Refining ideas
After your initial development you should select an idea and work on refining it.
Refinement is the improvement of the idea. It does not involve radical changes, but is about making small changes which improve the idea in some way. This might be done by:
- Modification of the composition 鈥 eg replacing one object with another or changing a pose slightly
- Variation of a technique - eg trying oil pastel rather than painting to achieve an expressive style
- Adaptation of the idea - eg including some detail in the foreground of a landscape to add more depth and distance
- Alteration of an aspect - eg arranging objects in a triangular composition instead of a linear grouping, or changing the colour of the sky in a coastal scene to achieve a more dramatic atmosphere
- Enhancing an element of the idea - eg improving the application of a particular technique, or harmonising the background colours with other aspects of the composition
- Fine-tuning a technique or an aspect of the composition.
- Tweaking the positioning of a subject to make the composition more balanced, or to create more tension, as appropriate.
Exploring development in design
There are many ways to develop ideas for design. You could:
- Produce sketches to show initial ideas. In 2D design, this might be thumbnail drawingA small drawing used to sketch an idea for a composition. Thumbnails can be used to try variations of a composition without spending too much time. showing rough layout ideas. For 3D design, this might be perspective drawingDrawing which gives an illusion of three-dimensional depth or distance. Common techniques include one point perspective and two point perspective., or drawings of your ideas from different viewpoints.
- Experiment with visual elements, such as colour schemes, shapes, patterns or forms which relate to your sources of inspiration.
- Make fashion drawings on templateA pattern or shape which can be used to create multiple copies or versions. for fashion design work.
- Use fashion drawing templates to show how jewellery designs might fit on the body.
- Make sketch modelA rough model, often made with cheap materials, used to help solve problems and make decisions. for 3D design. These models can be made from cheap materials, like paper and card. They can be taped together, so that you can take them apart to make changes.
- Work on the computer to generate ideas for layouts or create perspective drawings using appropriate software packages.
- Make samples of techniques using different materials for jewellery or textiles designs.
- Take photographs of your 3D experiments.
More guides on this topic
- Finding inspiration - AQA
- Responding to stimuli - AQA
- Analytical drawing - AQA
- Creating a design brief - AQA
- Experimenting with materials and techniques - AQA
- Recording and observing - AQA
- Annotating your work - AQA
- Analysing and evaluating - AQA
- Assessment objectives and presenting your work - AQA
- Externally set assessment - AQA