A2 Art students are required to produce a detailed Personal Study (previously known as the Related Study for CIE students). The Personal Study is a critical and visual appraisal or theoretical study of any aspect of the visual arts. It is usually an analysis of historical or contemporary art or design that focuses on one or both of the following:
- Process and materials (the way an artist or group of artists use/s media);
- Subject or theme (the way an artist approaches a similar topic, generally with reference to composition, technique and the visual elements – line, texture, space, colour etc).
It may or may not relate to your AS or A2 Coursework, although a link between the two can be helpful. This is a new requirement – it used to be that the Personal Study had to relate to Coursework.
Whatever topic is chosen, students must have first-hand access to at least some of the art or design work analysed in their study. It is also beneficial to have access to sketches, planning, incomplete and finished works, so that students are able to understand and illustrate the art-making process.
Students are required to submit:
- 1 x Personal Study (max 3,500 words, maximum size A1). It may be presented in any appropriate written and/or practical format, including an illustrated formal essay; a structured sequence of annotated art or design work; a presentation of slides; VHS video footage; digital or multimedia presentation (these must be backed up by hardcopy). The Personal Study must include an:
- Introduction
- Conclusion;
- Bibliography.
Prior to beginning the Personal Study, students should submit a Outline Proposal Form, which details: intentions (the focus of the Study); sources for first-hand study; sources of other information; bibliography; and your teacher’s comments.
Related Study Presentation Ideas
CIE gives the following recommendations:
If a balance of visual and written analysis is presented it should not exceed 3500 words. Alternatively, a carefully structured sequence of annotated drawings, paintings, photographs, prints or three-dimensional objects may be presented in any appropriate format. A carefully-ordered slide, tape or video presentation or any combination of written or recorded analysis with any possibility of graphic presentation is also permissible. An introduction, a conclusion and a bibliography are expected to be included in each type of presentation.
This vibrant fold-away sketchbook completed by art teacher Tom Wood illustrates an interactive method of presentation that may be suitable for your Personal Study.
In other words, virtually any format is acceptable. Formats that have not been specifically mentioned above include a mounted display or an onscreen presentation, such as a PowerPoint, blog page or vlog (as long as examiners travel to your school for assessment and there are facilities for setting up computers in the moderation and assessment area when the examiners arrive). If you are contemplating a digitally displayed presentation, it is best to seek advice from the examiners prior to beginning your study.
The best personal studies are those that are visually appealing; show artistic and literary skill; communicate a message clearly; and visually complement the artist/s or designer/s studied.
The Personal Study is a substantial project, which cannot be completed at the last minute. Every aspect of the study should be carefully researched and organised. Students must plan and consider the content, order and structure of their study, as well as the presentation methods, including, for example, how they will integrate text and image, as well as selection of font style and colour (the examiners must be able to read the text clearly – if there is any doubt about this, send a typed copy of the text with your submission), text alignment, page format, paper colour and weight, column widths and so on. Illustrations should be exceptionally high quality, relevant to the topic and selected carefully. It is advisable that many of these are hand-crafted or photographed by the student themselves, rather than the majority being second hand images sourced from the internet. Tactile, textured paintings are likely to be better displayed in the flesh, whereas photographic or graphic work may suit a digitally created presentation. Those who are able to create beautiful video footage of an artist working might consider making a DVD. It is worth noting here that while the presentation should be exciting, beautiful and visually interesting, a wildly unusual presentation style is not necessary – a beautifully composed ‘book’ presentation is more than capable of achieving 100%.
A2 Personal Study Assessment:
The A2 Personal Study is worth 40% of your A2 Art course and 20% of your final A- Level Art grade. It is externally assessed (i.e. marked by CIE examiners). Most countries send the Personal Study to Cambridge University to be moderated; other counties, like New Zealand, are lucky enough to have the examiners travel to them.
The Personal Study is given a single mark out of 100, using the following criteria:
A-Level Art Personal Study Examples
Below are some examples of some ordinarily presented (yet beautiful) sketchbook layouts, as well as some more creative Personal Studies (or Related Studies). I am actively looking to illustrate a wider range here. If you have or know anyone who would be willing to share their work on this post (A Grade work only) then please contact me.
A beautiful hand-generated sketchbook presentation by Tess from Worth School:
This student sketchbook is an example of a plain and simple hand-generated layout, suitable for an A-Level Art Personal Study or Related Study. The advantages of this presentation style are that it is fast and easy; it can be completed with ordinary materials and media; and it does not distract from the work itself. Such a presentation method is less successful when the student's handwriting is illegible and insufficient care is taken with arrangement and placement of the images.
An A2 Painting Personal Study by Jennifer Neeve from William de Ferrers School:
This stunning Personal Study is evidence that outstanding artwork alongside typed written analysis can be all that is needed. Effort put into the generation of outstanding practical work and an in-depth written analysis, rather than a comprehensive presentation method, allowed this student to gain 100% in A-Level Art.
A2 Painting Related Study by Nikau Hindin of ACG Parnell College:
This A2 Painting Related Study (CIE 9704) by Nikau Hindin analyses the artwork of Kelcy Taratoa. The cover is a replication of one of Taratoa's works, with the text replaced with the title of the Related Study. Parts of the painting fold out, as shown in the photograph below. Nikau achieved 98% for her overall A-Level grade.
This A2 Painting Related Study has fold out panels, integrating digital and hand painted work. The folded out pieces have typed passages and visual studies glued neatly to both sides. The Related Study is several layers deep, with ample room for a comprehensive written analysis.
An A-Level Art Personal Study by Elizabeth Nicholson from William de Ferrers School:
This Personal Study involves folding out panels containing text and visual material, with the presentation cleverly linking to the chosen artist Mondrian. Elizabeth achieved 100% in A-Level Art.
Digital presentation by Martyn Littlewood:
This is not an A-Level Art Personal Study, however it gives an indication of the many exciting ways in which visual essays can be presented using modern technology. Bear in mind that however your Related Study is presented, it must be possible for the examiners to assess it easily in your absence.
A Personal Study by Scott Robinson from William de Ferrers School:
This 'A' grade Personal Study uses a combination of drawings, collage and computer generated material to create a striking, easily read, contemporary, magazine style layout. It is possible that such a layout such could be entirely digital, with images scanned, allowing for ease of text editing and layout manipulation.
A Personal Study by Yantra Scott from William de Ferrers School:
This sculptural Personal Study is highly creative and original presentation style for an A2 Art (Painting) submission, and resulted in a final grade of 100% being achieved. This large provocative wall display, incorporating typed text passages and scantily clad women, is accompanied by a sculptural installation that includes a collaged toilet bowl and text covered vase. Brilliant! 
This blog post relates to the A2 Personal Study, Component 4, CIE 9704 A-Level Art and Design – the International version of A-Levels, run by the University of Cambridge. Information is sourced from the CIE A-Level Art and Design syllabus. It is hoped that the examples of student work and other posts on this site will also be of value to students studying Art under other examination boards, including those studying Level 1 – 3 NCEA Art in New Zealand.
Written by Amiria Gale [artist + experienced teacher]:
- Art and Design Teacher for seven years;
- Faculty Co-ordinator, responsible for the course design, curriculum development and assessment of Art and Design work in high-achieving Auckland schools;
- Bachelor of Architectural Studies; Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours) and Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary);
- CIE Accredited Art & Design and Design & Technology Coursework Assessor.
[This is part of a series of blog posts aimed at assisting Art A-Level students to gain exemplary grades]
Hi again Amiria,
For the Personal Study presentation style (Component 4), I wanted to check what are the different ways of presenting this dissertation. From what I see above in your blog, paintings/artworks are pasted on an A1 sheet and alongside the commentary is given. Do you then bind the sheets together. My son will be reviewing a style of painting which requires a lot of writing and explanation of techniques used. A lot of photos of painting alongside is also planned.
Do you have any suggestions about the presentation style? I am sure he will benefit from your feedback.
