Contextual Research in Art and Design

The importance of Research in

Art and Design

Contextual Research

Contextual sources may be works by artists, designers, craftspeople or architects, as well as cultural objects and artefacts. You can work from both primary and secondary contextual sources.

Studying how other artists and designers work is important to help your knowledge and understanding. Make notes on their ideas, techniques, style and development.

Idea Development

Aim to develop your own work rather than copying your source. This makes your work more personal and can be a valuable way of discovering new possibilities and developing your ideas.

When developing your ideas have you:

• used both primary and secondary sources?
• worked from a variety of different sources?
• worked in a range of media appropriate to your intentions?
• selected and presented your work so that the 'journey' is clear?

Primary Research

A primary source is one that you study directly from first-hand experience. Primary sources can be natural objects, artefacts, places, people or events.

Working directly from a primary source allows you to: change your viewpoint experience objects, images, people or places in different lighting conditions look at things closely or from further away

Tasks for Today

1. Library

Print out Primary research

Print out secondary research

Print out artist research

Secondary Research

2. Sketchbook Work

Presenting research and annotation

A secondary source is material produced by others. Secondary sources can be reproductions of images and artefacts, photographs, film, video or web-based material.

Work by other artists and designers should relate to your project in terms of subject matter, ideas, style, use of materials and processes or techniques.

Working from primary sources, you could:

incorporate materials into study sheets, collages or sculptures

produce sketches of your subject matter in a range of media

take rubbings or impressions from interesting surface textures

make a 3D study from an object using clay

take photographs, using different

viewpoints and lighting conditions

3.Plan out 2x ideas in your sketch book for animation

Working from secondary sources, you could:

interpret an image in different media. For example, a collage of a photograph.

alter the scale or proportions of an image using ICT

manipulate colours, tones and surfaces by using different media

4. Start to work on your favorite idea

Presenting your research

It's important to think about how you will present your research and build it into your own project. You could:

paste a printout of an image alongside your own study of a similar subject

start with a small section of an image and extend it in the style of an artist

work with the same media to produce studies that show you understand the artist's process, such as use of brush strokes, layering of colours or media, or photomontage.

Check list

When using contextual and other sources have you:

produced practical work from your research?

included notes or annotations to record your thoughts and ideas?

made your work personal, not just copied material?

selected and presented your work carefully?