AS 91318 Annotated exemplars

This annotated exemplar is intended for teacher use only. Annotated exemplars are extracts of student evidence, with commentary, that explain key parts of a standard. These help teachers make assessment judgements at the grade boundaries.

Download all exemplars and commentary [PDF, 2.7 MB]

TKI Visual Arts assessment resources (external link)

For Excellence, the student needs to extend ideas in a related series of drawings appropriate to established printmaking practice.

This involves critically analysing, evaluating, and further developing a concept, subject matter, problem or situation, in drawings appropriate to established practice.

The student begins with research and annotations (1) of five printmaking approaches. These present a wide range of responses to the Kiwiana theme, and provide a sound foundation for the development of personal imagery.

The student then integrates ideas from two or more artists to produce their own original works rather than derived emulations. For example, the tiki Foursquare man (2) combines the irreverent humour of Dick Frizzell, the flat colouring of Emma McCleary, and geometric patterning of Gordon Walters.

A weaving pattern (3) is then used to extend beyond the pictorial ideas provide by the artist models. Further extension is undertaken in a digital series (4) that uses Andy Warhol as an additional artist model to extend the investigation in a new direction.

For a more secure Excellence, the student could continue to explore the visual ideas emerging in the digital outcomes (4). This would secure the students own pictorial extension rather than returning to the visual strategies of Frizzell and Novak (5).

The horizontal and vertical stripes (4), as well as the solarisation effects, could be further developed in an alternative print medium. This could lead back to the geometric optical art of Gordon Walters but with an entirely new twist on the theme.

For Merit, the student needs to clarify ideas in a related series of drawings appropriate to established printmaking practice.

This involves analysing, reflecting on, and further developing a concept, subject matter, problem or situation, in drawings appropriate to established practice.

Solar plates (5) and digital outcomes (7) show clarification of the student’s thematic and compositional ideas. This clarification is supported by an appropriate artist model investigation (1), image gathering process (2) and period of preparatory drawing (3).

The student’s planning drawings (3) clearly consider the role of light, shadow, placement, and perspective in creating pictorial effects. The annotations (4) show the consideration of how the pictorial elements affect the reading of the work.

Digital prints (7) use solarisation effects as a stylistic extension of the compositional and telematic ideas, which are clarified in the solar plate outcomes (5).

To reach Excellence, the student could fully resolve the stylistic properties of the second set of prints (7). This may involve using Photoshop’s saturation and hue controls to create more balanced, contrasting or unexpected colour and tonal relationships.

It may also be useful to further advance the pictorial and compositional aspects of the images. For example, the second set of planning drawings (6) provides authentically different framing and viewpoint alternatives to the initial compositions derived from cropped photographs.

Alternatively, the student may use the elegant drawings themselves as 

For Merit, the student needs to clarify ideas in a related series of drawings appropriate to established printmaking practice.

This involves analysing, reflecting on, and further developing a concept, subject matter, problem or situation, in drawings appropriate to established practice.

This student presents a sustained investigation of an identified theme that focuses equally on the pictorial and technical responses to the proposition.

The investigation employs a variety of print processes including monoprint (4), lithography (5) and digital (2) (3) techniques. This testing of print processes and procedures during the developmental phases of the investigation enhances students’ opportunity to clarify technical ideas.

The student develops pictorial ideas including high key colour (2) (3), symmetrical composition (3) (5), and layering of imagery to show the passage of time (1) (2). These considerations are sufficiently developed and consistent to fulfil the clarification requirements of the criterion for Merit.

For a more secure Merit, the student could produce outcomes that integrate the different pictorial approaches to the theme. For example, the final lithograph (5) could include some the mechanical elements and strong colour of the digital outcomes (2) (3). This would reinforce the ‘passage of time’ concept and rich visual interest of the earlier work.

The student could also build more systematically upon the strengths of the preceding work to ensure that the overall investigation is clearly a ‘related series’.

For Achieved, the student needs to develop ideas in a related series of drawings appropriate to established printmaking practice.

This involves responding to and building on a concept, subject matter, problem, or situation, in drawings appropriate to established practice.

This student presents a sustained investigation of pictorial ideas based on a playing card theme. The compositional ideas generated in the drawings (2) (5) are successfully transferred to printmaking processes (4) (6). The pictorial ideas Jonathan Lasker and Jim Dine are identified in the initial investigation (1) and are clearly evident in the final outcomes (6) (7).

The print outcomes (3) (4) (6) (7) show sound management of the characteristics and constraints of each process (Explanatory Note 5). These include the even distribution of ink and clean print edges.

To reach Merit, the student could further develop one of the stylistic approaches identified. For example, either the pictorial formal grid structure (4) or the technical expressive mark-making could form the basis of a series of clarified outcomes.

The first print (3) contains aspects of both formal and expressive approaches. Reflecting on and further developing this work could lead to an appropriate clarification of pictorial and technical ideas.

For Achieved, the student needs to develop ideas in a related series of drawings appropriate to established printmaking practice.

This involves responding to and building on a concept, subject matter, problem, or situation, in drawings appropriate to established practice.

The student identifies three appropriate compositional approaches to the still life subject (1) which are then applied in the developmental drawing. These include the close cropping of Michael Smither (2) (3) and the tilted picture plane of Paul Cezanne (4) (5).

Monoprint (6) and transfer (8) processes are used to produce print outcomes based on the drawings. These works show the procedural characteristics and constraints of established printmaking practice.

For a more secure Achieved, the student could produce additional print outcomes that build upon the colour, compositional, and pattern ideas developed in the drawings. For example, the final drawing (7) includes the particular pictorial devices of tilted picture plane, flat decorative patterning, cropped objects, and dark empty background. A transfer or lithograph print outcome would show technical development of these ideas.

Alternatively, the student could further refine the technical processes used in the final print (7). This would show technical development through a more accurate reflection of the observational accuracy of the initial drawing (3).

For Achieved, the student needs to develop ideas in a related series of drawings appropriate to established printmaking practice.

This involves responding to and building on a concept, subject matter, problem, or situation, in drawings appropriate to established practice.

The student identifies three different pictorial approaches (1) as the artists are all painters and do not use printmaking materials and techniques.

The student generates a variety of compositional ideas (2) with the later works (3) using the tight framing pictorial approach of Michael Smither.

The print outcome (4) applies a different pictorial approach in terms of isolated objects and high key colour.

To reach Achieved, the student could use the strongest compositional ideas (3) for the print outcome. This would show the development of these ideas through the modification of colour, tone and form within the context of print based processes. This would also reinforce the ‘related series’ requirements where the student recognises and builds upon a particular thematic and stylistic approach.

For Achieved, the student would also need to show more sustained development of technical printmaking ideas through the production of two or more print outcomes. Each following print could respond to and build upon the successful features of the preceding work.