SV
Hi again SV,
CIE is really quite open in terms of presentation, as indicated by the post above. It is worth noting, however, that while A1 is listed as the maximum dimension permissible, it is quite rare for students to work in this large format for this component. The vast majority of Personal Studies I have seen are roughly A4 or A3 in size (although many students choose unusually proportioned paper, i.e. cut pages into long thin rectangles etc, rather than sticking with the standard A4) that are then bound along one edge (usually just a spiral binding, although some students get them professionally bound). A smaller size is quite convenient (in terms of students easily being able to transport them to and from school while the project is being completed) and is also easier for those students who have a digital aspect to their presentation (printing large pages is expensive and impossible in many schools). Some students also work directly into prebound books – i.e. an A4 sketchbook. This is convenient and works well for some students but can also appear messy if attempted by the wrong student. Presentation methods also depend on whether the examiners will come to your school for assessment. In New Zealand the examiners come to the school, which means larger, bulkier work – or installation type work or digital presentations – are feasible.
Unfortunately it is difficult for me to be very specific with my answer as there is really not one best way of responding. The only real advice I can give is that your son should be largely directed by the style of the artwork he is studying. For example, if it is a geometric work with lots of angular edges, he might present his study as a painting that has fold out components. If it is more traditional style of painting, a simple, clean rectangular format that does not distract from the images may be best.
As a final note, I also tend to encourage my students to use a computer to generate the text, as this makes revision / corrections much easier. Typed font is also easier to read and is usually less distracting than handwriting. I encourage my students to write the essay part of their assignment first (planning the images and layout at the same time) and then to edit and refine the text until it is as perfect as they can get it, and then print it onto good quality paper. They can then paint or draw directly onto this paper if need be (this avoid excessive cutting and pasting, which can look messy if carried out by the wrong student. Photography, graphic design students and some painting students will print all the images at the same time (i.e. completing the whole page layouts digitally). Again, this really just depends, as sometimes a collaged / layered look fits in perfectly with the nature of the artwork studied.
Please also note that most of the examples illustrated in the post above just show parts of a student’s Personal Study and not the whole work.
Sorry I cannot be more helpful – please don’t hesitate to ask if you need further clarification.
Thanks for the excellent inputs Amiria. You are an angel!!!
Son will be going ahead with either A3 or A4 size printed format (after he experiments with what looks better) with paintings interspersed in between, as and when an annotation is required.Maybe we will bind it with a relevant painting on the cover with his name, and other details. I may just bother you again once we are in the thick of things. But thanks so much for your time and patience.
SV.
Thank you
Yes, a cover with image / name / title etc is a good idea. In most cases, the Personal Study ends up looking like a beautiful little book.
Best wishes.
Hi Amiria,
Just a teeny weeny doubt.A little silly maybe, but thought I would take your feedback. We can add the digital photos along with the text and then take a print on good paper. We don’t need to ‘paste’ photographs for the study, isn’t i? My son wants to bring out the Personal Study to look like a regular book!
SV
Yes, printing images as well as text is common – particularly for those specialising in Photography or Graphic Design. This usually creates a much more professional finish than cut and pasting. Sometimes students even scan their own drawings and include these also. In the case of a Painting and Related Media student, however, it is usually not ideal to scan their own drawings and paintings, as these have beautiful surface qualities that are often lost when scanning / printing. So, while it is a great idea to print images of the artist work directly onto the paper, any of your son’s own drawings or paintings should (in almost all cases) be either cut and glued onto the page, or drawn directly onto the page after printing, so that the examiner is able to appreciate them fully. Please let me know if I didn’t explain that clearly…
hey amiria,
for my personal study I am planning to study and compare one artist who I know and she stays in my city with another artist who is internationally renowned (viewing her works in an art museum). I am confused about whether the personal study should only involve the analysis and evaluations of the works of these artists or whether, in the course of studying these artists, I am also suppose to create my own composition – inspired after evaluating and critically analyzing the works of said artists – This is something I saw in the examples of personal studies the website mentioned on your blog – http://www.juliastubbs.co.uk.
Hi Aria,
No, you are not supposed to create your own works within the Personal Study. This is purely an evaluative type assignment.
At one of the training days I attended, which was taken by the examiners, however, they mentioned it can be a good idea for students to include a section in the study which explains how the artist relates to the Coursework. This was a few years ago, however – at this stage it was compulsory for the Personal Study artist to relate to the Coursework; now it is not. If your Personal Study artist does influence your Coursework then it may be a good idea to include a section like this. This section would involve photographs of your coursework, with notes / diagrams / explanation explaining how your artist has influenced your work. It would not be new work specifically for your Personal Study though – it would simply document what you had already done for your Coursework.
Please note that the Julia Stubbs site contains AQA A Level Art, not CIE. It is helpful in terms of the quality of work etc (and because the basic learning process in any art course is the same) but not in terms of exact curriculum requirements.
Hope that helps
hey amiria,
the artists that i have chosen for the personal study do relate to my coursework, however so far i have not considered using any of them as reference artist models for the coursework itself…(is this neseccary?), therfore i wont be able to include any coursework photographs of this artists influence in the personal study…
so… can i just explain how the themes or topics these artists are dealing with are similar to my coursework theme and comment how they relate to my coursework on those terms??
Hi Aria,
I have only ever taught students whose Personal Study artist relates directly to their coursework and influenced their work etc (as this is only a very recent change to the CIE syllabus) so I am not 100% sure on the best way to proceed in your situation. I would guess that it is probably just best to mention that you were drawn to the artist due to a similarity between the themes explored in their work and your coursework etc (in your introduction or somewhere else appropriate). It is unlikely to be worth having a separate section about this, as you wouldn’t have anything to say. Obviously candidates whose artists has no relationship at all with their coursework will not even mention this…
The examiners are pretty forgiving, and there is rarely one right way to do things in this subject…so I think the sort of thing you are suggesting sounds fine.
Hey amiria,
I’m currently working on both components, where my course work I’m planning to create a year book cover and few pages of the year book as well as re creating my school logo.
In my personal study I’m researching about graphic design and how things operates in graphic design field. I’ve already visited factories that produces note books and gift box. Both of my course work and personal study are linked because they are all part of graphic design
However I am not sure what should I do inorder to secure an A* in the end of this year last year my AS I’ve got 91% A where I really want to get an A* in the end what will I need to include inorder to secure an A* ??
Hi Wen YI,
The first advice I would give is that you need to be more specific in your Personal Study topic. The description you have given so far is extremely broad and could virtually cover any aspect of Graphic Design. You would benefit greatly from select a particular area and study this in depth, rather than attempt to cover a broad overview of Graphic Design.
If you want your study to help you with your Coursework, you might choose, for example, to study the process that a particular firm undergoes when it designs logos – looking at the whole process from start to finish – perhaps comparing and contrasting this to another firm. Alternatively, you might look at a particular aspect of graphic design that interests you, such as the use of sustainable or environmentally friendly materials in graphic design products. As you have already conducted site visits however, you will no doubt want to form a topic that can include this work. What did you learn from these visit? If the knowledge you gained was mainly to do with the production of note books and gift boxes (i.e. how they were made in the factory, rather than how they were designed) you might have a topic along the lines of: ‘Common production methods used in [insert your city name] factories and the implications these have for graphic designers’. In this case you might be looking at how graphic design items are made, with detailed photographs, diagrams, analysis alongside discussion about how this affects a graphic designer who might be designing such items.
Are you a CIE student? If so, I strongly advise submitting an Outline Proposal Form. The examiners will look over your topic and let you know if they deem it to be acceptable. Please let me know if you need further assistance – it won’t take me so long to reply next time – I have had an extremely busy few weeks!
Best wishes and good luck with your projects.
hi amiria im an art teacher from pakistan teaching A level studnets . my studnets go well with course work projects but when it comes to related study they loose marks which affect their grades.is that compulsory to have a comparison between two artisit or artisit interviews should be done? wht if they choose a topic and none of the artisit or sources are available within the city or coutry in this case can they use internet resources for that.
Hi Sabahat,
Thank you for your comment. It is lovely to get more teachers reading my site.
It is not compulsory for the students to have a comparison between two artists, however it is strongly recommended that first-hand contact be had between the student and an artist/designer/photographer/sculptor who is studied. This first-hand contact could be a visit to their studio and an interview conducted in person (this is the ideal situation) or an interview by email, with students viewing the art or design work in a gallery. In either case, the student should be able to access the artworks first-hand, so that they are able to clearly see textures, colours and use of media etc. Students should only choose a topic that they are can investigate and experience – at least partly – first-hand.
