A LEVEL
You’ll already be inspired by the work of a dizzying array of artists and have a real passion for creating your own.
You will experience a wide variety of exciting processes. You’ll be entranced by experimenting within broad themes such as portraits, cityscape and landscape, and still life. And you’ll want to take advantage of the extensive painting, drawing and printmaking facilities at Xaverian College to reach your full potential in the worlds of mixed media, collage or sculpture.
This Fine Arts course is one of our most popular A Levels.
You’ll learn from some of the most talented creators in your field. Meet visiting artists and spirited alumni, and work alongside them. Tour many of the region’s galleries and museums to gather your thoughts, ready for your next practical assignment.
You set the agenda.
You will create your own personal projects, developing your ideas. Refining techniques in your sketchbook to develop your skills, working in new ways to develop your artistic abilities in a highly creative environment. You will enjoy constructive feedback from your peers and mentors to build a portfolio of Xaverian work that is beyond anything you ever expected you would achieve.
We’re excited you’re considering joining us for this journey in Fine Art. Whether oil or acrylic, pen or pencil, charcoal or chalk, mono or screen printing, canvas, wood, clay, you’ll have every chance to express yourself and reach heights of creativity you never dared imagine.
How far would you go seeking inspiration? We’re thinking trips to Berlin, Barcelona and New York.
Though with one of the world’s most creative cities on your doorstep, you never have to travel far to get those creative juices flowing. We have super close ties with the Whitworth Art Gallery, 10 minutes’ walk from campus. Students have collaborated with its visiting professional artists on a huge range of inspiring multi-discipline projects.
We think it is really important to work alongside practising artists, and regularly attend gallery workshops.
And in recent years artists including Jamil Keating, Sophie Mason and Bella Leonard have visited the Xaverian campus to deliver workshops on resin casting, performance and conceptual art, and sculptural textiles.
Join the Creative Consultants group at Manchester Art Gallery or The Young Contemporaries at the Whitworth and you’ll have the chance to create work, and curate an exhibition, with fellow artists.
Xaverian alumni Rosie Sevink-Johnson had her work exhibited at the London Royal Academy. And we’ve had fashion students display at Manchester Art Gallery.
Still life is all textures, angles, light, shadows, reflections, angles and perspectives.
Still life is all textures, angles, light, shadows, reflections, angles and perspectives. Today you’re getting the chance to respond to a dynamic still life arrangement and explore the nuances of light and dark.
Join our teachers and students as they work through an observational, mark-making exercise to develop interpretations appropriating from two entirely different artists.
We go Cubist with pencil and charcoal before an entirely different approach modelled on the work of Alberto Giacometti with pen, pencil, charcoal and chalk.
Fine Art students can head into creative careers such as teaching, fashion, interior design or gallery roles.
With your eye for detail and understanding of form you might choose an architecture route.
Fine Art experience also lends itself to exciting careers in film, television, marketing and design or a whole host of roles in the creative industries.
There are lots of different degree courses related to Fine Arts. During the course you’ll find a passion which may lend itself in one of these directions:
You will work and develop ideas using a range of processes, skills and techniques producing a portfolio of coursework. Over the year you will work on 3 short projects leading into a sustained project.
You will develop a practical project which will be supported by a written element of 1000- 3000 words.
You will have approximately ten weeks to produce prep work. At the end of this lead in time you will produce final work in 15 hrs of unaided, supervised time.
Six good passes at GCSE including two at grade 6 or above
Grade 5 from Art GCSE, Merit or above if BTEC
A portfolio of work will be considered for those without a related course
Grade 6 required in Art when taking two or more art-based subjects
2 years
1 exam project, 1 coursework project
AQA
Linear A-level
