Getting Ready for your Graphic Design Course

Before starting your Level 3 course in September we would like you to produce a Summer Sketchbook. This will enable us to assess your creative ability and for you to demonstrate how well you work independently.

A requirement for entrance onto your Level 3 course is the completion of this sketchbook. Bring this work into College on your first day in September.

Sketchbook Guidelines

• Where you have been asked to discuss others work, the work can be hand-written or typed.
• Fill the pages.
• Have fun, work hard, and enjoy it. This is what you have chosen to study at a higher level, so this should not be a chore.
• If you have any worries or do not understand the tasks then contact your course tutor. We may not respond instantly but we will get back to you as soon as we can.

It is very important to consider the presentation of each page.

You need to buy an A5/ A4 sketch book for this project

Tasks for all students to undertake: You need to do these EIGHT drawing tasks if you have applied for Art, Graphics or Fashion

YOU MUST MAKE SURE THAT YOU DRAW FROM OBSERVATION I.E: the person or object is in front of you and you are looking at it when you produce your drawing.

• Draw your reflection in a spoon, kettle, tap or unusual reflective object. (Produce these drawing in biro or fine liner without taking your pen off the paper. Don’t worry if you make mistakes, just draw over them).
• Produce a timed drawing in FIVE minutes. (theme People)
• Produce a timed drawing in THREE minutes. (theme Fruit and/or vegetables)
• Produce a timed drawing in take SEVEN minutes. Draw people doing activities such as washing up, playing a sport, dancing etc, (use a pen to draw with).
• Draw a series of objects that you feel represent you. Use your opposite hand to draw with and don’t take your drawing medium off the page.
• Draw the contents of a drawer or a cupboard under the sink; add as much detail as you can.
• Print out an image of your face, tear the image in half and paste it down. Re-draw the other half of your face.
• Find four unusual surfaces or materials to draw on, each surface or material can be A5 in size. Think about what you can find at home such as, newspaper / brown paper / used envelopes / fabric, etc. Find an everyday object and draw the object on each surface but from a different angle each time, the mediums you use can be your own choice.

Any questions please contact

Caroline Herdman-Grant - c.herdman-grant@farn-ct.ac.uk

For each task we would like you to include a short paragraph explaining what you thought of the task and the work you made. Did you enjoy it? Was it easy or difficult?

• Find some food packaging that you think is dull and redesign it to make it exciting.
• Design a logo for a dog walking company using just an image.
• Design a logo for Penny’s Pet Parlour using just words.
• List as many uses for a paperclip that you can think of (at least 30!), draw 10 of them.
• Write out a poem or lyrics from a song, try to create a design from the words.
• Find 25 logos that you like. Try to show a wide range of styles and outcomes, and not of all the same kind (sports logos for example). Explain why you like at least 8 of them
• Find as many examples of different fonts as you can: decorative, formal, italic, bold etc. Pick 5 you think are good and try to re draw them (do NOT trace them).
• Use a paint brush and paint or ink to write out five words.
• Stick a really good photograph on this page that you have taken, tell me why you like it.
• Plan a poster advertising a carboard box, who will you advertise it to and how? – show your ideas as well as your final poster.
• Find an image produced by your favourite artists, stick it on a page and explain why you like it.
• Find a magazine page that you think is well designed and explain why you think it interesting.
• Fill any remaining pages with your own work. Remember to use a variety of different materials and styles.
• On the last page reflect on your book, what have you learnt? Has this been fun? Evaluate the work.