If you live in an isolated environment where there isn’t many ‘successful’ artists, it can be a good idea to find a lesser well known artist and analyse their work along with a relevant famous artist, to give the students a wider learning opportunity.
Internet sources are fine for some of the study (in fact, most students will support their finding with knowledge gained from books, internet and other sources), but at least part of it must be first-hand.
Hope this helps!
Hi Amiria, im an art student, currently working on my personal study component in A level art. I have become confused as to how much of my study should be comprised of my own work relating to the theme of my study which is ‘hope’. i was wondering if i should focus more on evaluating and analysing the work of a famous painter or a certain style of art that developed over time, rather than having a topic like hope which may be better for my coursework.last year my art grades were lower than predicted due to a botch-up that wasnt my fault, and my teacher seems a little confused as to what exactly is required for the personal study in A levels. id really like to achieve higher grades this time, so i would be really really gratefull for any input you have for me. thank you so much
Hi Sally,
This is a common confusion, so I will try and be really clear.
The Personal Study should be an analysis of the work of an artist/designer/photographer etc (or a style of art etc) not about your own work. Very often the Personal Study has drawings and paintings within it that you have produced, but these are almost always copies of artist works or diagrams of their composition etc – not your own original works. Your own original work should be created within your Coursework project. Often students choose a topic for their Personal Study which relates to their Coursework (as this can be very helpful, providing extra knowledge etc that helps make your Coursework better), but the work within the Personal Study is about an artist, not about you. In your case, you might choose a topic such as ‘How hope has been portrayed within the artwork of [insert the name of a local painter]‘ or perhaps how a few different artists have depicted ‘hope’ within their work.
Are you a CIE Art and Design student? (I am only experienced in CIE Art and Design, so my comments relate specifically to this). If you are, you should definitely submit an Outline Proposal Form, which gives the examiners the chance to check your topic and make sure it is acceptable before you proceed.
Please don’t hesitate to ask again if you need further help.
Hi I have just been going through your site and it has been a real help in clearing up some of my questions about the personal study. I was wondering if you have any examples of the written parts of the personal study for more clarity as to what the examiners are looking for. Also I still don’t understand if I should put images of art I have done, basic off of the artist I am studying, in my personal study presentation or if I should put the art pieces that inspire me from the artiest that I am studying?
Hi Angelina,
I will work on getting some examples of the written parts of the Personal Study on my site. Thank you for the suggestion – I know these would be helpful for students to view.
As for the images, they should mainly comprise of: photocopies of the artist works; your own imitations of whole or parts of the artist works; drawings or diagrams of artist works, i.e. to illustrate the composition structure etc; photos from when you visited the artist, possibly showing the artist working and their equipment / materials etc. You may have one section discussing how this artist was relevant to your Coursework, and include some copies of your own work there, but essentially the art within the related study should be the artist’s (or your copies of the artist works etc).
Hope that helps!
thanks alot amiria for your precious comments i hope they will help me out
Thank you so much amiria!!This has been a big help, things are getting much clearer for me now.:)
hi amiria one of my student wants to do her personal study on paper quiling is this aright topic to choose what will be the firts hand source for her , she splanning to see work of different quiling work done by artisit an will experiment it by herself please guide how it will be concluded in the end
thanx
Hi Sabahat,
Do you mean the ‘quilling’ technique of making an image from small pieces of rolled or folded paper? She should only choose this (or any) topic if she is able to see relevant artworks first-hand. Is she able to see quilling artworks in person? The other thing I should mention is that some quilling artworks are intricate and stunning; others are simple and superficial in nature. She would benefit from choosing skilful pieces of art, rather than superficial pieces.
She might base a personal study on quilling around things such as: different practical techniques that are used; how the 3D element influences the design of a quilling work; how tone is dealt with in a quilling artwork (perhaps in comparison to the way it is dealt with in a traditional painting); modern applications of quilling, with a look at how a range of different contemporary artists have used quilling. These are just suggestions – there are many possibilities. Bear in mind that while your student may produce her own artist imitations / experiments etc, the focus of the personal study is the analysis of the work of others – it is not to produce a body of her own work.
The conclusion will summarise the things your student has learned within the study – perhaps indicating how these will influence her Coursework project (if indeed it relates to her project). The conclusion typically outlines the key points. While quite a formal project, in my experience the examiners very much appreciate seeing personal viewpoints and discussions (rather than a purely academic collation of information, for example), so these should be integrated throughout the project.
Hope that helps!
Hi, thanks so much for your earlier reply, it was really helpful. I just had one more question about the personal study. The artist that I chose to study, what connection to each other do they have to be based on, medium, style, content etc? Or does this not matter?
Hi again Angelina,
The related study can be based on process and materials (i.e. the way they apply mediums / styles and techniques etc) or the subject or theme (the ‘content’). Either is fine.
When you say the ‘connection to each other’ – who are you referring to? Your Coursework and the artist chosen? There doesn’t actually have to be any connection (if you are studying CIE Art and Design, that is). It just needs to be a topic that you are interested in and something that is substantial enough for you to produce a big assignment on it. If it does relate to your Coursework, it can be relationship purely of technique, or composition…or anything really.
Hey Amiria,
I am currently doing my personal study in photography, focusing on nature and wildlife but it still seems like such a broad topic to cover and study!!!….any idea how to narrow it down??!!!
Hi Chania7,
You are right, your topic definitely seems far too broad to study successfully. I would focus on one particular aspect of wildlife photography that interests you, choosing a topic such as ‘An exploration of movement: a comparison of three wildlife photographers‘ (in which case you might look at the techniques used when photographing rapidly moving wild animals – blurring / fast shutter speeds etc – and discussing the role movement plays in the composition of the works etc… comparing and contrasting three photographers who all do things a little differently. Or you might look at contemporary approaches to wildlife photography – and the way certain photographers integrate modern technology or mixed media etc… There are many possibilities!
Let me know if you need more help.
*
hi Amiria,
Writing from an international school in provence. I am the only student doing the a level at my school and my teacher has never taught it. Need help badly!!!
I have several questions:
1.I live near the mountain Sainte Victoire which was painted by Cezanne so many times and I would like to do something about it but I am not sure how to title it or what I can do really.I need help with a title and the details of my proposal.
A study of the influence of the Ste Victoire on different artists which followed Cezanne?n Comparing them with Cezanne?
2. How should I go about this? should I take photographs? different views? Should i copy the work of cezanne? or others? Should I put some of my own impressions of the mountain? Cezanne workshop is in Aix en Provence where I live should I go there? What can I do there?
There is a particular site where he painted should I myself paint from there?
The local museum has some of Cezanne arwork shouuld I go there and study it?
3. I am not a prolific writer and I would prefer to do a presentation like the ones you show on your blog.How many pages do you think I should have in A4? What is the minimum amount of words?
4 What kind of various headings do you think I should include for each page?
I would be really grateful for detailed help as I am really lost.
Thanks
Hi George,
I think a lot of students reading this will be very jealous at your access to such great material (the works of Cezanne etc) – you are very lucky!
Anyway, in answer to your questions…
Something along the lines of ‘The Influence of St Victoire on Three Artists: how natural landscape informs technique and composition’ would certainly be fine. Another option however, which might make your job a little easier, is to make the study solely about Cezanne, in which case your topic might be something like: ‘The Influence of Landscape: an in depth study of the techniques of Paul Cezanne’. (I am not suggesting either of these wordings are perfect, btw; just quickly giving you some examples).
If the focus of the study is how an actual landscape informs a painting (as in the two examples above) then yes, you are likely to include photographs of the landscape, with any preliminary works you can find of Cezanne’s (i.e. his drawings) alongside final paintings of the same subject. You can then discuss similarities / differences between the real thing and the painting and how the landscape inspired him; the link between his brushstrokes / techniques and the real landscape / lighting conditions etc. Your photographs could be the exact same view as the paintings (used to compare the two), perhaps photographed in different lighting conditions, and possibly alternate views – in which you might be able to discuss why these views were not the subject of his paintings etc.
