Approaches to your expressive stimuli

Student wing-themed drawings using different media — Figure caption,
Taking wings as a stimulus has resulted in very different responses from different media and techniques for this student

You can respond to the same stimuli in different ways to create very different results. Think about the style you are interested in achieving and which aspect of the stimuli interests you most. When you are making drawings or taking photographs, consider:

Realism – what degree of realism are you trying to achieve?
Expressive qualities – are you interested in expressive mark-making, or in recreating the style of a particular artist or art ?
Visual elements – which are the most important visual elements?
Attention to detail – are you interested in capturing detail? If so, think about close-up viewpoints.
– are there abstract qualities in the stimuli that you would like to explore?
Capturing a mood – is your response about capturing or communicating a particular mood or atmosphere?

Annotated drawings of flowers — Image caption,
This student has experimented with different materials and techniques to recreate the artistic element they are exploring

Using artworks as stimuli for expressive work

Student still life showing inspiration from Scottish colourist images — Figure caption,
This student's still life experiment clearly states and shows its inspiration in the work of the Scottish Colourists

Artists who work in your chosen area and whose ideas and techniques you are interested in can be a good source for stimulus.

Choose key artists who will influence your own practical work and analyse their techniques. This work can be presented in a number of different ways:

in your sketchbook
in a jotter
as a presentation on sheets of paper or card
as a digital presentation using software of your choice
as a blog

You should consider how the artists’ approaches might influence your own work. Think about:

key visual elements and how they are used
the style of the work and how this is achieved
- Does it belong to a particular art movement?
- What are its characteristics?
social and cultural influences that have had an impact on the artworks
materials and techniques used

Make this work visual. Include as many relevant images as possible. See if you can find close-up details of the works or see the work in real life if possible. This will help you understand the artists’ techniques.

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Responding to stimuli - OCRApproaches to your expressive stimuli