Investigation and Sources of Inspiration
Great art starts with great investigation. Learn to choose strong sources and question them like a critic, so your sketchbook shows real understanding, not just copying.
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Investigation and Sources 🎨
In Art and Design there is no written exam. Your marks come from your **portfolio**, and the first assessment objective, **AO1**, is all about how you **develop ideas through investigation**. Strong work starts by choosing good **sources** and thinking hard about them. This module shows you how to investigate like an artist, not just collect pretty pictures.
Sources of inspiration 🖼️
A **source** is anything that inspires and informs your ideas. Sources fall into two broad groups: - The work and approaches of **artists, craftspeople or designers**, from any period, society or culture. - **Environments, situations or issues**, contemporary or historical, such as a landscape, a city, or a social issue like pollution.
Match each term to its meaning
- Investigation
- Source
- Primary source
- Secondary source
- Exploring and gathering ideas from a range of starting points
- An artwork, designer, environment or issue that inspires you
- Something you observe or record firsthand yourself
- An image or account made by someone else, such as a book or website
Investigate, do not copy 🔍
The examiners look for **critical understanding** of your sources. That is the difference between a grade 9 sketchbook and a weak one. Critical understanding means you **analyse and question** a source: how was it made, what techniques were used, **why** did the artist make those choices, and what does it communicate? Then you use those answers to **develop your own ideas**, rather than simply copying.
Show understanding
An examiner says your sketchbook shows "critical understanding" of an artist. What does that mean you have done?
- Analysed and questioned the artist's choices and used them to develop your own ideas
- Copied the artwork as accurately as you possibly could
- Written down the artist's name and dates
- Chosen an artist you personally like
Investigating a source
An interactive activity.
What good looks like
Select ALL THREE that show a strong AO1 investigation.
- Studying a designer from a different period or culture
- Questioning WHY an artist used a particular technique
- Using both primary and secondary sources
- Tracing an image with no comment on it
- Using only one source you already knew well
- Copying an artwork exactly with no ideas of your own
Plan a critical analysis
An interactive activity.
Primary or secondary?
You take your own photographs of a rusty old gate to inspire a textiles piece. What kind of source is that?
- A primary source, because you recorded it firsthand
- A secondary source
- Not a source at all
- A critical analysis
AO1 summary
AO1 is about developing ideas through _____. You gather inspiration from sources such as artists and designers, or environments and _____. "Critical understanding" means you _____ a source rather than copy it. A source you record firsthand is a _____ source.