Copies of parts or whole of artist works are usually found in a Personal Study. Particularly if you are discussing the technique used, you might complete a partial example, to demonstrate the way he applied paint to a surface etc. You can also draw diagrams of his work when analysing composition.
I wouldn’t include your own drawings of the mountain, as the study is meant to be about the artist, not you (although if your coursework happens to be based on the mountain too, then you can have a section on this, explaining the connection to your own work). You don’t need to come up with original work specifically for the study though.
I would definitely visit the Cezanne workshop. I am not sure what they have there, but they may have examples of his working methods / materials / sketchbooks? Anything of this nature would be helpful to your study. I would definitely take some beautiful photos of his workshop that could be included somewhere in your study, perhaps tying this in somehow to methods of working or painting processes.
Similarly, you should visit his artworks in the flesh (this is a requirement for the study). See if you can take some very close up photographs, showing technique / brush strokes etc (photographs are probably not allowed, but you may as well try your luck)!
There is no set requirement for length, or a minimum word count (only a maximum). Perhaps about roughly 20 x A4? It really just depends on how much work you get on each page though, so it is very difficult to say.
The subheadings will obviously depend on the topic you decide on. Might be something like: Introduction (explaining the focus of the study); Cezanne: a brief history; St Victoire; Viewpoint and composition: the framing of a landscape (discussion about which bits of the landscape were selected and why); Process and technique: the influence of landscape (Painting techniques explained in terms of how these relate to the landscape + light / impressionism etc)… and so on. These are just to give you an idea – there are many ways of doing it…don’t want to complete you whole assignment for you!
Are you a CIE student? If so, make sure you submit an Outline Proposal Form (found in back of the syllabus – your teacher should have a copy).
Okay, that should be enough to help you for now! Good luck!!
Thanks Amiria,this is really helpful.
I am doing my A level with Cambridge International Examinations.I can start getting on with this now!
Thank you again.
No worries
hi Amiria i am a student from Mauritius island and i have not started my personal study yet but i want my title to be based on women so i choose “the depiction of women by some local female artists” .i will compare 2 female artists of my country to 1 international female artist like Mary Cassat or Berthe Morisot.Can you please give me your ideas about this.
Hi Melisa,
Thanks for your question. There is certainly potential in this topic, however your ideas seem a little vague at present (your title especially should be more specific). What aspect of women in art most interests you? For example, you could explore the role of women in society or perhaps how women are marginalised or pigeon-holed into certain roles. With such a topic, it is likely that your study will focus heavily on the ideas, subjects and themes behind the work and how the artist has conveyed these; you might analyse works in terms of composition (including use of symbols, facial expressions, choice of colour etc).
Once you have refined your ideas a little further I am happy to help further.
Good luck!
hey amiria im doing a personal study on dance and i have chosen Degas , Forain and i think renoir 2 compare with local artist of my country…im cuurently doing my research work on all the artists that i have decided 2 work upon n i wanted 2 knw what should i write about them… is it necessary to give a lot of details about the painters….. for example long biographies or should i make it simple and short?….
my theme is dance and degas and forain paint ballet dancers more…. the 2 local artist do not paint ballet dancers but only local dancers…. i wanted 2 knw whether it is going to be a problem…. thank you in advance…
Hi Pri,
The best approach is to focus your study on analysing their work (their style / their technique / their methods of working / the way they compose their paintings using line / shape / texture / tone / colour etc) and how all of this helps the artists to depict dance. While some biographical information can be fine (a small amount in the introductory passages can be helpful, for example), be VERY careful about having too much and make sure you write it in your own words. You do not want the examiners to think that you simply copied a whole lot of information from textbooks. Analysis of paintings (accompanied by drawings / diagrams / partial paintings etc) should make up the bulk of your study.
I don’t think it should be a problem that the forms of dance are different – both explore moving human form.
Are you a CIE student? If so, make sure you submit an outline proposal form to the examiners – they will give you more feedback and let you know if your topic is appropriate.
Hope that helps!
thanks so much..
yes im a CIE student..yes my teacher talked about the outline proposal.
the personal study has to be of about 3500 words and i was thinking how to divide the number of words so that i can come to write 3500 word.i have chosen 3 paintings of each artist and will be comparing 1 international artist to another mauritian artist.i was thinking whether i can compare the works of 2 international artist.2 mauritian artists n i international artist 2 local artist…i asked my teacher and she said that shes not too sure…
im having confusion about my layout of my personal study…
how to plan what i hav to write and how much to write…
i would be most grateful if i could knw about these things…thx:D
Hi Pri,
3,500 is actually the maximum number of words – it doesn’t have to be this long. There are no fixed rules regarding layout or structure – it really depends on your strengths and how you approach your topic. Students who are excellent writers might choose to submit close to 3,500 words; others who prefer a more image-based approach, might have lots of diagrams, drawings, paintings and other visual material, with much less writing.
How you divide the project up really depends on what your topic is about. Have you decided what in particular you will be focusing on (aside from the fact that the artworks depict women)? If it is a general topic, then it might be good to have a range of artists; if it is quite specific, on the other hand, it might involve an in depth analysis of one particular local artist, with the work of one or two international artists mentioned to help illustrate certain points or highlight certain aspects of the Mauritian artist.
Do you understand what I mean when I ask you what your focus is? …What are you hoping to learn from this assignment? Once you have decided your focus, I can help give you some suggestions about how you might break down the project into different sections etc.
Hi Amiria! This blog has inspired me so much! Especially the coursework example of the overlapping images! Simply beautiful!
Anyway I have some questions! My art teacher is one of those teachers who does nothing but drink coffee and send emails during class so i get no interaction with her and it kills me because art is such a huge passion of mine- i am considering a degree in fine art! But there are only 2 others in my class and the atmosphere is less than creative! But we have just got our exam title ‘harmony and discord’ and my immediate reaction was “WOW! That’s awesome!” I had soooo many ideas! But they were all torn down by my teacher as she said i can not do more portraiture as my coursework was portraiture- she told me to do the aftermath of natural disasters… YAWN! The way i argue my corner is that A level students are meant to think like artists, not like students, and i know portraiture will work for me! But that’s where i need your advice! What do i do? Portraiture or nature?
One more thing.
What do you think of these themes-
PANDEMIC- like a worldwide zombie outbreak causing a band of survivors to scavenge together (harmony and discord being team work and the blood thirsty foes).
JOURNEY OF THE SOUL- my own interpretation on our soul and what it looks like if it were visable, auras, guardian angels coming to take the soul to the other side (soul is in harmony but the body is in discord- death)
IRISH DANCING- movement and celtic dress design (harmony in the movement and discord in the competitive nature)
ANIMAL CRUELTY- hands surrounding cute pets, fencing etc
PEACE, PRAYER and PROTESTS- exploring how people strive for peace by agressive protests, and how mass protest can be less effective than one individual meditating for peace?
I would like to hear an art teacher’s perspective! Hope this all makes sense!
Respect!- Seamus in Ireland!
Hi Seamus,
Thanks for your awesome comment!
Lol, yes I had some teachers like that myself, back in the day
The best thing to do is just overwhelm her with your passion – continually bug her for assistance – and hopefully your enthusiasm will eventually rub off.
Yes, it is very hard when classes are so small. You need at least ten students to get a good mixing / sharing of ideas. But small classes have advantages too – no distraction / more teacher time etc (in theory) – and I have certainly had many tiny classes achieve excellent results, so it isn’t impossible. The key is to just continually hunt out examples of other student and artist work to look at and inspire you (which is clearly what you are doing, given that you have found my site)
Anyway, I am not sure if you have seen the recent blog post I wrote with ideas for the A Level Art exam? It has a small section on Harmony and Discord.
