A Level Fine Art Course
Ashbourne A level Fine Art students explore a great selection of art and design areas so they can choose their art pathway, develop their own style, create an impressive portfolio and prepare for a career in the art world.
Ashbourne A level Fine Art students explore a great selection of art and design areas so they can choose their art pathway, develop their own style, create an impressive portfolio and prepare for a career in the art world.
Ashbourne students have the choice to experience a wide variety of art and design activities, such as drawing, life drawing, silk screen printing, sculpture, digital design and graphics, photography, fabrics and textiles. This allows them to make an informed decision, based on their interests, aptitude and skill, on which subjects to specialise in. They are also offered plenty of opportunities to showcase their talents and artwork both at Ashbourne and further afield, as part of their professional development.
A level Fine Art students develop the confidence and technical skill to express their ideas and convey messages to change the way people see the world. This course requires critical thinking, independent research, appreciation of historical and contemporary context and evaluation of their work. All of which are excellent preparation for a wide variety of career pathways.
Studying at Ashbourne helped me to explore new horizons in art and discover the diverse culture of London. Also taking A level History of Art helped develop analytical skills which are absolutely necessary in order to formulate my aesthetic.
Lidiia, Foundation Art and Design, Central Saint Martins
The Art Faculty offers expert guidance and comprehensive support for students applying for art degree courses at university. Students take part in group critiques to analyse and develop their work, join portfolio preparation workshops and receive one-to-one support during the application process.
Many of our students go on to apply to prestigious art colleges in London and the UK including Central Saint Martins, Chelsea, Camberwell and London College of Communication (all part of UAL), Slade (UCL), Ravensbourne, Westminster, Kingston and Brunel. We often encourage students to enrol for full-time preliminary Art and Design Foundation courses prior to degree study and have strong links with Foundation course providers such as the City and Guilds of London Art School.
Fine Art students have a wide range of traditional careers paths to follow including practising as a professional artist, directing and curating at galleries and museums, creating mural art, promoting art in the community, becoming technicians, printmakers, sculptors and teaching, for example. Students may also delve into the digital world where the demand for new media software and graphic designers, illustrators, multimedia artists, online publishers, and video, animation and gaming artists is growing at an unprecedented rate.
Fine Artists today are able to reach a worldwide audience almost instantaneously thanks to the internet and new media technology. Now they can market and sell their work directly to people around the world without having to go through traditional channels, although galleries and other art institutions remain highly influential. To survive and thrive in such a competitive industry artists need to be versatile, multi-skilled and able to promote their ideas and work – something greatly encouraged at Ashbourne from the very outset.
Ashbourne’s Creative Arts Evening allows current and former students the chance to share their art, music, poetry and fashion at a nearby venue. Students and staff from across the college also take part in the very popular annual Ashbourne Revue to show off their skills and talents in art, fashion, music, dance and drama. This is a fantastic chance especially for art and design students to unveil their masterpieces.
Art and Design students have been invited, by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, to exhibit their work at the beautiful Victorian Leighton House museum in Kensington as part of an annual borough-wide schools exhibition. Ashbourne students have always been very successful at this event and have often won prizes for their work. This invitation also entitled them to put forward their artwork for the Art on Loan programme where local businesses pay to hire, and occasionally buy, students’ art.
Every year Ashbourne students have the chance to visit a major European city, such as Rome, Athens, Madrid, Florence and Barcelona, during the Spring half term. The trip is an extremely popular cultural experience that takes in many of the cities’ fine art galleries. It is a fantastic opportunity for A level Fine Art students. It is also a real highlight of many students’ time at Ashbourne.
