days) and the four AOs in plain words — orientation only, no portfolio work and nothing graded. This is a linear June 2028 entry: a two-year course.
- Wed 09-02 — portfolio day. One finished 96/100 portfolio shown end to end, top band vs middle band two pages side by side, then portfolio reading in pairs against the AO-language worksheet. The theme menu is presented with its criteria — no choosing yet. Exit with a shortlist of two themes and one line of reasoning for each.
- Thu 09-03 — diagnostic drawing (one observed object, pencil only; kept, not marked); theme commitment signed off one-to-one against the five criteria; commitment card: theme, three source locations, first shoot date.
- Fri 09-04 — source folder setup (one phone folder, one physical); line-study demo (continuous then structural); line studies from first-hand objects within the theme.
Key content: the theme menu
A theme earns its place only if it passes all five criteria: (1) primary sources photographable within daily reach all semester; (2) survives four months of looking; (3) genuinely carries line, tone, texture and color; (4) opens both 2D and 3D development; (5) has a deep artist reference pool to draw from.
- Reflections and Surfaces — glass, water, screens, mirrors, polished metal in daily reach; distortion gives instant composition.
- Worn and Weathered — rust, peeling paint, cracked walls, mended objects; the strongest texture theme, with an excellent 3D loop into casting and relief.
- Hands at Work — people making and doing; figure drawing with a reason. This needs willing subjects, so check your access before you commit.
- Structures of the Everyday — the stacked, shelved and scaffolded; strong for line and shape. The risk is coldness, so your annotation must carry the why.