What mark did (or are you likely) to get for your Coursework? The reason I ask is that portraiture can be very revealing of any weakness in drawing accuracy. Other subjects can be more ‘forgiving’ in this respect. This could be a reason your teacher is discouraging you from portraiture? I am not sure how it works in Ireland, but in NZ, we actually encourage students to have quite a similar subject between Coursework & Exam, so that the Coursework acts as practise for the exam. The timeframe for completing examination work is generally much shorter, so, in our experience, it can help immensely if a student is well practised at the subject. (In saying this, obviously the theme or the approach should be different – you don’t want work that is essentially a duplicate project). If her only reason is that you have studied portraiture already, I would perhaps get her to clarify why this is an issue (in a polite, non-challenging way, of course)!
Personally I would encourage you to follow her guidance, however, as she knows your strengths best…and also, the best projects are the result of teacher and student input, so it would really be best to get her onside from the beginning. ANY topic can be interpreted creatively, by the way – an aftermath of natural disasters could be awesome
– it all just depends how you look at it.
With regards to your suggested themes:
PANDEMIC- awesome, as long as you get firsthand things to draw from, i.e. dressing up friends to look like zombies / scavengers and then drawing them…
JOURNEY OF THE SOUL – everything can be great if executed in the right way, however my gut feeling is that this has the potential to become cheesy very quickly.
IRISH DANCING – has a lot of potential visually.
ANIMAL CRUELTY – could be excellent – again, you would just need access to firsthand imagery. Ideally, real imagery (as it might be harder to artificially simulate?) i.e. inside a farm of battery hens etc…
PEACE, PRAYER and PROTESTS – would be best if related to one specific protest (rather than protests in general), and ideally a protest which has impacted upon you personally.
Hmmm, many good ideas – just depends on a) which one means the most to you and b) which ones you are able to get/create great source imagery for.
Okay, I have typed that super fast, because there are SOOOO many comments I am trying to answer. I hope my sentence structure / grammar isn’t too appalling.
Good luck!:)
Hi Amiria! I’m a CIE Art and Design student and am currently doing my personal study. I’m confused by the marking criteria in the aesthetic quality section…Does it mean I have to design the lay-out of the pages to have a good presentation? Or does it only mean neatness and intelligibility? I’m making mine looking really like a printed booklet, am I going on the wrong track?
Hi Sonya,
Yes, the Personal Study definitely has to be well presented. As it is part of Art & Design, it is expected that you make it nice to look at. As a point of interest, it is marked by the very same examiners who moderate your Coursework and the AS Exam – in other words, by arty people who respond very well to visual material! This doesn’t mean that you can’t gain full marks by submitted a purely written assignment with a few illustrations, but it does mean there can be advantages to including practical work (drawing / painting etc), if this is a strength of yours.
Even if you are producing a purely written Personal Study in the form of a printed booklet, you still need to consider: size and shape of pages; positioning of images (even a text-based study is likely to need a few colour copies of the artworks studied); column and margin spacing; text alignment; heading text style; body text style (make sure you use something easy to read for your body text i.e. Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri – nothing decorative or frilly); paper weight; binding method; cover design etc. – just to name a few!
Hope that helps!
Ah and another question: I’m focusing more on the history and philosophy of art the artist rather than the practicals..technique, tone, texture etc.. is it OK?
This is fine, however I strongly recommend you submit an Outline Proposal form (found at the back of the syllabus booklet – your teachers will have a copy), as this way the examiners can preview your topic in some detail and will let you know for sure if you are on the right track. A topic of this nature should be fine, however, as long as you are visiting an artist and seeing artwork in person…
ok….. im quite good at writing and expressing myself by writing .. my focus is to try and analyse the different aspects of the dance forms and colours used….all the international artists i.e degas forain and lautrec form part of the impressionist movement and i wanted to elaborate a bit on that …the 3 local artists have their own painting technique..
i have to start with my introduction and i dnt know how to start it..i have already gathered all the informations need bt still i cannot start…
thanks amiria and i would love to have ur ponts of views and suggestions…
Hi Pri,
What you are describing sounds like a common case of writer’s block! I would suggest that you begin by planning the structure of your project, listing all the things you will write about, and working out the best order etc, and then write the main part of your project first. Often my students write the introduction last, as it can be much easier to write this once you know exactly what your assignment is going to contain. Just begin with one of the sections in the middle of your project if this is easiest. Worry about editing it etc later. Just start writing things down…
When I get a chance I will write a post focusing on the writing for the personal study – how long do you have left until your deadline?
oK Amiria… i have to submit my proposal form by end of feb and my deadline to finish my personal study is by the end of July or start of August…i have started copying the paintings of the artists and will be going to have interviews with the local artists this week…i have to make a list of questions that i have to ask them….what questions do you suggest?i will do it in a form of interview….can i put it in my work or just mention that i had interviewed the artists?
thank you Amiria…you are of great help to me…:)
Hi Pri,
I would first write a detailed plan of all the sections your Personal Study will contain and use this as a guide to help you know what to ask questions about. Things that are usually very helpful are questions to do with their decision making process (i.e. why they chose certain colours / materials / mediums etc) as well as how they created their work. It can be great if they are able to show you lots of process work…i.e. initial photographs, composition plans, grounds, initial drawings etc, as well as semi-complete works. The more you can photograph all of this the better. Completed works are usually easily accessible in galleries and from books or the internet – but photographs of the artist working and their work in progress all help show the examiner that you really visited the artist and got really involved etc. Try and take a million photos, so you have lots to pick from… even of things like their paintbrushes standing in jars… And make sure that the photos themselves are beautifully composed (so think about lighting conditions and what is visible in the background etc) – not just ordinary snapshots.
Hope that helps!
I wouldn’t put the interview itself in your Personal Study – just mention that you visited in person and interviewed the artists. My students often include quotes of things the artist said, and, of course, the actual information you find out on your visit will be discussed within the study itself.
Ok amiria…thanks a lot…im sure that this is going 2 help…
hello again Amiria..
i am analysing 6 artists in all and for each artist i have chosen 3 paintings related to dance.
i have to analyse all the paintings that i have chosen right?
i have a total of 18 paintings…Since i have to analyse all of them 1 by 1, what do i have to put in my analysis???
how much should i write….
Hi Pri,
There is no hard and fast rule for how a Personal Study should be presented, however 18 sequential analyses sounds like quite a lot…and it also sounds as though it would become quite repetitive – especially as the three artworks by each artist are likely to be relatively similar. You want to avoid saying the same thing over and over again. It might be more useful to discuss works by one artist together (and there is no need to limit it exactly to three), so that you are able to comment on similarities and differences and then relate comments to the other artists too.
Another approach might be to separate your assignment not by artist, but by topic… under headings such as ‘use of colour’; ‘representation of form’ etc…and then discuss this particular aspect of ALL of the artists together, comparing them to each other etc.
But it is important to note that there is not one right way of doing this – and that there are many different ways of successfully presenting a Personal Study. A sequential study could be absolutely fine as long as it was not repetitive and you were able to link it all together at the end.
I will try and upload an example of part of the text of a Personal Study soon. If you are subscribed by email to this blog (see box top right) you will be alerted whenever I make a new post, so will know as soon as I have done this.
Hope that helps!
yes im already suscribed..thank you…its going to be very helpful if you could upload part of the text of a personal study..
Will do this soon! Just organising for some of my ex-students to send through some examples
Hi Amiria,
Let me just start by saying I absolutely hate writing essays, even-though i know its an essential. It took me quite a long time to decide what i wanted to write about, as my actual teacher is not very good and doesn’t help at all.
i narrowed my interests down and came to a conclusion of abstraction and sculptures.
this is following task/intro i set my self:
“Throughout this essay I will be looking at the aesthetics of sculptures and how they have evolved. Viewing works of artists such as “Pablo Picasso” and “Anish Kapoor”, I will be exploring the effective nature of abstraction within sculpture. – (And how it has revolutionised the way we interpret art?)”
Do you think its a good topic? BECAUSE im soo stuck as what to do?
Thanks alot.
Hi Rohit,
Your study sounds as though it is along the right track… Understanding how/why abstract sculpture developed and the role it plays in society today etc would certainly be a valuable thing for an art student to focus on.
Are you a CIE Art student? CIE students are required to visit work firsthand – and ideally an artist / sculptor too – so if there is a contemporary sculptor who you could visit and interview this would be fantastic.
