Clarification details
Updated May 2014. This document has been updated to address issues that have arisen from moderation.
General descriptors
Rendering in the context of this standard is the communication of form unassisted by the use of any electronic technologies. Rendering may be applied to sketched or instrumental drawings.
Appropriate tonal change
The standard requires the student to indicate the tonal qualities produced by an identified light source and its three dimensional effects on the object’s shape and surface qualities.
This means that a range of colour/tone, from light to dark, should be applied over a shape to show the three dimensional effect of the object. This is most commonly seen as a gradation over a curved surface or different tonal value on different surfaces of a rectangular shape.
The tonal values should follow the contours of the object and start to define the object's 3D shape/form.
Consistent application of rendering
Work for this standard can be presented as a single drawing or a range of drawings.
Rendering techniques that go beyond tonal value need to include some that have been consistently applied- highlights, reflection, shadow, surface qualities, texture, material etc.
The student may not need to show all these characteristics, but assessors must look for rendering techniques that are consistently applied across one or more drawings and for a good attempt to make the surfaces appear as intended (e.g. reflective, made of timber, bright shiny plastic etc.).
At Excellence
To achieve with Excellence, the rendering of an object must clearly indicate what the material is, how light interacts with that material and textures of the alternate surfaces, how shadow is cast across the surfaces and how shadow is cast against the surface on which the object sits. Students must also meet the Merit criteria to consistently apply rendering techniques.