My only hesitation with what you have described is the potential for the project to become too large and all-encompassing (as it potentially covers all sculpture from the beginning of time)…but I think it could work. You just have to make sure that you have sufficient focus on the work of a modern abstract sculptor (perhaps after an initial section that explains how abstract sculpture has developed over time etc).
I strongly advise submitting an Outline Proposal Form if you are a CIE student as the examiners will then give you official feedback to make sure they approve.
Hope that helps!
Dear Amiria,
Great blog. Most helpful on the internet yet btw.
I have selected graphic design and photography for a level components p2 and p3 respectively. For my personal study i chose” Evolution of automotive design”. Please help me in getting to know how can i present my work and what can i do to make it look more interesting. Thank you.
Thanks Usman
There are no rules regarding presentation, and the ‘best’ presentation method really depends on your own strengths and artistic style, as well as that of the artist/s or designer/s studied. I guess there are two basic approaches… one is to make the presentation take a back seat and allow the work itself to shine (i.e. through creating a simple, rectangular booklet or posters) – the other is to make the presentation of the study itself an innovative component (neither approach is better than the other). Some ideas include presentation in the style of a slick car manufacturer brochure, printed onto heavy, folding card, or a series of plain rectangular big presentation boards along the lines of this. Or a computer presentation? The clean, hard-edged lines of most car designs make me think a digitised or ‘formally arranged and ordered’ presentation like this might be more suitable than a ‘messy / painterly’ one? But there can still be lots of mixed media work if this is what you desire.
Sorry – I know this response is a bit vague, but there is no one right answer!
Good luck!
thx a lot amiria
Hi Amiria,
Thanks for your advice with narrowing down my personal study. It was a great help.
But I am now about to do an interview with a wild life photographer and I don’t know what questions to ask??!!….I have a few ideas but would really appreciate some more advice and help with what direction I should take the interview in.
Kind regards
Chania
Hi Chania,
What you ask really depends on the focus of your study. For example if you are looking at the technical aspect of wildlife photography, you will ask your photographer lots of question about camera settings / lighting conditions etc. As mentioned in an earlier comment to Pri, it can be helpful to ask about:
- Things to do with their decision making process (i.e. why they chose certain colours / compositions / techniques etc);
- How they created their work – technical processes etc (try and source lots of process work…i.e. sketches / practise prints / drawings). The more you can photograph on your visit the better. Photographs of the photographer working and their work in progress help to show the examiner that you really visited the artist and got really involved etc. Try and take a million photos, so you have lots to pick from… and make sure that the photos themselves are beautifully composed (so think about lighting conditions and what is visible in the background etc).
These are just a couple of examples of things to do / ask about. It really depends on the nature of your study.
I am going to write a blog post soon which will contain some examples of related study text, so hopefully that will help you too (make sure you are signed up to my blog – enter email address on web page, top right, so you will be emailed whenever I manage to write a new post).
Good luck!
Hi Amiria,
I am a Graphic Design teacher, my students always have problem in choosing their topics for the personal study. A few of the topics they have selected this year are related to comparison between wedding photography and fashion photography in Pakistan, a few of the students has picked up two companies and they are comparing their advertisements and campaigns. a few are trying to analyze logos, color themes used in specific advertisements. can you please give more guidance about graphic design related topics
Hi Rabia,
Yes, many of the teachers I have met also find Personal Studies problematic, primarily due to the lack of good examples to help guide teachers and students in the right direction. This is something I am working on for a future blog post, but I have very tight time constraints at present, so I am not sure when I will get to this. I am intending to do a post that includes a range of great Personal Studies from different disciplines (including graphic design).
It is hard to guide you too much without knowing more information about each of the studies you have mentioned, but a key thing is that the students are able to visit a graphic designer in person and see their studio and how they make/produce their work etc. In addition to the analysis of logos / colour schemes etc, it is also possible to discuss the processes, mediums and tools that are used to make graphic design work. In the same way that a Painting student might discuss how layers of paint are built up and different brush strokes used, a graphic design student might discuss the Photoshop tools that have been used, and how various digital effects help to convey the message of the work etc…as well as discussing / analysing printing methods, paper & card types and so on.
Teferring to the Graphic Design section of the 9704 syllabus also helps to give ideas about the sorts of things that could be covered. For example:
• How information is conveyed graphically, looking symbols, composition / page layout using text
and illustration, mirror images, repeat and reversed patterns etc…
• Integration of typography;
• The process from concept to final solution – showing layout work / mock-ups etc;
• The integration of hand-generated techniques with digital techniques.
• The benefits of certain illustration techniques;
• How aesthetics are balanced with functional and production requirements in product design;
• The integration of different technology and the influence of rapidly changing technology on Graphic Design.
Obviously a student wouldn’t try and cover all of these – just the things that tie in with their study topic.
Hope that helps!
Browsing through the comments here has helped in clarifying a few things for me but I’m still somewhat confused.
I posted a comment here a while ago and mentioned choosing the topic of books (or more specifically the way books captivate us and create worlds for us) for my coursework, and while I don’t want to do my personal study on exactly the same topic, I at least want it to be somewhat related. I’m getting late in the filling out of the outline proposal form because I’m facing a problem in setting out my personal study topic in clear terms. I thought of something along the lines of ‘the art in books’ in which I would explore both the work of some famous book illustrators (Quentin Blake, John Tenniel for instance) and also analyse how art is found in the words of books themselves (particularly in the way of the authors’ use of language and imagery and how descriptions often relate to painting terminology). I’m a literature student also and studying Virginia Woolf’s ‘To the Lighthouse’ and its very close link to art (the book has been called a painting itself) has inspired me a lot, so I thought I’d involve an exploration of this too.
Would you consider this topic to be fine? If yes, I’m also a bit uncertain of what I should put in the ‘first hand source’ and ‘bibliography’ sections of the outline proposal form- if I consider it, the names of the books I’ll use for my analysis would be the same. Or should books which contain critique (of Woolf’s work for instance) go in the bibliography section?
I also wanted to ask whether a depiction of the book ‘To the Lighthouse’ would be fine for the final painting of my coursework project. I thought the connection of literature and art within the book plus its use of multiple perspectives would reflect the ideas explored in my coursework, but I still would be glad to have some feedback on this (I hope I’m not being too confusing here, I’ll elaborate on what the book contains if you haven’t read it, but I primarily wanted to know whether depicting a book itself in a painting would be a good idea).
I’d be very grateful if you could reply soon, I’m running out of time somewhat. But I’ll thank you in advance for always being so insightful and helpful with your advice.
Hi Trobairitz,
Focusing on particular book illustrators – with reference to how images draw upon the imagery suggested by the story – is a great idea. You would need to make sure, however, that you focus on certain illustrators in particular, rather than endeavouring to produce an all-encompassing study about book illustration in general. While discussion of connection between the text and imagery is essential part of this, make sure that your focus is on the art, as opposed to the literature.
For a firsthand source you need to find an actual book illustrator, so that you can see the way they make images, integrate these with text…the physical (or digital) processes of putting together the book itself…so you can go to their studio and take photos of the works being made etc. As you are a Painting student, it would also be ideal to focus on illustrators who use a painterly or hand drawn approach (even if coloured digitally). If you are unable to access a well known illustrator (as most students cannot) the ideal situation is for you to contrast and compare a local illustrator to the work of one or two famous illustrators who work in a similar style. That way you get the hands on / interactive knowledge from the local illustrator, but still are able to reference the really inspirational famous illustrators.
As for your final Coursework painting, it is really impossible to say without seeing your prep work and how it evolves / develops etc. I have just initiated paid progress reports where CIE Art and Design students can get comprehensive feedback from me if you are interested.
You also might be interested in this artist who paints books.
The only word of warning I would have regarding the painting of a single book is to make sure that your image is complex enough and includes sufficient depiction of space/depth. It is hard to say much more than that without seeing your work.
Good luck!
Hi Amiria!
I have read most of your comments on the personal study and they definitely help. I’ve taken up fashion for my Coursework A2 Level and for my Personal Study I have chosen the topic “Portraits of children” and artists who have worked on that.Is it okay to have chosen a completely different Personal Study from my Fashion Design project?Just wondering…
I sent my proposal and it was approved without recommendations.
“INTENTIONS: To study of selected works by Mr Trotsky Marudu. I intend to investigate and compare these works by Mr. Marudu to other artists who have also worked on children’s portraits -Kathe Kollwitz, paintings by Pablo Picasso (Blue Period 1901-1904) and contemporary Indian artists Binoy Varghese and Jitish Kallat (Sourced from books and the internet) .As an extension of this comparative study, I will develop my own interpretations to children portrayed in these painting, from direct observation of my own cousins and younger members of my family and support my study with a few of my own works.”
Should I go ahead and add a few of my own sketches and paintings,with a comparative study?I’m not sure how many though.I only recently realized that my own work is not as important as the analysis part of the study.What would you suggest?
Thanks a lot!
Hi Nomita,
It used to be that Personal Studies had to relate to a Coursework project, but this is no longer the case. Here is the exact wording from the 2012 CIE A Level Art syllabus: Candidates will produce a detailed study of any aspect of the visual arts that may, but need not, relate to their work for Component 2 or Component 3: Coursework. So, yes, your topic is fine.
With regards to your own sketches and paintings…no, you should not include these… but you should, however, include drawings and paintings of work by the artists that you study. It is expected, in most cases, that students will include practical work within their study, but this practical work should (in almost every case) be OF or ABOUT the work that you are studying, rather than their own drawings and paintings. For example, you might sketch diagrams of a composition – to show the basic structure of a painting you are analysing – or you might make a detailed copy of part of an artist work to help you explain the painting techniques the artist uses. If an artist builds up several layers of media within their work, you might do a step-by-step example of this, showing each stage of a painting. Sometimes, i.e. perhaps for a cover image, you might copy a whole work exactly (with the pure purpose of flaunting your technical skill to the examiner). At other places, you might simply just include digital copies of works.
In conclusion – I strongly recommend practical work (to help you demonstrate ‘use of media, processes and techniques appropriate to the study‘ as mentioned in marking schedule)- but this should be of the artist’s work, not your own work.
Hope that makes sense!
Sorry for the very late reply! THANK YOU once again!!
Its the first time our school’s sending one!It would be great to know what a personal study looks like, in terms of layout and writing etc.
So i’m guessing copies or similar works should be fine.I still have time, I’m submitting my work in October….
Do you have any examples of personal studies or if possible comparative studies? It would be very helpful
Thank youuu!
Hi Nomita,
Yes, copies of works are fine…but don’t just slavishly copy a whole lot of works without a purpose. For example, the copy should allow you to demonstrate painting technique, or help you analyse composition etc.
I am working on posts about Personal Studies right now (it takes me forever to get each post done, because I can only work for a few hours in the middle of the night) but they should be uploaded soon! Please make sure you are signed up to the blog (top right of web page) so that you are alerted whenever I write a new post.
Thanks!
Hi Amiria, do u know what is that submission date for personal study 9704/04 ?thx
Bilal
Hi Bilal,
The syllabus states that this must be submitted by 5 June for the June session and 30 November for the November session (see the ‘Assessment at a Glance’ section, page 5). Please note that this is the date by which the Personal Study must arrive at CIE, so students need to submit it earlier than this, to allow you time to post them away.
Hope that helps.
Hi Amiria!
This is a really helpful blog for A-level art and i appreciate all the addvice you have put into this. I just have a few questions…
I am taking CIE A-level art and was planning on doing my personal study on guy harvey who i my local artist and Coleen Nash Becht as my international artist for they both relate to my course work thme being the ocean and shore in contempary art. i am a little confused as to how to choose a theme to base the study on…
also i was planning on doing my study in a similar style to how Nikau Hindin did hers with the pull out pieces. I wanted mine to look artistic and colourful with paintings and drawings put in as well as words and photos. am i allowed to say paint small little pintings to include in the study that are in a similar style to my chosen artists. for instance guy harvey paints allot of game fish so could i do a small pull out painting of a sword fish with notes or paragrphs underneath?
thanks for any help you can offer!
Hi Claire,
I will be writing a more detailed post to help with the Personal Study (particularly the writing side of it) as soon as I get a chance. If you subscribe to my blog (by entering email top right of webpage) you will be alerted as soon as a new post is written. In the mean time, here are my brief thoughts:
- It may be wise to also reference a really famous or historical artist as well to complement the artists that you have chosen (as these appear to be less well known?);
- As noted above, the theme should usually relate to process and materials (the way an artist or group of artists use/s media) or Subject or theme (the way an artist approaches a similar topic, generally with reference to composition, technique and the visual elements – line, texture, space, colour etc). In your case, for example, you might choose to focus on the practical methods, techniques and processes that are used by the artists – looking at the way the apply watercolours, types of brushes, mark-making, use of other mediums, paper types and stretching of paper or preparation etc. This is just one suggestion – there are many possibilities.
- Usually, I recommend selecting a method of presentation that relates clearly to artists/s you have chosen. An artist with clearly defined segments and shapes within their work would thus be easier to use for a fold-out / pull out project…but this is not to say it couldn’t be awesome!
- With regard to painting small paintings… it is certainly a good idea to include your own drawings and paintings, but these should be OF the works studied (or parts of the works)…or to show the steps that the artist takes when creating one of their works etc…NOT your own work (although you can have a section discussing how the artists have influenced your own work if you wish – but this is likely to just include photos of your Coursework). The intention is that the study is about you learning from the artist, not about you creating original artwork. Hope that is clear!
Good luck!
Hi! I’m currently writing my Personal Study and I’m a bit confused about what I can include or not.
I was initially planning to divide up my personal study into these sections: how I chose my theme, which is approached as a question; an analysis of a local artist who I met and interviewed; an analysis a famous Pre-Raphaelite artist; a comparison between both of them; my conclusion (the answer to the question) and how I used what I learned in my final piece + an explanation of my final piece. However, according to what I’ve been reading here it seems that I can’t really talk about my own creations in the personal study, am I right? In that case, where can I explain my own paintings? Because of the topic I’ve chosen, It’s essential for me to include somewhere the meaning of my original works, and the explanation is almost as important as the paintings themselves… The problem is that before entering this webpage (which is amazing!!) I was absolutely sure that all my written work had to be in the Personal Study, so I haven’t left any space in my portfolio (where my paintings are) to write anything. So, where should I include the explanations of my original work? In my sketchbook maybe?? Thanks in advance!
Hi Eva,
Coursework is (and must be) a discreet and separate body of work from the Personal Study. As part of your Coursework, you definitely should include notes which analyse different artist works you have studied / discuss your ideas etc. Usually this annotation is included with the sketchbook, although it can appear on the A1 preparatory sheets also. For more information about the sort of annotation that can with the sketchbook, please read this sketchbook best practice guide. If you look at the mark schedule for the A2 Coursework project here, you can see that ‘evaluation of information’, ‘critical appraisal’ and ‘impressive ability to analyse’ are all part of the Knowledge and Critical Understanding criteria.
While your Personal Study should be focused on artist work, for many students there is a direct correlation between the artist/s studied and their Coursework project. If this is the case, it is fine to have a section in the study explaining how what you have learned has informed your Coursework – in fact, this is a good idea. However, the focus of the study should be on the artist work, NOT your Coursework project.
Hope that is clear!
Please note that the above information applies to CIE Art & Design only, so if you are studying A Level Art in the UK the requirements could very well be different.
Please let me know if you need any further clarification!
Thank you for the advice! The point you made about including an older more well know artists was particually useful and i will do as you sugested! angain thanks for the advice!
hey amiria,
could u shed some light on the format and structure of a personal study?…including how many chapters have to be there: i read somewhere there should be at least 3 chapters…
also what exactly should be talked about and written in the personal study – analyzing, evaluating, commenting…? i will be comparing 2 artists… should i have one chapter on each artist and then one chapter comparing the 2, and also including an intro, and conclusion…?
Hi Aria,
CIE doesn’t specify a number of chapters. Perhaps the ‘three’ sections you have heard of are the Introduction, Conclusion and Bibliography? (As well as, of course, the main part of the text, which in my experience is broken into many more than three sections of subsections)…
The content depends on the topic, but yes, analysis, evaluation, personal responses etc… Read the marking schedule above very carefully for more clarity on this.
I will try and get hold of some excellent Personal Study text to do a post about soon, but my ex-students are taking a while to locate the material / send to me etc…hopefully get onto this soon!
Hi, I’ve chosen the theme of ‘Mother Nature’ and I’ve worked on drawing pregnant women and women in the form of trees, I was thinking of doing a final on a woman rising from the earth with children growing out of the leaves, but I’m not sure…
Do you have any suggestions on what I might include in my cousework??
Thank you!
Hi Zahra,
It is difficult to say without seeing the work you have done so far (please see here for more information about a paid Progress Report). Otherwise, my main advice would be to ensure you have actual pregnant women to draw from as well as real trees (as opposed to sourcing images from the internet).
Good luck!
Hello Amiria,
I am also taking CIE A-Level Art, and my personal study is based on “Games in Art”.
I would like to base my theme on how both my artists (David Bridgeman and Caravaggio) portrayed a link of themselves through their paintings, if that makes sense?
I am confused as to how to really express my theme in terms of a comprehensible context..
As well as presentation, whereby I would like to make it appeal to the examiners, but in a unique format to suit my theme, how would i go about doing that?
Thanks!
Hi Gabby,
I have been getting a lot of questions lately about the Personal Study, so am going to write some detailed posts on this as soon as I can. If you subscribe to this blog (to right of web page) you will be alerted whenever a new post is written.
I think before you begin, you need to think through a little more clearly why you are going to focus on games in art…i.e. what it is that you hope to learn / explore with this topic. Most artists tell us something of themselves within their artwork, so this is not something that is specific to game-related work. I would therefore think through things carefully before you begin.
As for presentation, there are endless possible ways (as described above)…the best ways are those which look aesthetically pleasing and link in with (or complement) the style of the artist/s studied. Will elabourate on this in the blog posts to come!
Good luck!
Dear Amiria,
I am just starting my personal study. I have decided to cover the topic of natural paints/art material. I would cover how it started… how it has developed into the type of paint/mediums we have used now days, and then the artist now days who have gone back to using natural sources in their work. Then I would highlight the differences between the two in effect cost etc….
Do you have any suggestions? Also I was wondering other then the artist that I am going to write about where should I get my other material? I don’t have access to a library at the moment and only have the internet right now…. would this be ok to get my history and background information from?
Thanks a mill for your help it’s a life saver…
Angelina
Hi Angelina,
This is actually a very intriguing topic and one that I like immensely for its originality and difference from any that I have encountered before. I think it holds a lot of promise.
It is fine to get a lot of material from the internet, just as long as you check that the sources are reputable. It would be good to be able to include reference to at least a couple of books in your bibliography / references section (just to cover all bases) but in this day and age the internet is a pretty reliable source of information.
Did you submit an Outline Proposal form with your intended sources of information?
Also, you may be able to generate material yourself…i.e. test various mediums / make home-made paint/dye samples etc.
Good luck!
Thanks for the help Amiria, that was perfectly clear!
Dear Amiria
I am an A level Art student in Zambia who is doing a personal study on a famous artists and a local artist. I can only get information of the famous impressionist painter on the internet mainly and a few books so that’s why I decided to also study a local artist so that I can have first hand information and compare the two artists. I was just wondering if I have to indicate my source of information in the personal study?
Thank you!!
Hi Natsai,
Yes, you should include your sources of information in the study in a references / bibliography section at the back of your Personal Study. I also advise making it clear within the study (ideally by including photographs from your meeting with the artist, such as photographs of the artist working, or of their studio etc) so that it is obvious to the examiners that you visited the local artist and saw their work first-hand.
Hope that helps!
hi,
I’ve made my decisions already on my topic, i’m going to investigate about the printing process in graphic design such as note books gift box and other forms of books/magazines that needed publishing.
i’ve already visited 2 factories, one produce gift box and another produces note books. also i have visited a magazine office and have meet their art Director and did some interview with him asking him the process of producing a magazine.
as for my coursework A this year i’ve done a Yearbook creation, where i think it can be link to my personal study as in how a book/magazine can be created and i’ve got the yearbook printed properly however i wasn’t able to take picture of the process of printing the yearbook instead i could only got the first print the one’s that are not been cuts and bind in to a book.
would this work?
i’m thinking what types of fine art i can add in to my sketch book since all media i use right now is computer based…
thank you for your help
Hi Wen Yi,
I would make sure you link your topic to graphic designers too… i.e. an exploration of how different printing processes and production methods influence the role of a graphic designer. You want your topic to have a clear relationship to the graphic designers, rather than solely an investigation of technical aspects.
Note that your Personal Study doesn’t have to link to your Coursework. This used to be a CIE requirement – now it is optional. The focus should be on learning from other graphic designers.
Your project also doesn’t have to contain fine art (as in, drawings and paintings), however it does need to be visually pleasing, with beautiful page layout etc. The aesthetic qualities that are assessed can be in a Graphic Design personal study include things such as: photographic quality; font size / style / spacing; column and heading layout; image positioning and so on. You could also include annotated samples / trials / diagrams of processes / paper types and so on. You should think carefully about every aspect of your presentation, from page size, page shape, paper quality and so on.
It can be entirely computer generated if you wish.
By the way, I will soon be writing some more posts about the Personal Study, so please make sure you are subscribed to this blog (see top right of web page). Then you will be alerted by email whenever a new post is written.
Good luck!
thank you, now i can get all my works linked and layout properly it really helps (your advise) thank you
hi again amiria..
hope you are doing well…
i have currently doing my biographies of all my chosen artists but i think that they are too long . i tried to shorten them but still its nearly 800 words for 7 artists..!! what can i do to lessen the words and what should i put in the biographies..
thank you
Hi Pri,
The biographies of the artists should not be very long at all – the bulk of your study should involve more analysis / investigative type work, rather than biographical material (which has a tendency to sound as though it has been extracted from textbooks). The only exception would be if the background of the artist relates directly to the topic and helps you understand their artwork – in this case it should integrated with discussion about your topic. If the material is not related to the topic of your study, then a short 150 word intro of the artist is more than enough.
I am still working on more posts about Personal Studies… they will be uploaded very soon! Thank you for your patience!
Hi again! I’ve already finished my Personal Study but I’m stuck with a pair of details:
1- Do we include webpages in our Bibliography or only the names of the books we’ve used?
2- I’m slightly over 3500 words (about 3600 or so). How strict are the examiners with the word limit?
It would be great if you could reply back soon. Thank you!
Hi Eva,
Yes, you should include web pages in your bibliography, along with all other sources of information. I also asked students to include an acknowledgements section, thanking the artist for their input etc.
I would say that the examiners are not SUPER strict about the word limit… i.e. there is no way they would actually know how many words your project was anyway (they are very unlikely to take the time to count)… however it is worth remembering why the word limit exists in the first place, and that is to ensure students write coherently and succinctly, rather than waffling on forever.
The examiners only have a limited time to assess your work and they don’t want to be bored to tears reading an extremely long project.
I would double check what you have got and make sure that you don’t have lots of irrelevant biographical information – or any other info that has been essentially transcribed from text books (or web pages)…and make sure it is full of your own thoughts / ideas etc.
Hope that helps!
Hi Amiria
Just discovered this blog. Really helpful for teachers and students, I’ll definitely be passing it on to mine. I just wanted to let you know that all the time and effort you put in is appreciated.
Thankyou!
Hi Tony,
Thank you – I love getting feedback like this – it makes my day. Thank you!
Hey Amira,
I have an art tutor who is an artist. Some of her work can viewed here. So I am learning art from her, and I wanted to know whether I could base my Personal Study on her. I am planning to make a video, and so I wanted to know whether I could base my work on her. Also my school holds an annual two week workshop, where the best artists of India and from from outside India, come and create a masterpiece. so should I wait for that and base my work on them, or should I include all of them, or choose something else.
Thank you
Rishabh
Hi Amiria,
I was wondering if there was any particular format of how I go about my referencing? Do I make my own comments throughout the personal study or do I mainly copy content from books etc?
Do I only mention where I got my material from in the Biology at the end or throughout the study?
Thanks a lot,